IMPACT OF URBAN HERITAGE ON SOCIAL VALUES IN HISTORIC URBAN PRECINCTS - PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE KUTTICHIRA COMMUNITY, KERALA

Historic urban neighbourhoods endure rapid transformation due to fast-paced development proposals seldom considering the urban heritage values associated with the local community. The study aims to examine the community perception of the impact of urban heritage on social values. The paper proposes a weighted contextual framework to maintain the social wellbeing of the community in historic urban precincts through a case study of Kuttichira. A framework constituting a set of social criteria that has an associational impact with the urban built heritage fabric was assessed and prioritized through a questionnaire survey on the perception of the Kuttichira community. The empirical results reveal relatively equal weightage across the gender groups, indicating the social impact's credibility within the community. The findings contribute to the practice of sensitive urban development catering to the community's social needs and assisting in policy-making.