1 Introduction

Visual qualities of cities are changing world over, especially in countries that are fast developing since the last three decades. Urban public spaces are the lifelines of a city that cater to all citizens and their needs of amenities, shopping, recreation, or livelihood; retail commercial hubs being one of the prime public spaces for users of varied profiles. Consumer culture is going global, what was once regionally based is fast evolving with an amorphous nature to the contemporary architecture. Interesting yet concerning attributes are observed which offer a need to contemplate and study such a shift from local to global. One aspect of this shift is witnessed in the emergent urbanscapes and façade architecture especially in the built forms of city-centers. Venturi and Brown (1960s) had raised these questions over the newer urbanscapes in Las Vegas and New York deciphering valuable learnings of symbolism in architecture [1], while Pierce gave birth to the logical theory of semiotics in early 1900s that led to many an interpretation in the years to come. The question thus—What role does architecture play in city-center streetscapes that host retail commercial activities? The paper explores this premise and runs in three sections. Firstly, background to the study outlines understanding concepts of visual urban aesthetics, semiotics, and identifying related urban issues. Secondly, review of theories on urban semiotics and case studies of legislations related to urban aesthetics in cities and thirdly, primary survey is conducted for investigating the premise with the case study of Bangalore city in India elaborated in terms of assessment methodology, results, analysis, and interpretations thereupon. The paper concludes with a strategic framework of proposals in foreseeing image of the city-centers as one with the envisioned identity and integrity of built façades to beckon conducive user experiences.

2 Background and focus of the study

‘Buildings’ form a major component of urban morphology along with other three aspects of land use, street layouts, and plot patterns [2]. Being the only three-dimensional volumetric elements, buildings outline urban characteristics and impact the aesthetical profiles to the maximum. The important aspects of successful place-making rely on four principles corelating architecture with psychology and neuroscience viz, edges (people are thigmotactic), shapes (man’s preference for bilateral symmetrical forms), storytelling (narrative proclivities of man) and patterns (visual orientation a critical aspect) [3]. Thus, visual perceptions comprise an essential element of design in urban spaces. From a visual perspective, façade becomes the interface between eye (people) and the object (building). Experience follows only once the person enters the building. Hence, the current study uses façade of buildings which is considered as the object of visual assessment to aesthetics.

One of the major issues encountered in urban space architecture of Indian cities is the occurrence of aesthetic visual clutter or visual pollution. Based on general observations, visual clutter can broadly be classified owing to:

  • Motors-parked or moving

  • Utilities/infrastructure-overground elements such as cables, poles, and units; buildings themselves with services such as AC units lodged on façades

  • Debris – remnants of various development, construction, or maintenance works

  • Signages and displays-public works department for wayfinding, and commercial signage for advertising goods/services (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Elements of visual clutter-vehicles, cables, signages and rooftop installations for hoardings (Image source: India Times) (Times of India (24 Aug 2017) Brigade Road-Shopping In Bangalore. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/bangalore/brigade-road/ps29984788.cms. Accessed 20 March 2023)

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The focus in this study shall be on the fourth component i.e., ‘signages’ impacting visual aesthetics in cities. The investigation is carried out in the case of Bangalore which is the capital city of Karnataka state in South India. It forms a right subject as representation of a city in the Asian subcontinent evolving with a determined urban development stride and diverse cultural profiles. The city has many commercial hubs with streets that are iconic in nature, flourishing heritage precincts, and is popular as a shopping and entertainment hub for young and the old alike. Over time, development attributes such as elevated infrastructure (with flyovers and metro lines), increased traffic, rampant retail branding, and cosmopolitan population has led to an amorphous nature to the contemporary architecture.

2.1 Semiotics and signage clutter

Signs are an integral part of human society. They guide people’s movements, behavioral attitudes, and knowledge in a city with attributes of attraction, interest, expressions either remorse or awe, and render uniqueness and complexity to the urbanscapes. They evolve in terms of art, material, definition, or adaptability. Local street retail to commercial strips along highways, signs formulate in scale and structure as per the intended audience. The study of signs and philosophy of signs in human society is called as Semiotics and derived from Greek semesion meaning sign. It is a part of the broader study of communication, including visual arts, graphic design, and basic visual literacy. Businesses adopt semiotic principles in signage to connect to people because visuals appeal better than text. One of the issues of visual pollution in cities in recent times arise due to excessive signage that veils architecture and subdues the intricate character buildings lend to defining neighborhoods. Hence, this offers an interesting field of exploration and discussion.

2.2 Research design and methodology

The focus in the study are city-centers and the query—What defines the image of a city-center in contemporary times? Is architecture a critical necessity for creating buildings in such retail urbanscapes? To answer this, the study formulates a research design with the aim to perceive the evolving façade architecture that represent modern day city-centers which are striving commercial hubs and deemed to be vibrant urban public spaces. The objectives of the study are three-fold thus:

  1. 1.

    To perceive façades of buildings as interface to visual connect

  2. 2.

    To derive perspectives from central principles of theory of semiology or semiotics in architecture

  3. 3.

    To co-relate and assess emerging newer nodes and existing traditional nodes in the city.

The research methodology includes triangulation involving literature review of theories of semiotics, review of legislations pertaining to urban aesthetics in India, and visual observation surveys conducted to audit or gauge the existing scenarios in the study area surveys.

3 Literature-theories of semiology

The three theories include:

  1. 1.

    ‘Semiotics theory’ by Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) and Charles Sanders Peirce (1902)

  2. 2.

    ‘Duck and decorated Shed’ by Robert Venturi in his seminal work ‘Learning from Vegas’ (1972)

  3. 3.

    ‘Urban semiotics’ theory by Kevin Lynch in ‘Image of the City’ (1960)

3.1 ‘Semiotics theory’ by Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) and Charles Sanders Peirce (1902)

Theories by Saussure and Peirce are discussed primarily because they emerged when the science of semiotics gained focus. Both lent valuable perspectives and applications that are widely witnessed in several disciplines including architecture and design. Popularly known as founder of modern linguist, Saussure proposed a theory that signs consisted of two parts-signifier (physical form of the sign) and signified (shapes and sounds arising specific mental concepts in the audience) [4]. Both signifier and signified are arbitrary in nature [5] as human mind deduces cognitive meaning as perceptions of the physical environment. When implied in urban environments, signage becomes a strong factor of perception from an individual but more so collectively. Signifier (material) conveys physical gestures and need not necessarily be words with meanings as sensed in the case of streetlights where red indicates stop. Hence, signifier (abstract) leads the perception in a certain direction to the signified (mental concept).

Peirce known as a pioneer of pragmatism [6] proposed a theory comprised of three aspects-sign, object and interpretant that determined how signs can signify meanings in a logical manner including typologies of signs that comprised of the sign itself, how the sign stands for its denoted object and how the signs stand for its object to its interpretant. Each typology came with three phenomenological categories each of which icon-index-symbol becomes relevant to understand. An icon infers direct similarity to its object, index conveys the factual meaning while symbol refers to what the sign might be understood as by the mind.

3.2 Duck and decorated shed’ by Robert Venturi in his seminal work ‘Learning from Vegas’ (1972)

Venturi et al., proposed the popular ‘duck and decorated shed’ theory in response to the modernist architecture. Meaningful iterations were deduced from the sign and symbol laden commercial urbanscapes of suburban American towns. Two architectural typologies became the foundation of critical analysis-the ‘duck’, building as a symbol and the ‘decorated shed’, an existing conventional building embellished with a sign to denote its functions (Fig. 2). As their ideologies leaned towards the decorated shed, these perspectives became one of the most influential theories of the twentieth century heralding hybrid post-modernist architecture and seeing a spark of interest in such critiqued buildings. Signage is seen as vital and a crucial aspect of architecture to lend identity and legibility to urbanscapes at overwhelming scales.

Fig. 2
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Venturi’s analysis of ‘Duck’ versus ‘Decorated shed’, with Big Duck in Long Island (top right)

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3.3 ‘Urban semiotics’ theory by Kevin Lynch in ‘image of the city’ (1960)

Urban semiotics is the study of meaning in urban form based on signs and symbols, on perceiving, sensing, and inventing the city. The theory is generally in conjunction with social connotations called as ‘social semiotics’ comprising of meanings attributed to ideas, power, physical built spaces, and symbolic meaning of signs beyond the intended functional meanings. Lynch was a pioneer to explore and focus on cognitive communication and legibility in urban spaces defined by way of the five elements—path, edge, district, node, and landmark. Imageability is defined as the quality of a physical object in the cityscape to evoke, with a high degree of probability, a powerful mental image in any observer [7]. This physical quality comprises of two aspects, firstly the object itself and secondly the structure which is a resultant of relationships between objects and between objects and observer. Urban semiotics is viewed as the study of urban practices or shop signs [8]. Lefebvre retorted that urban space is a social product with his ‘Right to City’ theory [9]. The application of semiotics as a methodology in urban planning has been explored aptly as an efficient and accurate tool to produce qualitative data from cities [10]. Tuan differentiated between space and place distinctly as socio-economic system being the critical component of space whereas semiotic component created place [11]. This implies people associate with a space and experience it in response to physical determinants such as signage giving meaning to the space. A study to determine the semiotic structure of urban space deduced that urban signage does leaves its spatial imprint on the authentic identity of the physical structure. But it is the synergy between the geometric appearances of the physical structure and contemplative elements such as culture, lifestyle, politics, economic trends that creates the semiotic structure of the urban space in totality [12].

3.4 Conclusions from literature study

The theories indicate that urban structures and signs become significant contributors to symbolism of urban space. Connotations of modern city-centers are based on signage semiotics and image building of the city while determining the social construct. From the semiotics that Las Vegas developed in 1970s, subduing architecture and appealing to people by signs and lights was indicative of the urgency of commerce and business to strike overtly with the masses. The city of Amman, Jordan also faces issues of visual clutter in commercial zones with the result witnessed as the buildings becomes billboards themselves; the city authorities face ire from the businesses towards the stricter regulations for signages and hence, incentives probable as a solution could be explored in line with ‘minimal intervention—high impact’ concept [13]. Urban centers also tend to display this need to lure people with flashy semiotics while products themselves are secondary to the experience thereupon. The question points to ponder over role of façade architecture in contemporary city-centers.

4 Legislations on urban aesthetics

Aesthetic legislation in cities fundamentally should address two aspects-subjective issues of taste and ideals of aesthetics to induce and maintain the ‘place identity’ and ‘unique character’ of the city. Hence, cities across the globe have adopted to implementing design standards of various orders such as zoning and massing to maintain urban integrity while allowing for growth and change within the city, for example cities of London, Philadelphia, Netherlands, and many more [14].

4.1 Indian cities and legislations

Delhi Arts Commission Act (DUAC) of 1973 was set up as an advisory to preserve, develop, and maintain aesthetic quality within Delhi, capital of India and propose development schemes for major areas such as Connaught place, Lutyens’s Delhi, and historical core. It specifies guidelines for architectural expressions of new buildings in the city-center while laying down norms to local bodies to prohibit and regulate commercial hoardings, neon signs, or billboards in Central Vista, and major landmarks of national importance [15]. It outlines signages of standardized specifications such as height limitation to 75 cm. Taking the case of Connaught Place, a successful city-center with vibrant public realm along its grand architectural attribute of Georgian style colonnaded façade is also facing the wrath of getting engulfed rampantly with signages in recent times along with modifications in the heritage façade (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3
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Connaught place, New Delhi (Image source: NDTV)

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The commercial signage used in urban public spaces may be classified largely as:

  • Sign Boards-fixed, and may be illuminated

  • Billboards and Hoardings—Large advertising structures on which posters are pasted, in high traffic areas termed as ‘out-of-home advertising (OOH)’

  • Neon Signs – Illuminated signs coming in varied colours

  • Banners –Temporary, cloth or flex banners strung across streets and shops.

Chandigarh city master plan 2031 [16] has an extensive chapter on architectural controls to regulate and maintain the distinct image of the city envisaged by Master Planner Architect Le Corbusier. It is outlined that advertisement space for fixing neon signboards shall be provided in compliance with the architectural controls. City of Mumbai, home to rich historical and heritage building assets, witnessed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) move on removing eyesore hoardings in the Fort area to protect façades and deciding to standardize the signages in these areas along with specifying uniform color codes by the Mumbai Heritage Area commercial signage regulation set up [17]. The Coastal City of Panjim, capital of Goa also underwent awareness on the urban aesthetical revolution to counteract impact of random and haphazard positioning of signages that cause visual pollution, by entrusting the Charles Correa Foundation to draft policies to rationalize the signage system to ensure uniformity, legibility, readability, especially in heritage zones. Lighting was considered as an integral part of advertising or directional signage [18].

4.2 Other city legislations

Warrnambool city, Australia has a well-defined policy for advertising signage [19]. The city believes well-designed signs have an important role in community for promoting businesses, adding vitality whereas poorly designed ones can detract from the architecture, adversely impact public domain, overwhelm urban spaces and streetscape quality. Too many signs can create visual clutter that reduces their effectiveness. Three typologies of commercial zones are identified and under each zone-specific norms are elaborated for signage. A ‘façade grid’ is outlined to determine scale and placement of signs on buildings (Fig. 4). The concept is further adopted and evolved in the experiments undertaken in this study.

Fig. 4
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Source: Warrnambool City Council Report, pages 7 and 28 respectively

Illustration of a various sign types and b façade grid

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Singapore city has Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s three sets of outdoor signage guidelines, applicable based on the location-within Central Area, outside Central Area, Conservation Buildings and event signages in Central Area. For instance, w.r.t sign fixed over a footpath, norm dictates that it shall not be less than 2.5 m above the level of the footpath (Fig. 5). A valid license must be availed from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), an agency under the Ministry of National Development to avoid eye level clutter, have more visual connect to activities or merchandise than the sign itself. There are norms which prohibit any kind of outdoor signages for advertisements such as—illuminated by flickering, flashing, and running lights except for identified streets, in vicinity of airports or central median dividers. Strict ordinances and fines are formulated to upkeep city aesthetics [20].

Fig. 5
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Two clauses for Signage placement by Singapore city—Urban Redevelopment Authority

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4.3 Bangalore urban aesthetic legislations: the gap

In the city of focus here, Bangalore adopts norms framed by the local Council-BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) [21] and by the Urban Development Department (UDD) of State Government, at times conflicting each other. City presently follows BBMP Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Byelaws 2018, which elaborately puts forth all technical norms for public and commercial signages [22]. Each property is allowed a maximum unit content it may display, maximum up to 10 units of information, each unit consisting of letters, digits, symbols, or logos and trademarks. Sign dimensions are also prescribed in relation to the length of building structure facing the street along with other aspects. For signs on a background façade, entire area of the background is calculated as sign area, size of a free-standing sign is the total area of the street face of the display etc. The sign height is calculated as the vertical distance measured from grade adjacent to where the sign is to be installed to the highest point of the sign and is specific to the zones in the master plan. For example, in commercial areas of zone 2 and 3, maximum sign area allowed is 6 sq m at a maximum height of 5 m. Hence, quantitative prescriptions and violation norms are put forth in the legislation, but a qualitative definition to urban aesthetics is not clearly interpreted, one that is sensitive to the heritage or cultural profile of the city.

4.4 Conclusions from the case study of city legislations

Under the scope of understanding from case studies, highlighted aspects include-city’s traditional profiles, evolving urban expansion attitudes, changing urbanscapes, and norms. Few cities opt for placing forth suggestive norms regarding architectural and signage controls, whereas few others opt for stricter ordinances. Likewise, eight salient derivatives towards achieving a content-based regulation system derived upon are adoption of-

  • zone-specific and land use-specific legislations for urban aesthetics such as heritage zones, architecturally important zones, or vibrant commercial hubs

  • architectural controls in line with the characteristics and historical relevance of the city

  • urban design controls

  • power to Local bodies to regulate the city aesthetics

  • violation norms to enforce and control flouting of rules

  • advertisement controls to regulate outdoor signages

  • community involvement to assist the city in managing prescribed norms and notifications

  • prescriptive guidelines to plan and design the signage systems in terms of location, size, color, types etc.

5 Visual observation surveys in Bangalore: the old and the new nodes

Bangalore is a circular-shaped city with the heart of the city housing the historic low-rise dense core with traditional market streets (called as Pete in local language kannada) and remnants of the old fort (Kote) (Fig. 6). As the city grew since its inception in 1537, layers of development stages have been witnessed. Likewise, newer Central Business District (CBD) with high rise and modern buildings have emerged. Hence, study identified typical typologies of streets in old and new nodes respectively (Fig. 7).

Fig. 6
figure 6

Extent of Bangalore city (741 sq km)—Pete (market) and old Kote (fort in remnants now) areas in the city-core

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Fig. 7
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Old CBD and New CBD with the large green lung space the Cubbon Park

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Salient qualitative aspects that differentiate older and newer CBD’s may be enlisted based on general observations and perceptions (Table 1). Both are rich retail commerce nodes with similar financial turnovers but vary distinctly in terms of image of the streets, user groups and perceptions. In each of these zones, two streets are subject of analysis.

Table 1 Ten distinct attributes of New and Old CBD zones
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5.1 Observation methodology

The visual observation surveys of current contexts are conducted with a ‘content analysis approach’ to the built facades. The methodology involved:

  • Observation surveys on two popular streets each in old and new CBDs with sample stretch module of 100 m from its primary junction or in the most prominent section, 3 such modules are investigated (Figs. 8, 9)

  • A vertical façade grid of 3 m X 3 m is adopted to analyse the façades

  • Scope of observation-deducing percentage of façade covered with any form of display boards in each grid that masks the architecture to achieve quantitative based ‘street façade performance assessment’ in terms of ‘architecture’ versus ‘signage’.

Fig. 8
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Study stretches in new CBD

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Fig. 9
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Study stretches in old CBD

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6 Results and analysis

The analysis in the facade grid is carried out in each module (Fig. 10), tabulated with a coded range and percentage coverage of façade with signage is deduced (Table 2).

Fig. 10
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Case 1 (new CBD)-typology of street depicting 30 m stretch with analytical façade grid at MG Road across the intersection of MG Road and Brigade Road

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Table 2 Case 1 (new CBD)-Façade grid % deductions with grid overlaid on the façade (Fig. 12)
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From the study in new CBD-Case 1, it is observed that 64% of the façade is concealed with signage-either name boards, billboards, flex banners, or hoardings. In Case 2, 42% of façade is concealed (Fig. 11 and Table 3).

Fig. 11
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Case 2 (new CBD)-typology of a shopping complex with multiple retail and recreation uses ‘Mota Royal Arcade’, Brigade Road, one of the oldest yet successful commercial building in the city

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Table 3 Case 2 (new CBD)-façade grid percentage deductions (Refer Fig. 12)
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In the study of old CBD, with case 1, 16% of façade is seen covered and with case 2 (Raja Market zone) it is 12% (Fig. 12 and Table 4). Hence, signage is present only to basic required extent. Advertisement boards on the sides perpendicular to façade is noted to give view to prospective buyers. Interestingly in old CBD, two modes of semiotics are noted-sign and product (Fig. 13).

Fig. 12
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Case 1 (old CBD)-Typology of street stretch and analytical façade grid at Avenue Road presented in perspective view to illustrate scale perception of the street

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Table 4 Case 1 (old CBD)-Façade grid percentage deductions
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Fig. 13
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Case 3—old CBD Types of urban semiotics (a ‘Sign as semiotic’-typology of signages perpendicular to the façade as a response to the narrow street widths and spanning Flex banners across the street (b) ‘Product as semiotic’-typology with merchandise such as garments hung/displayed in aisle ways)

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A derivation from observing the new CBD in its early days shows that architecturally, streetscapes were defined by buildings and facades had character rendering image to the city-center (Fig. 14). The same streetscapes over five decades wear a different façade decked with overwhelming signages of varied types, giving way to aesthetic clutter.

Fig. 14
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a Brigade Road (L) and b M G Road (R) of bygone days (date unknown) when the architecture rendered character to the streetscapes (Image sources: L-Photos of a Bygone Age group, Facebook and R-Times of India photo)

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6.1 Discussion and interpretations

The collation of the values derived from façade grid analysis for the 3 modules each in the four streets gives average summation of scores (Table 5).

Table 5 For the 3 modules (m) of 100 m stretch along each street, scores for the coded values and average scores
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6.2 The ‘Branding’ semiotics

In new CBD, along Brigade Road (BR) nearly 60% buildings have facades concealed with signage between 50 to 100% (A + B + C), while along M G Road (MGR) 67%. Whereas, contrastingly in Old CBD on Avenue Road (AR) scores show 38% and on Chikpete Road (CR) 57%. Built facades in new CBD are concealed with signages average of 37% (A- 80 to 100% covered) while in old CBD 20%. Results point at ‘branding’ a contemporary times phenomenon for retail commercial makes it prerogative that advertisement signages become heavily relied upon by businesses to appeal to buyers, whereas in the traditional market areas of old CBD trades are not based on brands but merchandise from small time manufacturers with reasonable pricing yet which is a dear option to many families since years. Architecture and retail experience had lent the iconic image to M G Road or Chikpete markets, connecting people to the urban space while advent of branding and competition with emerging innovations in signage led to veiling the architecture in new centers.

In CR, buildings host retail outlets at ground floor, not too big in size, with space on higher floors either as wholesale space, storage or at times retail extended for more options for customers. Businesses appoint or station a person to lure customers from the streets to their shops and to upper floors, hence role of signage becomes limited. Whereas, on BR and MGR, the case is of multiple businesses at different levels, hence there is a competition w.r.t signage overpower in terms of size, color, appeal to attract people. Signage speaks more than building does, as is seen in the survey results. Basic or necessary signage, excess or overindulgent and over emphasizing billboards; is thus a contemplative matter. The architecture of persuasion by Venturi becomes inevitable in commercial nodes, yet with city-centers being iconic representatives of a city, architecture becomes crucial to lend the character and permanence to the city’s core hubs. But trades and consumerism require visibility, hence signage takes over architecture with signs becoming the ‘signifier’ of attraction to induce the ‘signified’ intent of shopping or dining as per Saussure’s theory. As ‘icons and index’ to render the experience, signage become ‘symbols’ of thriving modern city centers extrapolating from Pierce’s theory.

6.3 The ‘Perceptive’ semiotics

As a shopper or visitor to a public retail street, expected normal is a safe, comfortable yet engaging sidewalk with clear vision to the shops displaying the merchandize or service and sign boards establishing this [23]. Also, a visual ambience that is of a right balance in engagement of the user, not too overwhelming and over-stimulating nor dull and uninteresting. This pertains to signages and lights as well. In old CBD, where streets are narrower and shops have smaller frontage, signs are not a matter of priority; people and merchandise connect is enabled easily. But in larger showrooms as in new CBD, trades connect to people via signages extensively through the façade which becomes a layer, detached from the building interiors. People associate strongly with the physical structure of streetscapes; structure of built forms determine the quality of the environment and experiences in urban spaces.

The results in new CBD led to contemplation if basic architecture with minimally designed façades would be sufficient to run a retail node because facades shall be concealed with signages anyways. If so, would city-centers then become the unique icons, which every city vies for as witnessed across eras and urban developments. Role of architecture in shaping city-center is irrefutable. Yet as commercial signage is seen as prerogative, just formulation of quantitative norms will not suffice as seen in the Bangalore legislations, but a qualitative perspective is essential while creating ordinance. A research outlines three reasons- ‘visual beauty’ (alone) is a defective predicate for aesthetic policymaking, ‘experience’ by way of visual configurations gains affirmative responses from viewers and adequacy of ‘stability hypothesis’ as a normative basis for aesthetic controls raises considerable legal regulatory dilemmas [24]. Hence, a multi-perspective and integrated approach becomes meaningful in addressing the aspects of visual ambience in city-centers.

6.4 The strategic framework

The study evolves a ‘three-point perspective’ framework proposed to gain a wholesome approach to enable the objectives of reconnecting people to the experiential semiotics of city-center architecture.

  1. 1.

    ‘Image of the City’

    • adopt under the larger ambit of the master plan (vision) for the city and the identity which the city envisions either as a socio-culture node, a heritage marker or techno-hub, city-centers and design to uphold the image

    • strike a tandem between scenarios and conflicts between older establishments and newer growth trends that typically impact physical environments

    • indulge in a co-relative existence between architecture, traffic, landscape, public spaces, and utilities in formulating a comprehensive and cohesive image, where no layer in the scheme is ignored and thus becomes a holistic approach

    • involve people as a primary aspect to comprehend the aspirations and creating user-friendly environs in such public precincts of which visual connect to the built forms is critical with the façade becoming the interface between the user and the indoors

    • envisage aesthetics and function both as convergence factors to the image of the city

  2. 2.

    ‘Architecture, Urban Design, and Signage’

    • adopt an integrated approach to envisage the city-centers

    • implement strategies under the UD plan to encompass the ‘façade architecture’ as an element of design parameters

    • uphold the defined architectural characteristics and strike a tandem between architecture and signage to avoid veiling of architecture

    • induce a disciplined approach to qualitative ‘façade maintenance’ of building architecture across evolving timelines with a plan of action specified in the UD schemes

    • stipulate w.r.t coverage of façade by signages in relation to location or placement to regulate superimposition of signage over architecture as seen in the case of Connaught Place, New Delhi; define a metrics of threshold to regulate these percentages in logical response to the qualitative scheme

    • formulate an integrated approach to building services and elements of the services on building facades, such as wiring for lighting the illuminated billboards, stacking of AC outdoor units etc.

    • modulate ways in which commercial signage can becoming beacons of city-centers can be creatively inculcated in the detailed scheme

  3. 3.

    ‘The Regulatory mechanism’

    • regulate need for businesses of any scale to overpower other trades resulting in drastic adoption of excessive need for varied formats of multiple signages; which can be achieved by way of stipulating a pallet of signage designs

    • render qualitative and logical perspectives towards formulation of regulatory norms for signage sizes and placements, which many cities have shown to adopt

    • adopt an efficient action plan for mitigation in terms of penalties for flouting or incentives for conjuring creative façades and signage in line with the prescribed schemes

    • float awareness on aesthetical aims and related signage expectations in simple legible manner to businesses of various scales to keep business owners alert and educated on the same.

Based on these guiding principles of planning and design, ‘a scheme for signage and façade management’ shall be introduced as a section in the development plan or master plan for the city-center. A toolkit to this effect that outlines specifics of signage or façade alterations undertaken will be an annexure to be followed by commercial businesses. Hence, a plan of action that evolves from the urban scale-architecture-façade level ensures a guided response to the interconnected cause-effect of façade morphology and proportions of architecture versus signage.

7 Conclusion

The paper describes study undertaken to derive understandings on the emerging building façades and semiotics in architectural urbanscapes of contemporary cities. It offers interesting field of exploration in co-relation to theoretical backdrops, legal frameworks by cities to regulate urban aesthetics and visual perceptions of current streetscapes in vibrant city-centers. Shaping the aesthetic quality of public spaces that are influenced by the city’s consumer culture and design decisions by planners with the case study of Bangalore city is benefitting to illustrate such a query. The study of older and newer city-center nodes render interesting perspectives to urban semiotics and preferences in each typology attributing the prevalent and emerging image to these nodes. While new CBD streetscapes speak via overwhelming signage-laden façades, older CBD does not rely on signages but on its historical retail profiles and architectural characteristics. The contrasting images lead to understanding the impact of advertising in recent times and user-experiential aspects questioning the role of architecture in cityscapes. The surveys conducted revealed ‘branding semiotics’ in new CBD versus ‘perceptive semiotics’ in old CBD in response to the intense objectives of commercial city-center architecture. The study concludes with the formulation of a ‘three-point perspective’ framework with the aim to enable the objectives of reconnecting people to the experiential semiotics of city-center architecture with a full-rounded approach since singular solutions will not resolve the rapidly morphing and masked façades. The various dimensions impacting aesthetics in terms of the image of the city, co-relative attributes of architecture, urban design and signage and a sensible regulatory mechanism shall become crucial components of an integrated strategic proposal.