The Transitional City.....

IN A SYSTEM OF CONTINUALLY CHANGING STATES, THE ONLY CONSTANT IS THE PLAY OF FORCES, THE HUMANS IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The Kali Gandaki river flows south from the Ti betan Plateau, cutting through the Himalayan range, flowing through the world's deepest gorge, flanked on either side by mountain massifs rising up several thousand metres. The gorge functions as a wind tunnel and the barren cliffs are eroded by the strong winds.

The settlements of Upper Mustang have to withstand harsh climates, intense solar radiation and a large fluctuation in temperature.

This region north of the Himalayas, lies in the rain shadow of the summer Monsoons. Settlements depend on water, which is scarce and when sources dry up, the settlements are moved to a more advantageous location. The eroded remains of the earthen walls of old settlements can be seen throughout Upper Mustang, blending in with the wind-beaten cliffs.

The mud structures are constantly subjected to the weather.

The sun and wind work their way into the surfaces and break them down into their natural forms.

Humans struggle against the persisting forces. Shelters are moulded out of the ochre -grey earth. Houses, fortresses and cities take on forms created as the fruits of civilisation, a cultural environment containing human activities. The balance between the wind and the mud walls exists so long as the human hand keeps up the modelling.

In a system of continually changing states, the only constant is the play of forces, the humans in close contact with the natural environment. What is the essence of the place? What is left when one takes away all the crumbling mud walls? What is it that gives the city its identity? Is it the city wall that one should try to preserve, or is it the Gompas, the Chhortens and the Palace that give the city its intrinsic aura? The city mirrors the state of the inhabitant’s mind. The structure of the dwelling fabric reflects the social structures. The position of the religious and political institutes corresponds to the centres of power and their relationship to the people. The edge of the city, the wall, shows us how this community interacts with its surroundings. Each part was created in response to natural, social, economic or political influences.

Today, this balance has shifted and change has washed away all those sensitive responses. The forces playing on the city and the values which formed the basis for planning decisions, both have undergone a major break from their original state — all the more reasons for the need to conserve these transitional cities.