‘Roots & Routes Method’ in Urban & Architectural History: Situating South Asia in the Global Context

Abstract

The way people move across landscapes not only reveals the historical connections between space and place but also helps explain how traditions, ideas, and languages spread and evolve over time. Previous research has positioned South Asia as a ‘crossroad’ of routes within Asia where the ‘intersection’ of these routes has led to the emergence of new urban centres or expansion of existing ones. The intersections at changing topographies—of mountains and plains, of land and sea, and of deserts and hills—have functioned as gateways for the practice of syncretic styles of city-building practices within South Asia. There exists a dynamic interplay between cultural interactions and the evolution of urban forms. The study of routes contributes to the study of cultural history in the context of South Asia. Cities have experienced significant changes in their morphology and spatial assembly over time; while some layers have diminished to accommodate new developments, others persist as morphological determinants of the built environment.