Exploring Vernacular Knowledge Systems and Socio-Spatial Practices in Sustainable Rural Housing Formation: A Study of Bahunchara Village of Pratapgarh, U.P.

Vernacular settlements are indigenous knowledge systems evolved over generations of adaptation to local climate, available resources, livelihood patterns and socio-cultural traditions. These settlements are integrated and sustainable built environments where materials, construction techniques, spatial organisation and community practices are intrinsically interlinked. This study focuses on the role of indigenous knowledge systems in housing typologies and neighbourhood planning in the Bahunchar village, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. It considers the use of local materials, traditional building methods and community driven building practices that generate thermally efficient, resource sensitive and socially cohesive living spaces. This research uses an interdisciplinary methodological approach, including field documentation, spatial analysis, material studies and ethnographic observations, to explore the relation between built form, environment and everyday life. The study also explores the continuing transformation of the village as a result of the impact of industrial materials, modern construction practices and changing socio-economic aspirations. These changes have led to a gradual erosion of traditional knowledge, a reduced climatic responsiveness of buildings and a weakening of socio-cultural relationships embedded within the settlement fabric. The paper documents and interprets these vernacular knowledge systems arguing for their relevance in informing context-responsive and sustainable rural housing strategies. It highlights the importance of traditional architectural knowledge in the context of contemporary issues of environmental sustainability, cultural sustainability and resilient rural development and also in participating in the dialogues of Indian Knowledge Systems and sustainable architecture in general.