THE IDEALIZED HERITAGE VILLAGE: SURVEYING THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This research paper's main objective is to present the current status of the residential Built settlement in the rural areas of Chettinard region in Tamil Nadu, a state rich in heritage, religious and cultural aspects in India. The research paper also correlates to the traces of the human life (socio-cultural and economic) and communities' perception towards built heritage in Rural areas. For this purpose, the studies have been conducted on two of its villages which have been recommended as heritage village by the state government in UNESCO's tentative list. In this study, the survey research is used as a study tool which proved to be a viable method for – First, testing the relevance and public reaction and perception to the conceptual models and theories of sustainable built environment, Secondly , providing relevant empirical and quantitative data documenting the heritage architecture and its effects on the human understanding and community perception. The paper also uses GIS as a software tool for a better understanding and cataloguing of the built heritage in a holistic manner.