Traditional communities in most Third World countries today are facing the influx of all industrialized economy which is leading to the introduction of new building technologies, infrastructure and modern communications. This has resulted in a change in the built environment of traditional settlements. / There are many dynamic factors which help to shape the decisions people make about the physical nature of their built environment. The linking of these decision-making factors to the external forces influencing society is very important to arrive at a clear understanding of how traditional forms give way to new ones. This thesis links global and local forces in interaction in the small mountain community of Karimabad, Hunza in Northern Pakistan, which is experiencing the effects of a capital economy and the new social and cultural milieu which accompanies it. Added to that the community has also been subjected to the effects of international tourism and development projects. The thesis shows, how, under the influences of these factors, the local traditional house form has transformed in terms of change in building materials and housing layouts. / This study was also carried out with the view of linking local perceptions of change, with the actual physical changes in housing. The thesis attempts to show how the ordinary household in Karimabad makes its decisions for change, and views the outside world and their place in it, and how this change is reflected in the changed house forms and building materials. This research also draws on the theoretical framework and references of how globalization is affecting traditional settlements on the periphery. / The findings of the study point to a strong link between external influences, especially of media, tourism, and international development institutions, and the changed house forms and materials. It also shows that it is not possible to isolate individual decision-making from external influences, especially where material culture is concerned.

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