MOST Indian cities with a long history have at their core areas of
strong architectural and urban character. These areas have been places
of life, vitality, wealth, power, enlightenment and culture. However,
these inner city areas have been marginalized in the process of urban
growth.
http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530%20debashish%20nayak.htm 1/11
11/8/2017 530 Debashish Nayak, Revitalising our walled cities
The discussion clearly indicates that though the walled city areas are
today dilapidated, there is still a hope of survival, of improvement, of
getting life back to them.
The necessary supportive policy and other actions on the part of the
authorities, as well as the requisite capital investment, were explicated.
Ideas were floated on possible area-based cultural festivals and other
events. With growing institutional interest in restoration projects,
documentation was generated on the importance of retaining a process
outlook in such projects, involving public awareness and education and
catalysing community participation as well as larger area revitalization.
http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530%20debashish%20nayak.htm 2/11
11/8/2017 530 Debashish Nayak, Revitalising our walled cities
The urban heritage of Bengal was explored and the idea of a Bengal
urban heritage corridor was floated, involving a number of historic
towns along the river Hoogly, which offered good potential for heritage
tourism based revitalization. CRUTA crossed another milestone in
1995 when it was commissioned to prepare a report on the
revitalization of Barra Bazaar, the highly congested blighted
commercial centre of Calcutta.3
The birth of the old city settlement of Ahmedabad dates back to a 10th
century town of Ashaval. In the latter part of the 11th century, another
city known as Karnavati grew adjacent to Ashaval. The present walled
city was created during the Ahmed Shahi period in the 15th century. A
new palace and fort were built near Bhadra covering a rectangular area
of around 500-800 meters.
However, the 18th century saw the citys decline. Many suburbs and
even parts of the inner city were abandoned and ruined as new
wholesale markets at Kalupur, mechanized industries and workers
quarters on the eastern suburbs, Ellis Bridge, residential buildings and
educational institutions were established. Most fort walls were pulled
down in the early part of the 20th century. The absence of a
decentralization policy with regard to economic activities resulted in
congestion and decay of the walled city.
The challenge of a hot, dry climate and extreme conditions was well
addressed by the traditional craftsmen of the old era. The narrow
winding streets with two or three storey buildings ensured shade on the
streets for most of the day. The typical row house pattern reduced
exposure to extreme heat. Courtyards and openings aligned in straight
lines ensured good airflow through buildings. Havelis in intricately
carved wood, Hindu temples in wood and stone, Islamic and Jain
religious buildings in stone are among the different styles that comprise
the walled city of Ahmedabad.
The AMC has also initiated collaboration with the Dutch who had a
small presence in Ahmedabad in earlier days through trade and
commerce. A Dutch factory and graveyard is a reminder of their past
presence in the city. Both restoration projects and an interpretation
booklet exploring the related history are under preparation.
Crucial to the above is the financial aspect which governs a major part
of the entire exercise of urban conservation. The AMC heritage
programme has come up with many alternatives: on 31 January 2000,
the HUDCO board approved an investment programme of heritage
exploration in a septennial cycle. On the occasion of World Heritage
Day a MoU was signed between AMC and HUDCO detailing the
financial implication in this sector, making for the first time properties
older than 15-20 years eligible for loans at low interest.
http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530%20debashish%20nayak.htm 6/11
11/8/2017 530 Debashish Nayak, Revitalising our walled cities
There are three categories of streets; the primary streets form sectors
that are subdivided into smaller blocks by secondary and tertiary
streets. Each street makes a context within a sector. There is a clear
hierarchy, both functional and visual with each street generating
different activities, which change when the order of the street changes.
Each dwelling is a part of a broad system organized within a parallel
framework akin to row housing with houses having common sidewalls
with the adjoining houses.
Since the economy is weak and people are struggling to earn a basic
living, conservation cannot be reduced to repair and restoration of
monuments. To be sustainable and successful, the process has to
improve peoples lives. At the local level we need to facilitate peoples
participation in management and urban governance and technical
capacity building alongside raising awareness of the value of local
heritage to ensure socio-economic development. At the institutional
level there is need to improve tourism facilities, ensure compatible land
use, regulate development and improve the infrastructure facilities.
The lifestyle and culture of the people of Jaipur is quite different from
that of Ahmedabad. The walled city of Jaipur also had a different
dimension than that of the walled city of Ahmedabad. Consequently the
efforts have to follow a different format.
Various other cities like Amritsar, Delhi, Patiala and Pondicherry have
also invited CRUTA to help begin similar efforts/initiatives in their
own cities. Already heritage walks have been planned for many of
these cities. The organizational set-up at Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation is shown below.
identifying and sharing the concerns of the old city; building strategic
partnerships with communities, various departments and agencies,
elected representatives and others; establishing a sustainable process of
transformation; sharing experiences; and documenting the process and
lessons learnt.
http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530%20debashish%20nayak.htm 10/11
11/8/2017 530 Debashish Nayak, Revitalising our walled cities
Footnotes:
http://www.india-seminar.com/2003/530/530%20debashish%20nayak.htm 11/11