Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Urban Renewal
Urban Renewal
ITPI JOURNAL
5 : 2 (2008) 42 - 46 JOURNAL
www.itpi.org.in
PREETI ONKAR
Lecturer, Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT Bhopal
DR. KRISHNA KUMAR DHOTE
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT Bhopal
DR. ASHUTOSH SHARMA
Professor,HoD and Dean Admin, Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT Bhopal
ABSTRACT
Transformation is the single most consistent factor in the life of a city. How to control or direct transformations to get the best
combination of benefits from renewal and redevelopment is perpetual issue for the planners, as how to decide for the spatial
sustainability as per its available potentials, they are also dynamic in nature and inevitable for change. The prevailing planning system
emphasizes mostly on the future planning and development of urban areas by acquisition of land and does not address distinctly the
problems of existing cities. Because, planning in India has followed the western role models of technocratic planning. Technocratic
planning is now obsolete, and that planning tools have not been able to contain growth in sustainable ways. In India there is an
amazing amalgamation of infrastructure from several centuries in the form of haphazardly built layers of urban fabric under which the
common urbanite of India feels suffocated and crushed. Unlike their western counterparts the Indian urban settlements never had
the fortune (or the misfortune) of being reduced as ruins of war and thereby necessitating the need for fresh development and
renewal. The paper attempts to highlight the understanding of the concept of urban renewal.
Fig. 1 Dimensions of Urban Renewal evolved into a policy based less on destruction
and more on renovation and investment, and
today is an integral part of many local
governments, often combined with small and big
business incentives.
43
Preeti Onkar / Dr. Krishna Kumar Dhote / Dr. Ashutosh Sharma / ITPI Journal 5 : 2 (2008) 42 - 46
Fig. 2 Paradigm Shifts: Concept of Urban Renewal in Developed and Developing Nations.
44
Preeti Onkar / Dr. Krishna Kumar Dhote / Dr. Ashutosh Sharma / ITPI Journal 5 : 2 (2008) 42 - 46
45
Preeti Onkar / Dr. Krishna Kumar Dhote / Dr. Ashutosh Sharma / ITPI Journal 5 : 2 (2008) 42 - 46
It seems to recognize that there is such a thing as The concept of renewal was restricted to
communities and that these communities, conservation of heritage sites in early master plan
damaged by deindustrialization and neglect, need of metro cities. No specific efforts were made for
help. It is not socialism and certainly not municipal development of heritage zones. Even the present
socialism, the pressure is on local government to urban renewal mission is more inclined towards
support, not dictate to, local people. If there is a provision of infrastructure rather than renewal.
‘third way’ it might be found in the best of the The redevelopment is taking place only on the
renewal initiatives. prime locations of the cities occupied by slums
without proper social and economic interventions
4. URBAN RENEWAL IN INDIAN resulting into displacement of slums.
CONTEXT
5. CONCLUSIONS
Indian cities in history emerged with two primary
For the success of any planning, diagnosis and
characteristics first - a high density of population
measurement of urban health is a prerequisite.
concentrated within a limited space and second a
Unfortunately there is no scale for measuring
predominantly nonagricultural, particularly non-
urban decline, urban stress or deprivation which
cultivating occupation of these people (Amos and
do not alarm when the city reaches the threshold.
Hawley, 1971). Indians by and large have been
There is a need to establish causal relationship and
nature oriented rather than city oriented. The
correlation between the six dimensions of urban
report of the National Commission on Urbanization
renewal. This can be achieved by further breaking
(National Commission on Urbanization Reports up each dimension in the form of indicators which
Volume - II, 1988) made commendable proposals can be measured and scaled quantitatively as well
to change the paradigm of urban planning to as qualitatively.
become more responsive to the existing urban
condition, but without success. Proper understanding of the concept of urban
renewal we can target changing problem spaces
Indian experience of urban renewal is fairly recent, to opportunity spaces. In Long term perspective
though several cities, particularly metropolises, of the cities can manage to grow old gracefully.
have been attempting to tackle the problem of
REFERENCES
decline and dilapidation through ad-hoc initiatives.
Adair, A.S., Berry, J.N., McGreal, W.S., Deddis, W.G. and Hirst,
In diverse and complex nature of Indian society, S.M. (1999) Evaluation of Investor Behavior in Urban
problems are different, contexts differ, needs Regeneration, Urban Studies, Vol. 36, No12, pp 2031-2045.
change, and therefore, policies and programme BURA (1997) British urban regeneration association in action –
promoting best practices in regeneration.
to deal with each city and town would also differ.
Carley, M. and Kirk, K. (1998) Sustainable by 2020 A Strategic
For example, urban renewal of Jaipur city would Approach to Urban Regeneration for Britain Cities, Amazon
be conservation and restoration of its cultural publications, United Kingdom.
heritage of being a pink city while in Delhi it would Couch, Fraser, Percy (2003) Urban Regeneration in Europe,
Blackwell, London.
be of effective use of traditional core areas or in Couch, C. (2003) City of Change and Challenge: Urban Planning
Calcutta it would revolve around the phenomenon and Regeneration in Liverpool.
of bastis as providing ameliorative measures. Hawley, A.H. (1971) Urban Society, An ecological approach,
John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Basically it can be at macro level like redevelopment
Imrie, R. and Thomas, H. (1999) British Urban Policy: An
of inner city core or at micro scale like traffic Evaluation of the Urban Development Corporations, Sage,
operation plan, conservation of old buildings and London.
up gradation of services, depending upon the Jane, J. (1961) The Death and Life of Great American Cities,
Random House New York.
character or issues of town or a city.
Martin, M. (1964) The Federal Bulldozer: A Critical Analysis of
Urban Renewal: 1949–1962, MIT Press, Cambridge.
There is absence of holistic and integrated Miller, J.M. (1959) New Life for Cities around the World:
approach in understanding the term urban International Handbook on Urban Renewal, Books International,
renewal. The six dimensions of urban renewal London.
Naidu, R. (1988) Crisis in walled cities, Architecture + Design,
should be integrated focusing at quality of life. The Vol-4, No. 3, March-April.
prevailing planning tool, master plan, does not Roberts, P. and Sykes, H. (1999) Urban regeneration: a
incorporate the integrated concept of renewal. handbook, Amazon publication, United Kingdom.
46