Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Conserving Central
CARRIE YUET NGOR LAM CHENG SECRETARY FOR DEVELOPMENT, HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION GOVERNMENT With a total area of about 1104 square kilometres and a population of 7.1 million, Hong Kong is a highly urbanised city enjoying an enviable per capita GDP of US$34,000 and a low employment rate of 3.2%. The pace of urbanisation was rapid in the past 60 years, with the addition of almost one million people every decade until the most recent one. We have managed this growth via efficient land use, meticulous spatial planning and investment in public infrastructure, capitalising on Hong Kongs strategic position as a trade, business and transport hub. In recent years, as we attempt to continue developing Hong Kong to retain our global competitiveness, much more emphasis is placed on nature and heritage conservation, preservation of local culture and social networks, liveability, creativity, sustainability and community aspirations. This presentation will use the conservation of Hong Kongs Central District (the most important core business and financial district in Hong Kong) to illustrate a paradigm shift in taking forward city development in Hong Kong. Named as Conserving Central announced by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in October 2009, this plan comprises eight innovative projects to conserve Hong Kongs natural heritage the new Central Harbour front of the Victoria Harbour and a series of historic buildings the Central Police Station, the Central Market, etc. in the district. It aims to realise the potential of Centrals unique historical and cultural features suited to sustainable development.
Panel 4: GLOBALIZATION AND COMMUNITY Indexing the Intangibles: Negotiating our Historic Inner cities: Case Mumbai
ANEERUDHA PAUL PRINCIPAL, KRV INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE The majority of the urban fabric of our historic cities in India is composed of the domestic architecture, which are quite unlike places with monumental architecture visited by people and are often tourist destinations. Yet these precincts are very important for their built-form characteristic as they together often create a unique townscape and are inhabited by strong identifiable communities with unique cultural practices. Over the years these precinct due to various regulations notably the Rent control Act, legislated in cities all over the country, have not been able to attract any fund which are required for their maintenance and upkeep. Most of such precincts are in a state of dilapidation and disrepair. However due to the protection provided by this act these places over time have flourished for a number of complex informal activities which makes these places vibrant and thriving with life. They precincts house bazaars, small scale crafts units and industries inhabited by these communities. This is the contradiction which most these historic areas face, while they are vibrant they are in state of disrepair. It is the case of most historic cities in India. This presentation specifically explores the case of Mumbai, where such precincts form the majority of the historic fabric of the city. The island city of Mumbai is composed of such area characterized by bazaar districts, old residential areas, industrial lands and earlier town planning schemes. They are very different from the colonial core of Fort or the Art Deco district of Marine lines which house the monumental heritage buildings of Mumbai. Due to lack of funds available with local government institutions, poor tenants and also due to frozen rents, most of these fabrics have buildings which have over time become structurally unstable. Presently the city government of Mumbai has formulated a policy inviting private initiatives, through the provision of incentive FSI to redevelop these historic precincts. This has had disastrous effect on these historic inner city areas which are already dense and are reeling due to a shortage of infrastructure. Also the effect on existing inhabitants and communities have been far from beneficial as most of these builder driven initiatives have lead to complete erasure of the existing historic networks. It has also been observed those areas where buildings show maximum dilapidation and are in need of redevelopment immediately have not been taken up by builders; instead they have shown interest in developing up-market historic areas where the real estate prices are high. It is in this background that this presentation would illustrate an index of the intangibles that characterize the inner city of Mumbai. The index would map the various typological complexities of commercial activities like markets, bazaars, shopping streets, khau gallis, etc. It would map the soft work activities that are housed in varied complex spatial possibilities. The networks of organization of people and groups inhabiting the place would also be mapped. It would also explore the unique cultural practices of the communities that inhabit these areas. This index is prepared primarily to negotiate with the government agencies and other stakeholders in the historic inner city, that KRVIA is presently engaged with, to plan for a transformation that is inclusive and less violent to the community.
merely the outcome of the Economy, they are made into living places by real people, through their search for livelihood and their struggles for survival. It is within this tension between what Manuel Castells calls the Space of Flows and Space of Places that global capital negotiates and transforms embedded built environments, market practices and political formations to reproduce itself in Mumbai. My paper presentation will attempt to situate contemporary globalisation in a longer view of the economic and spatial history of modern Bombay/Mumbai. I will survey the citys nodal role as a global gateway for capital, commodities and technologies since the late 19th century, its spatial and industrial restructuring over the 20th century, and offer a narrative framework for discussion on how to think critically about Global Cities and Globalisation in the context of Indias urbanisation.
Panel 5: LIVELIHOODS, HISTORY, AND TRADITION Building Creative Cities for Inclusive Growth AMITAVA BHATTACHARYA FOUNDER-DIRECTOR, BANGLANATAK, KOLKATA
In India, rural communities constitute 60% of the countrys entire population and 75% of unemployed people. 45% of rural population is reportedly not formally educated. Despite an important sum of government budget devoted to rural development, there remains much to be done in terms of basic infrastructure, employment, health, education and the overall well-being of rural population. Stigmatized with the image of poverty and backwardness, it is seldom realized that rural India is also a hub of traditional arts and cultures, which are mostly practiced by the marginalized/ lowest
sections of the society. In 2004, banglanatak dot com, a social enterprise headquartered at Kolkata, felt the need and the potential of tapping into this large pool of creative talents to offer another pathway for rural development. The underlying principle was to use peoples inherent creative and artistic skills as a means of their livelihood improvement and empowerment. Named Art for Livelihood, the new initiative of banglanatak dot com aimed at revitalizing dying folk arts with a view to providing sustainable income to rural poor through the creation of rural cultural industry. Marketing and creating new audience is one of the vital components to promote rural creative industries. Cities remain the main marketing space for the artists to meet the audience. The number of available concert space and the chance for the rural artists to access to such public space is however shockingly limited. Current urban expansion symbolized by road widening, mega shopping malls and sub-urban residential complexes, is less conducive for the live performers, as arts and cultures are absent from the day-to-day surrounding and happen only in sheltered spaces, limiting opportunities for the artists to meet the audience. After a frenzy of infrastructure development designed merely to accommodate the number of growing population, could an Indian city be creative to offer an innovative space of encounter between the artists and public to promote rural livelihood?
order to establish the appropriateness of any urban level intervention. This paper illustrates case studies of some urban historic cores in the cities of Rajasthan that exhibit the undeniable linkage of History, Traditions and Livelihoods. Using examples of urban conservation in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer, the paper aims to address the crucial interdependence of social and economic sustainability of these urban spaces with heritage tourism in Rajasthan. At the same time, this paper examines the long term impact of such an approach and argues the need for reviewing the socio-economics of urban heritage in Indian cities to arrive at solutions that look beyond marketing and tourism.