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Preface This book is written with an objective to discuss various issues pertaining to urban regeneration. In course of discussions, valid questions are raised with an intention to cover social, economic and also spatial aspects of city rebuilding. The book is divided into three parts. The first part covers world view on urban regeneration and discusses city rebuilding processes in United States, United Kingdom and Europe. It further discusses transportation system and urban form of cities with focus on new urban centers. Classic examples of efficient town planning decisions of new cities around London and also new towns developed in India post independence are covered. A chapter on historic cities of India further cites examples of Lucknow, Varanasi and Allahabad and their educational, religious and cultural potential. The second part focuses on drawing regeneration strategies for Allahabad, a historic city of India. An established centre of administration, education and culture, and once the capital of the province, Allahabad has been an integral part of our history. The city has contributed immensely towards the building of modern day India. University of Allahabad, also known as the ‘Oxford of the East’, imparted quality higher education. The city is a fascinating maze of architectural splendour from ancient to colonial times, regarded as the most sacred pilgrimage and known as ‘Tirth Raj’ the city of Allahabad also holds the world’s largest conglomeration, Kumbh, held every twelve years. The presence of Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati make ‘Prayag’ an even more sacred place and a leading centre of spiritual learning. Such an ancient city adapted itself as a centre of excellence in education and culture and during the beginning of the twentieth century was already an established urban centre. This unique rise of Allahabad attracted many professionals, scholars and academicians who made the city as their base, thus arousing attention of intelligentsia all around the world. It is ironical that such a prominent urban centre has over the last half a century, the post-independence period, been in a state of decline. The erosion of cultural fabric, the university’s failure in attracting students from across the country, the unmanaged heritage of the place has all changed the present face of Allahabad and the city has totally lost its sheen. The rise of Allahabad and the inherent potential of the city which propelled it to prominence is analysed and subsequently the decline is observed. The third part suggests various regeneration strategies for Allahabad and also for other similar historic cities in India. The regeneration strategies are based keeping in mind the educational and cultural aspect and also aims at strengthening the key historic nodes which are a vital part of our history and culture. I am grateful to my parents who stood by me all along and without their support such a work would not have been possible. I treasure and value the discussions I had with my father on Allahabad during the research part of this book. He has helped me understand the basic problems of Indian cities. My wife, Monica for giving me that extra bit of encouragement which made me sit for long hours in my study. I would like to mention that the idea of this book belongs to her and she always believed that I could complete such a work. My son, Aditya who has seen me work on the project and for giving me company. My sisters, Anjana for sending me latest journals and books on Architecture and Planning and special thanks to Aparna for putting every bit of information together and compiling the first draft. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Shovan. K. Saha for guiding me through the course of my research work.

This chapter is based on literature reviews on urban regeneration with the intention to record and appreciate the perception of urban regeneration as reflected by the experiences of regeneration attempts in Europe and the United States. Since India owes much of her urbanization characteristics of the contemporary era to the colonial days, a special focus is on the experiences of U.K. The chapter also deals with early civilization and understanding of Urbanism, Impact of industrial Revolution and discusses Cities of South Asia. This attempt acts as a window to view cities as centres of power and performance, the assets of a city are discussed and the declining factors observed, a view necessitated out of the exercise is to look at cities on their own merits, demerits and policies, the programme for renewing would stem out of these inherent qualities which make these cities stand apart. The third and concluding part discusses some of the successful efforts of regeneration in the West and specifies on the strategies drawn for regeneration as a product of declining factors, the capacity to withstand change and available resources.

A world view of Transportation system of renowned urban centers While discussing urban regeneration and observing cities, it is impossible to overlook the importance of the transportation system and its impact on the urban form of a city. For example, if one observes a typical industrial city plan, one would notice that radial corridors of development generated from the city core stand out in contrast to the intricate detailing of vehicular roads added later on in due course of time. The increase in vehicular traffic brings in new patterns of fast moving lanes. To clear the congestion created by ever increasing number of motor cars, larger cities need new road patterns and parking spaces, even public transportation needs new interventions and congestion of buses gives way to systems like mass rapid rail

Historic Cities Of India: Description And Its Classification At this stage it is vital to take a look at ‘historic’ cities of our country with a view of better understanding, it is important to understand the basic components that constitute a historic city. Can we arrive at the number of such cities presently in India. In the absence of an official definition of a ‘historic city’, it is hazardous to answer the above question in terms of a specific number. The census of India does define ‘urban area’ but does not venture to define historic cities. Considering the long history of its culture, it may be said that a majority of the Indian cities are historic. Review of literature revealed that Indian historic cities need to be addressed with a deeper concern than they have been so far. The general trends of transformations of historic cities including Indian historic cities exhibit a recognizable pattern and it is possible to identify Indian historic cities on the basis of at least two indisputable grounds

The role of fringe cannot be ignored in the city development process. It is interesting to study the pattern and characteristics of fringe in developing cities. The chapter focuses on the phenomenon of urban fringe of Pune and also discusses strategies for further development. The study deals with some of the variables of change like demographic pattern, land use, and infrastructure in fringe area villages. Historical Growth of Pune City Pune’s origin date back at least two thousand years, it was a small settlement called ‘Kasbe’ and developed into a metropolitan region over the period of time. Its basic unit of development can be identified as ‘wada’ - a traditional house. In due time these developed into ‘peths’, which were planned complexes including residences of all types, commercial areas, parks, playgrounds, police station etc. During 13th to 17th century, the city was under the control of Muslim rulers. Pune gained importance in 1630s, when it was declared as capital of Maratha kingdom. Pune’s importance grew in this period and many peths were developed to cope with the increasing requirements. The town changed hands between Maratha and Mughals before the British gained control of it in 1818. The Pune cantonment and Kirkee cantonment were established by British to guard the entry points. Development of cantonment areas started in this period and Parsi families constructed spacious bungalows which gave an image to the city.

To draw regeneration strategies for a city it is important to understand the city, therefore physical as well as social transformations, major events in history should be observed and analyzed. The strength of a regeneration technique lies in discovering the potential thrust areas for the city. In order to have a better understanding of the urban setting of an Indian historic city, the ancient city of Allahabad is discussed. The history and development of this ancient city has been studied in a chronological fashion. This part of the book focuses on the period: From antiquity to the revolt of 1857, city’s inherent potential as a popular pilgrim center, and also the phenomenon of Kumbh. Further exploring the sacredness of Allahabad. Why Allahabad is regarded as a Tirthraj? And what sacred elements constitute the ‘Prayag’ of olden times? Apart from Sangam, confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, the city is also known for Temples, namely, the Bharadwaj Ashram, Nag Basuki, Mankameshwar.

The British administration, with an intention of ruling over India, viewed Allahabad as a city of the future. They saw the prospect of a glorious future in Allahabad and planned the city in a manner to project it as a center of Education, Culture and Administration. With religious bearings already an established feature, this, added to its charm and growing potential. This chapter covers the crucial ninety years of development in the city before Independence. The observations and findings are recorded and commented upon, these help in analyzing the exact nature of rise and decline, this city faced in years to come. ALLAHABAD : AN ESTABLISHED CENTER OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE (1858-1947) In the following section the focus is on the Kumbh mela, its rising popularity and the presence of cultural institutes, their functioning and role in developing the city into a prominent urban centre. During the period 1858-1947, the importance of Kumbh grew, it is evident from the records that the number of pilgrims visiting Allahabad during the Magh increased.

THE DECLINE OF A COLONIAL CAPITAL TOWN The Post Independence Scenario It is believed that it takes more time to build and less to demolish, but strangely, in case of Allahabad, it took less time to build but much more to ruin it. As discussed in the last chapter, the peak was reached in about 34 years from 1868 to 1902, the period from 1903 to 1942 being the most constructive years in the history of Allahabad. From the inception of the High Court in 1868 to the formation of the Muir Central College in 1872, to being the capital of the provinces in 1902, Allahabad was regarded as a front runner in the field of Education and Culture. The city regarded as a ‘production house’, nurtured talent and produced academicians and administrators, who contributed immensely in the process of nation building. The scenario after 1947 however changed drastically, it seemed, as if the city of Allahabad had exhausted its definite role in the freedom struggle, serving only as a preparatory ground which guided young minds to face the future with confidence. Its literary associations, libraries, university and other schools created an intellectual environment which propelled young talents to national fame. The civil services examinations were successfully cleared by many students of the university in those times, this was a result of quality education and an intellectually surcharged environment. Independent India had lot of promises to fulfill and great expectations from the citizens. Delhi, the capital of Free India, was the focus of these activities. The emergence of new power centers and subsequent development of business and industrial centers, namely, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and later Bangalore, shifted the focus of development from regional, small cities to these new centers. This quantum jump, saw cities of the like Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, trail behind, as they were suddenly reduced in the current perspective and referred to as places in a historical perspective. Post Independence phase created huge opportunity for talented people, academicians, politicians, members of the judiciary, were asked to participate in the running of the nation. Allahabad’s role probably at this point of time, around 1947, seemed to be receding and the city was beginning to be ignored and conveniently forgotten. It slowly became a museum, with only old tales to tell. This chapter discusses the decline of Allahabad, particularly institutional decline and also traces the earlier efforts in planning of the city. It is here we look for grey areas which would help in finding the exact causes of the physical decline that beset the city.

The problem of haphazard and chaotic development in Allahabad can be traced to the existence of Nazul Lease. The major development of the city under the colonial rule started around 1868, with the inception of the Civil Station, the status of the British inhabitants was further strengthened by the creation of Lease status, the land was basically leased out for a certain specified time period. There were four types of Leases

The City of Kumbh: Temporary Township and its major concern From antiquity Allahabad has been regarded as a centre of pilgrimage [Table 9.a.]. The number of pilgrims visiting the city during Kumbh shows a steady rise, a clear indication of its popularity over the years. The official record shows 25 lac pilgrims in 1906, the first Mela of twentieth century, the number rose to 30 lac in 1918 and by 1930 recorded an increase of nearly 60%. There was a decline however due to the World War II, in 1942.

EMERGENCE OF ALLAHABAD AS A LITERARY CENTER The period between 1865 to 1936 can be called the ‘literary ’ period of Allahabad (Refer table10.a.). The press was powerful and there were a number of national dailies which came out from the city. Hindi Sahitya Sammelan established in 1911and Prayag Sangeet Samiti in 1925 were the biggest achievements of Allahabad, these institutes were of national repute and strengthened the cultural bearings of the city. A total of 82 libraries functioned during this period, Allahabad was also known as the ‘intellectual’ capital of the country.

Delhi, Capital City Delhi, the capital of India has a unique urban sprawl. This city is an urban maze comprising of old heritage areas like walled city Shahjahanabad, Lutyens New Delhi and the newer areas built after independence. Delhi has been the capital of our country for centuries. In 1947 it became the capital of free and independent India. In 1956 was made a Union territory and National Capital Territory on 1st February’1992. Situated between the Himalayan and the Aravali range. It is surrounded on three sides by Haryana and on the east by Uttar Pradesh. The total area of the territory is 1,483 sq.km. The climate is extreme dryness with intense hot summer and extreme cold winters. NCT has 209 villages and 7 towns including the Delhi Urban Agglomerations.

Introduction The rapid pace of urbanisation and abrupt growth of population in few large cities in India has become a standing menace to balanced socio-economic development of India. The rapid pace of development in cities had always attracted investors and entrepreneurs to set their enterprises leading to creation of employment opportunities in these cities. On the contrary, the lack of opportunities in rural areas has created a backwash effect leading to creation of slums in and around potential growth poles (i.e. large cities and growing cities).

In case of Allahabad, it is evident that a major thrust catapulting the city to an invincible position was experienced immediately after 1857. These changes in the character of Allahabad along its journey which witnessed the resurgence of the pilgrim town into a front ranking educational and cultural node also saw the shades of capital center and finally its transition into a low profile city which today has lost its vitality and seem to be comparable to a non functioning muffossil town of Uttar Pradesh. The facts and figures representing the key events and a survey of the city enable us to establish a direct relationship between the functions and performance of the city. The first part of the chapter is based on the inferences from the study on Allahabad covered earlier. The second part deals with testing these facts on ground by conducting interviews with eminent individuals who had been deeply associated with education and cultural status of Allahabad. The third part consists of the final inferences. Some critical conclusions are also borne out reflecting a clearer understanding of the phenomenon of decline of Allahabad.

Citizens’ Perceptions And City Revival : An Approach To Regeneration Regeneration Strategies To Be Case Specific And Based On Citizens Perception It is important to realise the driving force of the inherent potential of a city. In case of Allahabad, the Master Plan guidance was framed since 1950 but it is surprising that the role of the city as a cultural and educational node has not been sufficiently recognized and reflected in the Plan document. We still witness the development of the city like any other city of the state where special areas or historic precincts are surrounded by non-descript structures. It was essential to reach out to the citizens of Allahabad and to know their views on the growth and decline. The perception of citizens would give an idea about their belief regarding the degree of amendments needed in regenerating the city.

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