URBAN RENEWAL THROUGH INDIAN EYES

Usama Aziz Khan

Department of Architecture and Planning,

VISVESVARAYA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NAGPUR-440011

URBAN RENEWAL, THROUGH INDIAN EYES

By

Usama Aziz Khan

BA08ARC019
Tenth Semester, B.Arch.

Under the guidance of

Mrs. Smita Khan

Dr. Alpana Dongre

Head of Department

Amit Deshmukh
Dissertation Coordinator

2012-2013

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Acknowledgement
I feel extremely grateful to all the people who helped me along the way. I wo u l d l i k e t o st a r t o f f b y t ha n k i n g my g u i d e, Mr s . S mi t a K h a n , f o r h er e n c o u r a g e m e n t , g u i d a n c e and suggestions throughout the process of this investigation. I thank her for supporting me and remaining patient at all times. Al so I v ery si n cerely wi sh to ackn o wl edge Ms . Aru n dh ati Ro y s wo rks o n p r esen t u r b a n scen a r io o f I n d ia . H er wo r ks h a v e b een a n in sp i r a ti o n a n d a motivation, compelled me look at architecture from other angles than the constricting narrow prism of a conventional designer or planner, whi ch has greatl y hel ped me i n framing my research questions. I express my deep gratitude to friend Hemant Kumar for making me push my boundaries in order to achieve the most out of this study. I a p p r ec i a t e t h e c oo p er a t io n o f Mr . Am i t W ah u r wa g h in t h e D ep t l ib r ar y i n h el p in g me o b ta in th e n ecessa r y da ta r eq u i r ed fo r my stu dy . Th i s wo u l d b e i n co mp l ete wi th o u t th a n ki n g my fa mil y a n d fr i en ds wh o have stood by me in times good and bad. With deepest gratitude to them.

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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. vi 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2. Preamble ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Need Identification ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Aim.............................................................................................................................. 1 Objectives .................................................................................................................. 1 Scope and Limitation................................................................................................. 1 Methodology .............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.1 Introduction to Indian urbanisation and its issues.....Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2 Issues Of Urban India .................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Meaning Of Urban Renewal............4 2.4 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 5 2.5 The Strategies For Urban Renewal Programmes Over Time....................................... 6

3.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 7 3.1 Cases ......7 3.1.1 DALLAS Victory District ............................................................................................ 7 3.1.2 LONDON Canary Wharf............... ..9

3.1.3 BILBAO City.........Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1.4 BARCELONA, Raval District And Contemporary Art Museum..... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2 Indian Context...............Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.1 General.Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.2 Urbanisation Challenge ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4. 5. INFERENCES ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 18

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List of Illustrations
Figure 1:Schematic diagram for dimension of urban renewal program ... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 2:Conceptual framework for a renewl program ........ Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 3:Evolution of urban renewal strategies over time ..... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 4:Dallas Victory District Skyline ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 5:Linking corridors and building zoning in the core district ....... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 6:Map showing linking of different zones of the district............. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 7: Rail connectivity and renewed fringe area of the railway tracts Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 8:commercial buildings of renewed district ............... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 9: London Canary Wharf Skyline .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 10: Canary Wharf Area Map ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 11: Aerial view of the commercial district , Canary Wharf ....... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 12: View of the developed dock area, Canary Wharf ............. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 13: Bilbao City map ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 14: New Bridge at Bilbao .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 15: Metro Staions at Bilbao .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 16: Linking Bridge at Bilbao ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 17: Aerial View of the Bilbao city.................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 18: Map showing the grid pattern of Barcelona City Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 19: Historic area conservation, Barcelona .................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 20: Casa Mila ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 21: Widening of Roads in the historic area , Barcelona ........... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 22: The flexible grid pattern , Barcelona ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 23: Gergrunda Fimilia, Barcelona................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

ABSTRACT
Dynamism is intrinsic to the nature of a city and for survival, its evolution is inevitable. How a city transforms itself to suit its current and emerging demands determines majorly the life of a city. For Indian urban settlements, urban renewal is a new experience. The urban settlements in india , have layers of centuries imprinted in their built physical infrastructure & social infrastructure. And today the Indian cities have had to respond to the demands of globalization rather quick and off-guard , ever since the opening up of markets. This has resulted into the governments overlooking the sensitive urban fabric completely, in their rush to modernize and develop to be able to cater to the needs of economy and society. However , blind implementation of western urban renewal programs into the cities to transform urban areas have resulted into complete failures , or atleast have given rise to unrest and controversies, putting most of the projects in limbo for years. Thus, the need for a comprehensive study in this arena. The paper seeks to highlight the importance of understanding the aims and dimensions of a renewal program and how they intsrumentalised to transform decaying Indian cities.

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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Preamble
Every city if has to survive , has to undergo transformations, revivals. The decline in the context of urban development is meant as undesirable causes or effects which hurt socio-cultural and economical stability of the city. Urban renewal is the local policies and strategies, masterplans etc which are designed to deal with urban decline, decay or transformation . Roberts and Sykes (2000) state that Urban renewal can be defined as a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change. Therefore urban renewal is about the sustainable development of cities which is holistic in approach, and targeted at economic and cultural redevelopment, social cohesion and physical rehabilitation of cities.

1.2 Need Identification

Owing to pressures of meeting present and future economic and such other demands of a city, the governments have responded with ad-hoc measures which often lack an integrated , coherent long-term vision . The long-held dear identity of Indian cities are getting lost , which are being replaced with foreign models . why are the success stories of west , failures in india ? There is a need to understand india that has been inherited and india of the present that will be passed on. A comparative analysis needs to be carried out.

1.3 Aim & Objectives

This is an attempt to build upon the ongoing urban renewal programs in Indian cities, the issues that arise due to them, how those lacunae maybe addressed for immediate and future benefits. Exploring the proposals for, and analyzing the different aspects of urban transformation. How to direct these transformations to get the best combination of benefits from renewal and redevelopment, as how to decide for the spatial sustainability as per its available potentials. Analysing the proposed solutions to address these issues, How to make the processes and plans of renewal , being citizen-centric, being comprehensive , creating convergence , having continuity , being relevant to the context , involving conversations with stakeholders , having connections with other relevant policies

1.4 Scope & Limitations

The study will restrict itself to certain parameters of study as will be decided through the course of the study and all the analysis will be limited to these. It is understood that the field of study i.e. urban renewal programs is vast and hence the project shall exclude from its ambit a detailed study of different dimensions of such programs The project shall not deal with policy level and institutional level study or suggestions. The nature of study as such is theoretical and evaluative and shall deal with empirical data until necessitated.

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1.5 Methodology
Literature review of available materials on urban renewal initiatives studied in the Indian context. An evaluation of basic and general urban renewal strategies in the west and their relevance case studies with regards to implentation and the impacts of such programmes in different cities. Discussion on basic differences what could be the context of an Indian city and western counterparts.

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2. DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION

2.1 Introduction to Indian urbanisation and its issues
India has been witnessing a rising urban population and the growth of urban areas both in number as well as geographical area - over last more than two decades. Urban planning is a critical challenge in the face of burgeoning problems of urban growth and population concentration in cities. The Indian cities are responding to these challenges. But as ITPI Journal 5:2(2008) points out ,Indias experience of urban renewal is fairly recent, though several cities, particularly metropolises, have been attempting to tackle the problem of decline and dilapidation through ad-hoc initiatives. There is an absence of holistic and integrated approach in understanding the term urban renewal. The six dimensions of urban renewal should be integrated focusing at quality of life. The prevailing planning tool, master plan, does not incorporate the integrated concept of renewal. Even the present urban renewal mission is more inclined towards provision of infrastructure rather than renewal. The redevelopment is taking place only on the prime locations of the cities occupied by slums without proper social and economic interventions resulting into displacement of slums.

2.2 Issues Of Urban India

The pressing issues that Indian cities that face and the solutions proposed have wide chasm to be covered. Concerning urban renewal programs some issues could generalized as follows: -Localised strategies are missing. There is need for Local Renewal Masterplans. the program needs to be more inclusive and have a real bottom-up approach. there has to be an increased element of community participation that articulates citizens voices. -Detailed and rigid Master Plans are static , leaving little flexibility. Also our cities are organic and constantly evolving, therefore the need to move beyond a rigid , laid-down implementation which freeze how a city behaves. -Centralisation of activities bring their own set of problems for the city dweller. Implementation of western models bring in a western style of living which has negated the community life, which is so central to an Indian. -Often upgradation of private housing has resulted into widespread displacement and loss of more affordable housing. -The programs majorly emphasize on plans and developments, which keep future needs and problems in mind, and the present demands often get a raw deal. -Often such programs are designed for benefitting the state or nation while ignoring the immediate concerns of the localities. -Problems are caused by uncoordinated and incremental intensification of land uses, with land in multiple and fragmented ownership. To address this issue of site assembly , often complete demolition & dislocation is adopted.

The problems mentioned here have a common thread which is failure to understand the given Indian context and blind implementation of western models which were successful but have been failures in Indian and have generated unwanted controversy and unrest , putting often such projects in a limbo for years. Therefore it becomes necessary to evaluate the western models before their implementation and the same time understanding the Indian urban

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pattern. looking into how these models have evolved would a clearer picture when they are to be assimilated into the Indian urban settlements.

2.3 Urban Renewal

Urban renewal can be defined as a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change_ Roberts and Sykes (2000). Urban Renewal Programs are pursued as a means of improving the urban environment and achieving certain social and economic objectives. An urban renewal program broadly has components of- Physical renewal (improvement of infrastructure & amenities), Social renewal (improvement of community life), Economic renewal (generation of employment and revenue), Environmental renewal (balance ecological impacts & sustainable development), Cultural renewal (articulation of culture and traditions).Most programs follow the western model without much thought to the existing scenario. The prevailing planning and development programs (eg. JNNURM) have become a trade-off for future needs and development for the existing problems of these cities, and majorly involve acquisitions of land by dislocation, demolition, etc.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram for dimension of urban renewal program

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2.4 Conceptual Framework For Urban Renewal Program : Indian Interpretation

Figure 2:Conceptual framework for a renewal program

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2.5 The Strategies For Urban Renewal Programmes Over Time :

Figure 3:Evolution of urban renewal strategies over time

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As the table chronicles, Urban renewal has become a multi-dimensional task. Whilst traditionally urban renewal in Europe was mainly concerned with physical improvement, over time the aims and the means of regeneration have become multi-faceted and more complex to deal with. Over time new set of regeneration aim is emerging that reflects the objectives to integrate people, business and place and bring about appropriate policies to achieve this aim. They are embedded in wider city and national aims and strategies. Traditional physical approaches to urban renewal were mainly concerned with outputs. They were conceived in a static, rigid fashion to improve the physical environment. The new integrated approaches are much more concerned with processes of neighbourhood development themselves, and tend to be far more flexible.

3. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Cases

Gobally and nationally there are projects which have been taken undertaken on the these lines of renewal. They have called into question such conventional notions of approach, and produced results. Such approaches have been taken up as cases to analyse, in terms of the causes and effects behind such an approach, situations peculiar to a particular approach for the framing of a renewal of that city or area.

Figure 4:Dallas Victory District Skyline

3.1.1

DALLAS Victory District

Dallas of today illustrates the emblematic problems the cities of India today , mentioned by Jacob Jones in his book The Death And Life Of Great American Cities, - an overdeveloped central business district, energy-devouring buildings, gradually giving rise to dereliction, scattered with housing for the poor and forming a barrier between the affluent suburbs beyond.

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Figure 5:Linking corridors and building zoning in the core district

Koetter Kims masterplan for regeration ad healing the Victory District began with the analysisof the city . the analysis revealed that the city has a complex urban form. The central area of the city consists of a series of distinct quarters the central business district, the West End ( now called Historic District) , the Market Center and the 24- hectare (60-acre) Arts District ( known as the largest cultural quaeter in the USA). The areas were separated by swathes of rail tracks and freight yards and by urban freeways.

Figure 6:Map showing linking of different zones of the district

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Development therefore was done through linkage of these core districts and giving central Dalllas more of a unity. The site was bounded by Stemmons freeway and the edge of the West End , it has been cleared of buildings. The masterplan proposed a mixed-use (office, residential, retail, entertainment, hotel, and leisure), street-oriented, largely pedestrian environment. It gives a basic framework instead of a set of rigid guidelines. The basis of this framework is , in essence, series of city blocks which address the street but these are offered as building parcels with potential developers to divide or combine these parcels. Suiting their particular needs. a pattern of open spaces is proposed, threading through the new district. The project is mainly informed by a post-modern concern for building typology and hierarchy and by a passionate conviction that the traditional street is the basis of city life. Similar regeneration projects were carried out in Seattle - City Centre; Berlin Potsdammer PlatzDublin Temple Bar, etc.

Figure 8:commercial buildings of renewed district

Figure 9: London Canary Wharf Skyline

3.1.2

LONDON Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf serves an example of the ongoing transformation and its commercial success from the regeration program. The inspiration for canary Wharf can be found in WFC in New York, the Manhattan scheme. The site was part of the West India Docks , closed down as part of general shutdown of docks. The masterplan was proposed by SOM provided for a

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broadly Beaux- Arts Format, with streets , squares, and landscaped gardens. The architecture of the first phases of the development was post-Modern Classical in manner, with heavy designing and historicist detailing. It has become a lifeline for the area population with more than a million woking population.

Figure 10: Canary Wharf Area Map

Canary Wharf has now become an important rival to the City which is more or totally used while Canary has still some land to spare. and has injected appreciable amount into the community life of the area. Similar cases of economic renewal are found in New York - Battery Park City; Ho Chi Minh City- saignon; Almere Masterplan; Rotterdam-Kop van Zuid etc.

Figure 12: View of the developed dock area, Canary Wharf Figure 11: Aerial view of the commercial district , Canary Wharf

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Figure 13: Bilbao City map

3.1.3

BILBAO

The success story of this city from a declining rustbelt city to focus of tourism and culture in two decades - has been often been used for the significance of infrastructural investment. Yet the renaissance of Bilbao is founded not on isolated monuments like Guggenheim Museum but on integrated development strategy that stress the importance of infrastructure to the regeneration process.

Figure 14: New Bridge at Bilbao

Figure 15: Metro Staions at Bilbao

Figure 16: Linking Bridge at Bilbao

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Bilbao though was important economically had started showing cracks in its urban fabric. The ill-considered development strategies and plans, its steady growth of traffic, made the squeezing effect of confined and elongated site between two hills, all the more pronounced. Norman Foster began the renewal project phase wise. The first phase phase started with construction of eleven stations, metro railway project, linking them with the historic city. Apart from these the Abando interchange projects , terminals etc. along with heavy investments in the promotion and development of cultural institutions in the city revived the city. The reconstruction projects have turned the city into a lively interchange not only for the local and intercity trains but also for buses and metro. The complexes are a part of the city in terms of their usability for the pedestrians as public plazas, apart from the core users of the buildings.

Figure 17: Aerial View of the Bilbao city

For example rail transport buildings apart from severing the transit passengers also have become a sort of urban room containing shops, restaurants and offices. Similar cases of urban regeneration through infrastructural development can found in Stuttgart- Avenue 21; Hongkong- Chek Lap Kok airport, Kowloon station; Frankfurt- Frankfurt 21, etc.

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Figure 18: Map showing the grid pattern of Barcelona City

Figure 20: Casa Mila

Figure 19: Historic area conservation, Barcelona

Figure 21: Widening of Roads in the historic Barcelona

area ,

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3.1.4

BARCELONA,

Raval

District

And

Contemporary

Art

Museum

Barcelonas rise from regional capital to world city took place within the space of two decades, with the 1992 Olympic Games as a landmark event in the process of regeneration and renaissance. At the end of 19th century, Barcelona underwent a massive expansion in line with the urban masterplan of Ildefons Cerda the Cerda grid provided a disciplined framework for rapid growth. The city has concentrated on a series of masterplans for distinct quarters, with architecture leading the way rather than taking a subsidiary role.

Figure 22: The flexible grid pattern , Barcelona

But more than these, Barcelonas success has been a strong a emphasis on the cultura l dimension of the city. Lluis Clotets practice to examine for renewal of the Raval district was linked from the start to the arts and education. Raval was an area of convents, schools and charitable institutions, but by 20th century the general picture was of steady decline and under-occupation. Its narrow alleys were avoided by the streaming urban crowds, which were taken as dangerous. Historic buildings like Casa de la Caritat, casa de la Misericordia and others identified ans the home of a new cultural centre. A basic requirement was strategy for access and for public space, since the narrow streets of the quarter were unsuitable for modern traffic. The emphasis has been on pedestrian circulation , with a series of new squares, parks and parkings created at underground and street level. Some demolition became necessary to improve access and open up new public spaces.
Figure 23: Segrunda Fimilia, Barcelona

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Transformations of buildings like Casa de la Caritat, casa de la Misericordia into theaters and , new buildings like museum of Contemporary Arts have made transformed Barcelona into an annual international tourist attraction. Similar case of city transformation through cultural investment are London Royal Opera House; Paris Seine Rive-Gauche; Rotterdam, Schouwburgplein, etc.

3.2 INDIAN CONTEXT

3.2.1 General
There is an inherent contradiction when we conceptualise an umbrella term like Indian context. The vast and extreme changes or diversity observed in the geography, culture of the country belie such a conception. Over the centuries each region and society has accumulated such influential factors of culture, geography, climate, etc. into its social and urban fabric. The imprints of which have been left on cities of today. Causing and affecting the cities , functioning the way they do. An example of such diversity witnessed would be the cities and towns in the northern part of the country where; Islamic + Colonial cultural and architectural influence is more pronounced in the urban patterns and fabric in comparison to the Southern cities where Vedic and Colonial influence are richer. And similarly on the other hand, in North Eastern regions its the geographical / topographical considerations that have played more important roles than culture in shaping the urban fabric. Moreover, the social structure and practices are simply different from that of western societies. While the open spaces in western societies would generally imply parks and boulevards; in india the open spaces have traditionally served the purposes of social gatherings like marriages, puja etc. Therefore it is this understanding of differences, the drastic changes that occur from region to region- their causes and effects therein; making uniquely individual cases, which is demanded when urban transformation and renewal projects are undertaken. Therefore when envisaging the renewal of Indian cities, one may approach by understanding the traditional-historical background that the city has; and the current scenario- the present demands in terms economy etc. For example on a macro level, The urban settlements here, have layers of centuries imprinted in their built physical infrastructure & social infrastructure. Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore - each have systematic and behavioural challenges unique to themselves ; therefore seeking to study the land-use and transport planning to secure a more integrated and efficient form of urban development. Also (unlike western counterparts) they did not go through the gradual industrial revolution phases, nor were reduced to as ruins of war. Therefore a general comparative study between Indian and western societies and urban patterns is crucial when dealing with urban settlements in India. And on micro level studying the land use pattern in most of the cities reveal that land use patterns are different. A case in example would be the ratio of family land holdings to government land holdings, which is far more higher than western counterparts. Unrest and controversies have often been the result, because of land acquisitions for masterplans modelled on western success stories, where land holdings in urban areas arent a problem at all , as most of them are under government .

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3.2.2 Urbanisation Challenge - In the past two decades india has been witnessing the trend
of concentration of urban population in large cities and agglomerations are getting stronger, causing a rising urban population and the growth of urban areas both in number as well as geographical area . Urban planning is a critical challenge in the face of burgeoning problems of urban growth and population concentration in cities. But this pattern urbanization isnt similar for the cities. There are variations in the patterns of urbanisation from state-to-state and city-to-city. This variation can be attributed to the political , economical climate controlling them. A citys economy might be more IT -sector driven than its neighbouring city whose economy is driven by traditional textile industries of handlooms. While for the latter kind, governments would be more sensitive when an urban renewal program is being made for some area contributing to such an industry. But for the former kind, usually the government tends to base its policies for renewal programs with an eye more on future gains than present ones. Accordingly framework for the masterplans, etc are formulated, usually resulting into uprooting of the age-old local community life and economies. A case in example could be Dharavi project in Mumbai. The urban renewal program for the cities therefore need to be prioritized keeping the present needs and demands as well while making way for future growth.

4 INFERENCES
Therefore to conclude , it means while framing an urban renewal program , the prioritsation of a holistic aim is essential , one which is addressing not just future demands but also the present needs. Some of the suggestions are mentioned below:

Economic Dimension : Often economic revival is the priority for such programs. Urban renewal programs need to address such questions i) Equity Criteria: To what extent is the first i.e. the targeted group, the winner (improving in absolute sense the well being of the disadvantaged) ii) Efficiency Criteria: to what extent is the third group the winner, i.e. positive sum outcomes for the society (aggregation of disadvantaged + advantaged), taking both intra and extra neighbourhood effects into account. Cultural Dimension: Reconciling conservation and development is a prerequisite for achieving improvements in the quality of life in environmentally and culturally sensitive places. It calls for the introduction of appropriate new functions, i.e., the re-use of historic structures, in order to generate income for the buildings and for the local community. It also requires the improvement of services and public open spaces, community-supported rehabilitation of historic housing districts and open spaces, creation of employment opportunities and promotion of local crafts. Social Dimension: This dimension is often undermined. to achieve social mix in deprived areas requires a well planned housing policy, covering the whole urban area, and ensuring the production of sufficient social housing in less segregated areas, this means that this dimension particularly is to addressed at a much broader level. One which addresses the city as whole or is atleast a part solution to the social problems of the city. Social mix ideas, if not applied carefully and in combination with other public interventions, might develop in sharp contradiction with the social goals of housing policy. Also studying the social structure of the targeted area is crucial if urban renewal are to be free of controversies and creation of unrest. URBAN RENEWAL THROUGH INDIAN EYES, Usama Aziz Khan Page 16

Physical Dimension: CITY-Integrated City Making or planning including transport and land-use planning becomes the keyword. Often results have shown cities sinking deep into debts, thanks to incoherent expensive projects which become exclusive or fail to benefit the city as whole. On a city usually to types of approaches are fit to the Indian cities 1. Compact City : This centralized approach necessarily means a high density, mixed land use and efficient public transport planning, which encourages pedestrian oriented habitation. This kind is more suitable for land starved cities like Mumbai. Eg. High Rise like Hongkong or low rise as suggested by National Commission on Urbanisation (NCU) of India 2. Multi-Modal Urban Region: such an approach would more effective in cities like Delhi which have self-sustaining pockets or basti patterned Kolkata. Provides solution for urban transportation and is environmentally sustainable. Eg. Most northern and central traditional indian cities and towns like Delhi, Ahmedabad. AREA - Area-based initiatives 1. Enables the integration of physical, economic and social interventions within the selected neighbourhood. But Necessitates the integrated approach to be extended to the city-region level, where the areas for interventions should be selected,(help of NGOs & population groups ). The outcomes should be monitored. This means a second integration: local area based actions must be integral parts of larger scale, regional development strategies. 2. Area-based initiatives are good when the major problems of an area are related to the physical characteristics (eg. rundown buildings and/or public spaces). If problems are predominantly social or related to employment however, then public interventions for the whole urban area, either universally accessible or targeted on the basis of specific characteristics (not through selection of areas). City Region Level: The city-region level has a key role to play: instead of simplistic application of global ideas and predefined indicators, the governance system of the functional urban area has to identify and understand the local problems. At the same time the city-region level is also important to minimize the area (spill over, external) effects. Set up the strategy to handle the problems, with the help of locally developed solutions, ensuring the integrated approach and involving the local stakeholders. The Centre should prescribe a macro framework and let the state governments customize solutions according to ground realities.

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5 REFERENCES

1. Dilemmas of Integrated Area-Based Urban Renewal Programmes 2. Urban issues, reforms and way forward in india, Chetan Vaidya 3. Urban Renewal and Its Aftermath, Jon C. Teaford 4. Urban renewal realistically reappraised , Robert P. Groberg 5. Socially Inclusive Urban Renewal in Low Value Suburbs: A Synopsis of Issues and an Agenda for Action, City Futures Research Centre 6. Exploring the concept of urban renewal in the indian context, ITPI JOURNAL,5 : 2 (2008) 42 46 7. Sustainable Urban Development In India: Some Issues, Basudha Chattopadhyay 8. The Examination of the Urban Renewal Projects - A Case Study of Trabzon, Glten KARA, Turkey

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Title of Dissertation: Urban Renewal, Through Indian Eyes Name & Roll No. of the Student: Usama Aziz Khan Email id: usama.azizz@gmail.com Name of the Guide: Mrs. Smita Khan Dynamism is intrinsic to the nature of a city and for survival, its evolution is inevitable. How a city transforms itself to suit its current and emerging demands determines majorly the life of a city. However, blind implementation of western urban renewal programs into our cities to transform derelict urban areas have resulted into complete failures , or atleast have given rise to unrest and controversies, putting most of such projects in limbo for years. The paper is a discussion on what urban renewal aims should be by first giving an overview of urban renewal program.
Roberts and Sykes (2000) state that Urban renewal can be defined as a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change .

Therefore urban renewal is about the sustainable development of cities which is holistic in approach, and targeted at economic and cultural redevelopment, social cohesion and physical rehabilitation of cities. The method used for the paper is a Literature review of the available materials on urban renewal initiatives studied in the Indian context. An evaluation of basic and general urban renewal strategies in the west and their relevance to India. Case studies with regards to implementation and the impacts of such programmes in different global cities. This followed by a discussion on basic differences of what could be the context of an Indian city and western counterparts. Indias experience of urban renewal is fairly recent, though several cities, particularly metropolises, have been attempting to tackle the problem of decline and dilapidation through ad-hoc initiatives. There is an absence of holistic and integrated approach in understanding the term urban renewal. Urban renewal has become a multidimensional task. there is a need to understand these dimensions , they are inseperable. Therefore to conclude , it means while framing an urban renewal program , the prioritsation of a holistic aim is essential , one which is addressing not just future demands but also the present needs.