Opinion Redrafting the city

Much of the now discredited hype surrounding the ‘India shining’ political slogan has unfortunately been transferred into making Delhi a ‘world-class’ city. The renewal of the city is undoubtedly long overdue,but the visions guiding the process are dubious: shining glass towers,gated enclaves,sprawling malls and acres of asphalt and concrete to accommodate the ever increasing number of cars. The Heritage City project contests such visions. It proposes instead to make Delhi a ‘world-class’ city for the rich and poor,by focusing on the city’s own architectural heritage and in the process developing a rooted sense of place which is absent among decision-makers,who,by default,look for foreign models to emulate. For example,the city has three World Heritage Sites (Qutab Minar,Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort) and over 170 monuments of national significance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). And if one takes into account the unique colonial heritage and several post-Independence architectural landmarks,one realises that Delhi in fact possesses an enviable plenitude of architectural riches. Ultimately,the project envisages having Delhi declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO. There are over 220 World Heritage Cities in the world,but not a single one in India. Not that India lacks its share of heritage cities which qualify for that status,but no one — least of all the ASI — has sought that recognition. Yet — as in the case of Rome and Athens,for instance — such recognition makes citizens proud of the significance of their heritage and simultaneously boosts tourism. Delhi and many other Indian cities have the same potential to exploit.

Work has commenced to renovate Coronation Park (where New Delhi was declared the capital of India in 1911),Jama Masjid precinct and Red Fort,Feroze Shah Kotla,Purana Quila,Humayun’s Tomb,Lodhi Garden Tombs,Connaught Place,Gole Market,Mehrauli Archaeological Park and several other long-neglected historic sites. Simultaneously,250 unprotected monuments are being accorded legal protection by the Delhi government and almost 1,000 others will be notified as heritage buildings by local municipalities. Plans for conserving many of these monuments will include environmental improvement and make them easily accessible for public use. A proposal to introduce a hop-on-hop-off tourist bus service,organise heritage walks and produce attractive heritage — related literatures is also being worked out. When this heritage-related infrastructure is in place,the image of the city would have been rewritten and a substantial part of the homework to apply to UNESCO for the World Heritage City status for Delhi would have been accomplished.

The second project,the traffic management scheme around MCD’s Civic Centre,also has the potential to rewrite the city. Earlier attempts to tame Delhi’s traffic had run afoul of the elite car-using public who thwarted attempts to rationally restructure road space on more equitable terms. However,the idea is slowly sinking in among urban planners that the Metro and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) are the best modes of transport in Delhi,or indeed,in any ‘world class’ city. This requires the provision of exclusive lanes for BRT,segregated tracks for cyclists and non-motorised vehicles and user-friendly pavements for pedestrians. Inevitably,such provisions will result in limiting the space for cars and cause congestion during peak hours. This should encourage commuters to changeover from personal motorised modes and use public transport — as in other ‘world class’ cities — instead of crying foul and stopping the changes necessary to cope with the mounting traffic problems of the city. The MCD Civic Centre’s traffic management scheme begins to put these ideas into practice on a large scale. It eschews flyovers,subways and multi-lane signal-free roads,which are routinely touted as ‘solutions’ to traffic problems all over the city. At the Civic Centre precinct such ‘solutions’ would have displaced the heterogeneous activities and life-styles abounding in that area. More importantly,it would have forever sealed the possibility of integrating Shahjahanabad with New Delhi. Fortunately,MCD acted boldly to change tack and opt for a public transport based traffic management strategy with adequate space for pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles to cater to the travel demands that will be generated once the Civic Centre becomes operational. This project,particularly when it is extended to other parts of the city,will significantly impact the image of the city and how it is experienced by a majority of inhabitants and visitors.

Thus,in the interstices of the more glamorous and publicly celebrated stadia and mega-infrastructure projects spawned by the CWG,the city is quietly being rewritten to create a better habitat for all.

The author is an architect,urban planner and convenor,INTACH Delhi Chapter.