Revitalization Strategy for Historic Core of Ahmedabad

In India, dense historic urban settlements were developed with the intention of provision of spaces for adequate engagement of the people. Public squares and streets became important places of interaction. ‘Historic core,’ especially had public spaces meant for various socioeconomic groups. city is a blend of a harmonious past and a vivacious present. Number of historical and architecturally important buildings were built during Muslim and Moghul rules. One of the first built structures within the walled city is the fort, a citadel founded by sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 with a huge public square in front, developed for purpose of procession and gathering. This precinct went through various layers of transformation in different eras and now have become vulnerabledue to congestion and encroachment. Though, a need for intervention was felt to bring back the lost vitality of the precinct, it was realized that a comprehensive approach would be the necessity. Conservation and sensitive development approach was taken to tackle this problem through pedestrianization of the precinct, re-routing of traffic and restoration of fort. Larger level traffic and parking issues were also considered beyond the site. Alternative use of fort as tourist information center was considered. Urban design guidelines were proposed for harmonious development in the surrounding area. This proposal was considered for funding under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and was implemented. Many issues were faced during implementation of project due to contextualization of informal commercial, religious and other cultural activities. Political, social and administrative factors also played immense role in implementation of proposal. Now since Ahmedabad has achieved the status of World Heritage City through UNESCO certification further implementation of this project will be relatively easy due to envisaged strong political and administrative support.