Economic growth and urbanization has brought attention to urban centers in the emerging economies like India, China, Vietnam etc. The national development agenda is paying increasing attention on revitalizing, improving and enhancing the competitiveness of the urban centers to attract investments and for propelling economic growth of the hinterland. Special policy initiatives like the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) in India have been proposed for this purpose. New legislative mechanisms have also been enacted to empower urban local bodies to improve governance and implement development projects. The initiative also provides for increasing role of the private sector and foreign direct investment in urban services including infrastructure, housing etc. These initiatives clearly reflect a shift in policy from state controlled and planned intervention to neo liberal market oriented development strategies in the urban sector. 

One of the prime concerns of the new strategy is in revitalizing and redeveloping the old city area which is characterized by high density, congestion and environmental degradation.  Redevelopment and revitalization of the old city however is also propelled by its physical centrality and high land values. Incidentally most of the old city areas of the emerging countries are also historic in nature, rich in physical and cultural heritage. Very often the neo liberal physical revitalization strategies are in conflict with the heritage resources often leading to their destruction and replacement by modern, in most cases western imitation, architectural structures. Such conflicts are common across all countries[1] . Wanton revitalization have adversely affected and destroyed old neighborhoods, mostly low income housing and associated heritage in the cities. Of late however there is increasing concern, due to civil society and international pressure, for heritage and community conservation along with city revitalization. More cities are giving importance to heritage issues in the development strategy[2]. In fact heritage conservation is also becoming important as a “Place Marketing” neo liberal urban development policy in these countries. It is in this context of conflict and reconciliation, between revitalization and heritage conservation, in the urban development strategy the present research is positioned. One aspect which needs to be highlighted is that the attempt to streamline heritage in conservation and internalizing them in the development planning exercise has been considerably influenced by European and American theory and practice and there is increasing debate regarding appropriateness of such strategy. It is in this context the study is relevant and therefore an attempt to explore the appropriate paradigm for internalizing heritage in the urban development strategy in the emerging economies.

The main objectives include:

 

  1. Understanding Urban Revitalization initiatives and its impact on heritage in emerging economies (emphasis India) and developed economies (the three proposed countries France, Netherlands and the USA).
  2. Map the emerging discourses and narratives regarding heritage conservation, urban planning and development in India and compare with the western discourses and narratives.
  3. Explore the structural and institutional aspects of heritage conservation, planning and management in the west and its relevance for emerging economies like India and suggest alternatives

The proposed study will be in continuation of the author’s earlier experience in researching issues related to urban revitalization and heritage in countries like China, Vietnam and the USA. Europe, including France and Netherlands, and the US has long tradition of heritage conservation but they also have witnessed large scale city renewal and revitalization efforts often at the cost of old neighborhoods and communities. What has been the experience and how they have reconciled the conservation and revitalization contradictions will be important to explore. The proposed methodology will involve detailed review of heritage and revitalization related literature, policies and plans.  Detailed case analysis of few cities will be attempted in all the four countries. In India, the city of Ahmedabad which is applying for UNSECO heritage city status will be taken as case study in other three countries it will be decided after consultation with the partner institution. Four months of focused research is proposed in the three countries outside India which would basically involve literature review, discussion with experts and important stakeholders and field visits. 


[1] Hutongs of Beijing, 36 streets of Hanoi, Chandni Chowk old city of Delhi

[2] The JnNURM also has an important component for heritage preservation and there are special knowledge networking forum called the Peer Exchange and Reflective Learning (PEARL) for heritage cities.