Redefining the Urban Imaginary

Redefining the urban imaginary Demarginalizing the informal sector of Indian urbanism through democratic urban housing in Ahmedabad

MONIKA L. OUM Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture India Fall 2009 Advisor : Erik Carver

MONIKA L. OUM Redefining the urban imaginary Imaginary numbers...What does the Indian city want to be?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture India Fall 2009 Studio Advisor : Erik Carver Special acknowledgements : The Faculty of Architecture at the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology ii. |

Imaginary numbers...What does the Indian city want to be?

Ahmedabad used to be the home of modern Indian autonomy.

Today, like other Indian cities, it is urbanizing at a revolutionary rate--doubling in size in twenty years, while real estate values have doubled in five. Liberalization, economic growth, population growth, and climate change are all reshaping the city. Rapid changes in standards and aspirations are coupled with the assembly of a heterogenous and pluralistic mix of classes, religions, languages, and lifestyles. In the 21st century, non-western cities are transforming what defines the contemporary metropolis.

How does one design for a city which is not only growing rapidly, but also changing its ideals and identities? Ahmedabad is a city which competes with others for regional domination, in which class difference, privatized growth, and scarcity has led to unique and unfamiliar infrastructures, in which informal use challenges legal boundaries, the relationship between city and landscape, and conventional notions of architecture. In Ahmedabad, buildings grow organically over time, shrinking themselves to fudge building codes, then expanding to compete for attention through maximizations of surface. Community standards sanitize public activities, leading to elaborate underworlds of desire. New ideas and desires are stimulated by the city’s networks, then mobilized through advertising which plays on and perpetuates the most exotic and central fantasies of the new urban subject.

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Redefining the urban imaginary...

Arjun Appadurai discusses the media’s influence on impressions of other cultures and socio-cultural climates in his book Modernity At Large.

Many media outlets, sometimes in combination with their context, advocate certain images of what is most desirable or favorable in terms of physical beauty, social and economic status, and lifestyle. Whether they pertain to minorities or majorities within a population, these images indicate goals and aspirations that contribute to a collective urban imaginary.

Andreas Huyssen elaborates on the concept of the urban imaginary in his book Other Cities, Other Worlds. The urban imaginary consists of two major perspectives: an outsider’s impressions of the city and a city dweller’s impressions of the city. Huyssen places special emphasis on how the city dweller imagines and experiences the city. City dwellers live and carry out daily life within the city so one can conclude that their impressions of it would be more accurate and relevant in understanding patterns of urbanism and modernity within that city, and its role on the global scale.

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat and is on its way to assuming status as one of India’s Tier 1 cities. Real estate development firms put out prominent billboards advertising large residential, commercial, and corporate schemes. The urban environment portrayed by the images featured in these advertisements has a strong and increasingly widespread presence within the city, however the advertisements disregard important aspects of Ahmedabad’s existing urban condition.

The ground plane provides the most immediately available, accessible, and opportune space for activity, movement, convergence, and social interaction to flourish. This is especially true for cities in India, where the ground plane is the main setting for the many channels of movement and activity that distinguish India’s urban culture from that of other places in the world. A wider scope of the urban population can identify with this culture and in Ahmedabad, it is characterized by a range of elements that includes different channels of movement and traffic, incidental and temporary accumulations of settlement and activity, and religious and cultural institutions.

Many of the said advertisements show the building as a banally abstract object sitting in a beautifully landscaped but sterile and practically deserted ground plane. The building and landscape design demonstrate an awareness of this urban culture, but it is through omission; it seems to be considered a negative aspect of city life...

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VEJALPUR VASTRAPUR VASTRAL VASANA V.V. NAGAR ANAND VATVA THALTEJ SUGHAD SOLA ROAD S.G. ROAD SHYAMAL CROSSROAD SHILAJ SHAHIBAUG SCIENCE CITY SATELLITE SARDAR PATEL RING ROAD SARANGPUR SANATHAL SANAND SABARMATI RAMOL RANIP RANCHARDA PRAHLADNAGAR PALODIA PALDI NAROL NARODA NARANPURA NIKOL NANDOLI MOTERA MEMNAGAR MEHSANA MANINAGAR MAHALAXMI CROSSROAD KOTESHWAR KATHWADA KALUPUR JODHPUR JAGATPUR ISANPUR GULBAI TEKRA GHUMA GHODASAR GANDHINAGAR DARPAN CIRCLE C.G. ROAD CHEKALA CHANDKHEDA BOPAL BODAKDEV ASHRAM ROAD AMBAWADI AGHOL ADALAJ

Regions in and around Ahmedabad and their real estate development projects

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YASH RAJ CORPORATION VYAPTI COMPANIES VISHWANATH CONSTRUCTION VENUS INFRASTRUCTURE UNIQUE BUILDERS TAKSHASHILA REALTIES SYNTHESIS SPACELINKS SWAGAT DEVELOPERS SURMAY HOMES SUN BUILDERS STERLING GREEN WOODS SOHAM GROUP SIDDHI DEVELOPERS SHYAM BUILDERS SHREEJI INFRASTRUCTURE SHREE DEVELOPERS SHREE BALAJI CONSTRUCTION SHREE ASTAVAN SHREE AMI INFRASTRUCTURE SHIVALIK PROJECTS SHILPGRAM SHELADIA ASSOCIATES SHEETAL INFRASTRUCTURE SHARAN GROUP SHALIGRAM CONSTRUCTION SEWANI CONSTRUCTION SAUMYA CONSTRUCTION SATYAMEV CHHAVANI SATYAM DEVELOPERS SARTHAV INFRASTRUCTURE SANTOSH ASSOCIATES SANGANI INFRASTRUCTURE INDIA SAMATVA SAFAL CONSTRUCTION RITURAJ NIRMAN RITURAJ GROUP OF COMPANIES RAJ BUILDERS RADHAKRISHNA INFRASTRUCTURE PUSHPAK CONSTRUCTION PSP PROJECTS PRERNA GROUP PRATHAM ENTERPRISES PARSHWANATH CONSTRUCTION PADMAVATI CONSTRUCTION PACIFICA COMPANIES NG BUILDERS NISHAN GROUP NAVRATNA GROUP MATSUMI INFRASTRUCTURE MERLIN PROJECTS MARUTI BUILDING CONSTRUCTION MANPASAND BUILDERS MAHADEV CONSTRUCTION MADHAV GROUP KANHAI INFRASTRUCTURE KANAK GROUP KALA KAMNATH GROUP JBR NIRMAAN ISCON GROUP GOYAL AND COMPANY GOPI DEVELOPERS GANESH HOUSING GALAXY GROUP DIVYAJIVAN INFRASTRUCTURE DHARMADEV INFRASTRUCTURE DEVNANDAN BUILDERS DEV GROUP DESAI CORPORATE REALTIES DEEP GROUP CHANCAL CONSTRUCTION BINORI GROUP BHAGIRATH GROUP BAKERI GROUP AUM CONSTRUCTION ADINATH DEVELOPERS AAVKAR INFRASTRUCTURE

Building Design/Construction and Real Estate Development Firms and their projects in Ahmedabad

SWAGAT DEVELOPERS (EST. 1973) COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (13), Commercial/Corporate (1) ... 14 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (6), Commercial/Corporate (1) ... 7 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Gandhinagar, Sabarmati, Sarder Patel Ring Road, S.G. Road,

PARSHWANATH CONSTRUCTION (EST. 1967) COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (106), Commercial/Corporate (14) ... 120 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (6), Commercial/Corporate (5) ... 11 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Adalaj, Chandkheda, Naranpura, Naroda, Prahlad Nagar, Sardar Patel Ring Road, Sughad

SEWANI CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (6), Commercial/Corporate (15) ... 21 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (2), Commercial/Corporate (6) ... 8 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Aghol, C.G. Road, Rancharda, Satellite, SAFAL CONSTRUCTION PVT. LTD. (EST. 1995) COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (5), Commercial/Corporate (7) ... 13 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (6), Commercial/Corporate (4) ... 10 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Bopal, Kalupur, Prahlad Nagar, S.G. Road, Thaltej

GALAXY GROUP PVT. LTD. (EST. 1995) COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (7), Commercial/Corporate (2) ... 9 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (16), Commercial/Corporate (7) ... 23 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Naroda, Sardar Patel Ring Road, Sola Road BAKERI GROUP (EST. 1959) COMPLETED PROJECTS: Residential (62), Commercial/Corporate (31) ... 93 PENDING PROJECTS: Residential (10), Commercial/Corporate (2) ... 12 REGIONS OF CURRENT PRACTICE: Ashram Road, Ghuma, Vejalpur

Redefining the urban imaginary_02 Players and products of Ahmedabad’s construction boom

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URBAN 'WILDLIFE'...

Camels and elephants are domesticated and trained to perform certain economic and religious functions and farm animals such as cattle, goats, and chickens are as much a part of urban life in Ahmedabad as in rural life. Camels carry carts of goods into the city in order to supply the markets.

Plots of land in the Old City are reserved for herds of elephants, where they are cared for by Hindu holy men. On special occasions, they are painted bright colors and walked throughout the city in order to collect alms from the people. A pillar of the Hindu faith is abstinance from consuming meat, especially cow meat, so many cattle, although still domesticated and used for their milk, can be found wandering about the city streets. A somewhat elaborate religious celebration might take place in the event of the birth of a calf.

DENSITY AND MOVEMENT...

Ahmedabad has a dense urban population and this has certain implications for urban transport. A large portion of the population own and operate vehicles with only two or three wheels such as autorickshaws, commercial/industrial three-wheeler trucks, bicycle-driven rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles, and bicycles. These vehicles move at slower speeds and take up less space than cars. They also have no system for complete enclosure, which leaves the driver and any potential passengers vulnerable to the natural elements and any form of outdoor activity. These aspects of Ahmedabad's urban transport landscape give the street, the sidewalk, the park, and other such outdoor urban environments more siginificance in terms of human occpuation and use.

AN INFORMAL ECONOMY...

Ahmedabad's current construction boom is producing many shopping malls, which indicates the city's rapidly modernizing economy. However, the notions of self-employed workers and the informal open-air market as an influential staple in the economy is still practical in Ahmedabad as well as in other Indian cities. Street food vendors sell servings of samosas and pani puri for as little as ten rupees (approximately twenty-five cents) out of carts or makeshift set-ups and mobile 'convenient store' operators sell mints and candies out of the trunks of three-wheeler vans. In many parts of the city where activity and movement is varied and dense, consumers and merchants with carts of fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, used electronics, and other goods will aggregate to form open-air markets. Some merchants do not have carts, in which case they will lay out their merchandise on the ground.

Redefining the urban imaginary_03 Elements of Ahmedabad’s ground-plane-oriented urban culture

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Regardless of the fact that they are run by a minority of Ahmedabad’s population, the firms that put out these prominent advertisements cater to a large portion of the urban population and they exert a strong influence over the urban imaginary as understood through the perspective of a city dweller. These firms also, obviously, have a strong role in realizing this urban imaginary. They are proposing an urban environment that, in many ways, exists, works, and gives many urban dwellers what they desire, but is not properly reconciled with other vital aspects of Ahmedabad’s existing urban condition. What if these billboards advertised building and landscape design that championed the outdoors, particularly the ground plane, and the culture associated with it as they exist within the context of the Indian city, particularly Ahmedabad? If designs showcased in the advertisements incorporated a range of elements that are relatable to a broader demographic, it would redirect the urban imaginary on a path towards a more architecturally unique, culture-specific, democratic, affordable, and sustainable urban reality.

The main programmatic function of mass housing will be used for the purposes of this design exploration since it is the primary vehicle for Ahmedabad’s urban imaginary. Peripheries that demarcate different spatial zones, paths where movement is most varied and dense, and interstitial spaces (bi-products of building, landscape, and urban design) are the main arenas where instances Ahmedabad’s ground-plane-oriented urban culture tend to accumulate and flourish. The design of the housing complex should: 1.) allow for designed and intentional yet ambiguous interstitial spaces, 2.) extend and engage the ground plane so that it is an integral part of the building, rather than the building’s mere surroundings, and 3.) incorporate a channel through which many types of movement and exchanges can flow. ... In other words, how can the street, the sidewalk, the empty lot, and other outdoor urban spaces and their events engage with architectural design?

Redefining the urban imaginary_04 Engaging urban outdoor spaces with architectural design

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(Above)...The 10 x 15 meter area module used for the residential units can be multiplied by story to create maisonettes, affording more options in layout and square footage.

(Left and below)...The platforms of semi-public space that perforate the walls of residential units can be extended outward and brought down as steps that meet the ground. This gesture makes the platforms fully public and adds nuance to the experience of the ground plane by creating the effect of it peeling, lifting, and piercing the building.

(Far left)...The section of the formal strategy can be reconďŹ gured to include walls of commercial/corporate units. These walls can act as buffers for the residential units, shielding from the disturbance of the trafďŹ c and activity going on in the street.

The steps could have similar socio-cultural implications inherent in the spatial construct of the ghats along the Ganges River in Varanasi (pictured below). In that case, the ghats serve a variety of purposes and are vital to the history and identity of the city.

RedeďŹ ning the urban imaginary_05 Exploring the potential of the formal strategy

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Project Location Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram

Himalaya Mall

Center for Environmental Planning and Technology

Gandhi Bridge

CG Road Nehru Bridge Ellis Bridge

Jamalpur Gate

Project location in relation to 'landmark' destinations in Ahmedabad

RedeďŹ ning the urban imaginary_06 Rana Pratap Marg, Karmchari Nagar, Ahmedabad Site plan and information

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Basement Plan (Amenities and Commercial space)

Ground Floor Plan (Commercial and OfďŹ ce space)

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

RedeďŹ ning the urban imaginary_07 First four level plans

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Transverse Section

Longitudinal Section 1

Longitudinal Section 2

Transverse Section

Longitudinal Section 1 Longitudinal Section 2

RedeďŹ ning the urban imaginary_08 Residential unit layouts Sections

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A real home in the city...

Nr. The Petrol Pump on Rana Pratap Marg, Karmchari Nagar, Ahmedabad 3 BHK apartments with generous balconies - Integrated public space for social functions and religious rites and festivities - Autorickshaw station Proximity to open-air markets - Library and auditorium - Office and commercial space for rent

Call : +91 999 8151947 Online : www.ashokachakragroup.com E-Mail : mail@ashokachakragroup.com Firm and Site office : 14 Swi Park Society, Opp. Akhandanand Society, Gate No. 4, Nr. Menarav Hall, Rannapark, Ahmedabad 380 061

ASHOKA CHAKRA DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION GROUP

A place for YOU in the city...

Nr. The Petrol Pump on Rana Pratap Marg, Karmchari Nagar, Ahmedabad

3 BHK apartments with generous balconies - Integrated public space for social functions and religious rites and festivities Autorickshaw station - Proximity to open-air markets - Library and auditorium - Office and commercial space for rent

Call : + 91 999 81511947 Online : www.ashokachakragroup.com E-Mail : mail@ashokachakragroup.com Firm and site office : 14 Swi Park Society, Opp. Akhandanand Society, Gate No. 4, Nr. Menarav Hall, Rannapark, Ahmedabad 380 061

ASHOKA CHAKRA DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION GROUP

Redefining the urban imaginary_09 New billboards that communicate a new urban imaginary...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Appadurai, Arjun. Modernity At Large : Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. University of Minnesota Press, November 1996.

Appleby, Robert. Dharavi, Slum for Sale. Directed by Lutz Konermann. Germany | Switzerland: Tradewind Pictures | Westeast Films | hugofilm, 2010.

Bhatia, Gautam. Laurie Baker : Life, Works, and Writings. Penguin Books, March 2003.

Chung, Chuihua Judy | Inaba, Jeffrey | Koolhaas, Rem | Leong, Sze Tsung. Great Leap Forward / Harvard Design School Project on the City. Taschen, February 2002.

Davis, Mike. Planet of Slums. Verso, March 2006.

Huyssen, Andreas. Other Cities, Other Worlds : Urban Imaginaries in a Globalizing Age. Duke University Press Books, November 2008.

Jain, Kulbhushan | Jain, Minakshi. Indian City in the Arid West. Aadi Centre, 1994.

Luce, Edward. In Spite of the Gods : The Strange Rise of Modern India. Little, Brown, & Company, August 2006.

Ramachandran, Bijoy | Ramachandran, Premjit. Doshi. Directed by Bijoy Ramachandran and Premjit Ramachandran. Bangalore, Karnataka, India: 100hands, 2009.

Steele, James. The Complete Architecture of Balkrishna Doshi : Rethinking Modernism for the Developing World. Thames & Hudson, November 1998.

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IMAGE CREDITS Figures 1.1-1.12 : Original images by Monika Oum Figures 1.13 : Original graphic by Monika Oum Figure 1.14 : [http://www.parshwanath.co.in/projects.php]. Accessed December 2009.

Figures 1.15 and 1.16 : Original images by Monika Oum -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Figures 2.1 and 2.2 : Original images by Monika Oum Figures 2.3-2.5 : [http://www.bakeri.com/projects.html]. Accessed December 2009.

Figures 2.6 and 2.7 : [http://www.galaxygroup.info/galaxy%5Fgroup%2D12/projects.aspx]. Accessed December 2009.

Figures 2.8 and 2.9 : [http://www.safalconstructions.com/]. Accessed December 2009.

Figure 2.10 : [http://www.sewaniconstruction.com/construction-projects.html]. Accessed December 2009.

Figures 2.11 and 2.12 : [http://www.parshwanath.co.in/projects.php]. Accessed December 2009.

Figures 2.13 and 2.14 : [http://www.swagatinfrastructureltd.com/index.htm]. Accessed December 2009.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Figure 3.1 : Original image by Monika Oum Figure 3.2 : Pintando elefantes en la india. June 2009. [http://micromotion.blogspot.com/2009/06/pintandoelefantes-en-la-india.html]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.3 : Camel cart in Rajasthan. September 2008. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camel_cart_ in_Rajasthan.jpg]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.4 : Cows - see what I mean. March 2007. [http://hannahsdiary.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/anit_ home_street_2.jpg]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.5 : Animal planet. October 2009. [http://tallguyabroad.blogspot.com/2009/10/animal-planet.html].

Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.6 : Original image by Monika Oum Figure 3.7 : India Hyderabad traffic street road chaos crowd. [http://www.cepolina.com/India_Hyderabad_ traffic_street_road_chaos_crowd.html]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.8 : Traffic and Me. October 2009. [http://lzblade.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/239/]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.9 : McLemore, Ryan. Ahmedabad Traffic and Proliferation of Billboards. [http://www.ryanmclemore. com/indianooh/indianooh.html]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.10 : May 2008. [http://srinathrao.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/dscn8882.jpg]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.11 : The real taste of India. March 2008. [http://worldthrumyeyes.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/thereal-taste-of-india/]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.12 : Indian fever. July 2009. [http://blogs.suntimes.com/food/indian15garbanzo-1.jpg]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.13 : Footpath hawkers in the Three Gates area of Ahmedabad. May 2008. [http://srinathrao.files. wordpress.com/2008/05/dscn8889.jpg]. Accessed April 2010.

Figure 3.14 : Dave, Amit. Vendors use solar powered lights at an open air evening market as customers buy fruits and vegetables in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. September 2009. [http://www.trust.org/ alertnet/multimedia/pictures/detail.dot?mediaInode=abe086d1-19a2-4aa2-ab7f-9dd2fe94d566]. Accessed April 2010.

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Figure 3.15 : lady fingers (in curry of course!). September 2009. [http://henryandjayne.wordpress. com/2009/09/15/lady-fingers-in-curry-of-course/img_1830/]. Accessed April 2010.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Figure 5 : Steps to the Ganges in Varanasi, India. [http://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:India_-_varanasi_4.

JPG]. Accessed April 2010.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Figure 6.1 : Screenshot taken from Google Maps Figure 6.2 - 6.7 : Original images by Monika Oum

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