Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata - Thesis Report

Architectural Thesis 2020

URBAN CONSERVATION AND GENTRIFICATION: REDEVELOPMENT OF TIRETTA BAZAAR, KOLKATA 老唐人街 • Cheenapara (India’s last surviving Chinatown)

Siddharth R • 712115251083 McGan’s Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris Anna University: Chennai 600 025

URBAN CONSERVATION AND GENTRIFICATION: REDEVELOPMENT OF TIRETTA BAZAAR, KOLKATA

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

SIDDHARTH R 712115251083

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE (B. ARCH) in ARCHITECTURE

McGAN’S OOTY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

ANNA UNIVERSITY : CHENNAI 600 025 SEPTEMBER 2020

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE Certified

that

the

thesis

GENTRIFICATION:

report

titled

REDEVELOPMENT

“URBAN OF

CONSERVATION

OF

TIRETTA

AND

BAZAAR,

KOLKATA” which has been submitted by SIDDHARTH R bearing registration number 712115251083 for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Architecture at McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris, is an authentic record of the above-mentioned student's own work, under the supervision and guidance of “Ar. PRABHU M”, McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris. The matter embodied in this thesis report has not been submitted by the student for the award of any other degree of this or any other institute.

Date: 22.09.2020 Place: McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris

Ar. PRABHU M THESIS SUPERVISOR

HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

Ar. N.S SARAVANAN PRINCIPAL

EXTERNAL EXAMINER

CANDIDATE'S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis report titled “URBAN CONSERVATION AND GENTRIFICATION: REDEVELOPMENT OF TIRETTA BAZAAR, KOLKATA” which has been submitted by myself, bearing registration number 712115251083 for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Architecture at McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris, is an authentic record of my own work carried out during the period from November 2019 to April 2020, under the supervision and guidance of “Ar. PRABHU M”, McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris. The matter embodied in this thesis report has not been submitted by me for the award of any other degree of this or any other institute.

Date: 22.09.2020 Place: McGan's Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris.

SIDDHARTH R (712115251083)

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Ar. PRABHU M THESIS SUPERVISOR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I am extremely grateful to my parents, family members for their love, prayers, caring and sacrifices for educating, and preparing me for my future.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all who have offered their help in accomplishing not only this thesis but throughout my Bachelor’s Degree. I would like to thank my teachers who have continuously helped me with their guidance and brainstorming ideas.

My sincere thanks goes to the residents of the Tiretta Bazaar aka The Old Chinatown who deserves my special gratitude for their active participation and interest in the personal interviews during data collection and site surveys.

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my thesis guide, Ar. Prabhu M, for allowing me to do research and providing invaluable guidance throughout this semester. He has taught me the methodology to carry out the research and to present the works as clearly as possible. I am profoundly grateful to him for his help, professionalism, his concern, passionate support, and encouragement. I am extremely grateful for what he has offered me.

I would like to mention a special thanks to Ar. Debasis Das (Thesis Coordinator), Ar. N.S.Saravanan (Principal), Ar. Thirumeni (Internal Jurer), and Ar Dr. Amrutha (Director Nehru School of Architecture, Coimbatore) for approving my topic, suggestions and continuous encouragement, and gestures.

At last but not least, I am thankful to my entire colleagues who have encouraged me throughout time to complete my thesis. A word of appreciation to everyone who helped to shape my thesis that I have failed to mention.

Thank you all!

ABSTRACT Tiretta Bazaar is a neighborhood near Lal Bazar in Central Kolkata. It is usually called "Old China Market". The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese Indian nationals, but now the population has dropped to approximately 2,000. Chinatown at Tiretta Bazaar forms the oldest and most distinctive settlement of the community, only such to be found in India.

Change in the community’s economic fortunes over time and unplanned over-development of the area threatens to corrode the historic value and character of the place.

Much of the current state of the Indian Chinese community in Kolkata is due to the Sino-Indian war of 1962. During the conflict, the Chinese population in India - Chinese citizens and Indian- Chinese alike came under scrutiny by the Indian government. Covered by a blanket of suspicion and resentment, much of the traditional flavor of the community was lost.

The traditional occupation of the Chinese Indian community in Kolkata had been working in the nearby tanning industry as well as in Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese cuisine.

In the past years the Indian government, pressured by environmental concerns, directed inner-city tanners from Tiljala, Topsia, and Pagla Danga districts to shut shop and relocate to fringes of the city, to the area Bantala Leather Complex, 15 km away from Kolkata. But the tanners remain unimpressed.

This thesis aims to stem the decline and preserve culture and heritage that once added glory to Kolkata's lost image as a melting point of cultures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Bonafide Certificate

i

Candidate’s Declaration

ii

Acknowledgement

iii

Abstract

iv

1. Introduction to the Topic

2

1.1 Calcutta as a “Diaspora City”

3

1.2 Global Trade Routes

4

1.3 Exposing the cultural routes of Chinese in Kolkata

4

1.4 Chinese Wave in India

6

1.5 Timeline: History of Chinese in Kolkata

13

1.6 Settlement Pattern

17

1.7 Chinese Community of Kolkata

18

1.8 Formation of Chinese Churches and Clubs

19

2. Photo Story

21

3. Synopsis

31

3.1 Aim of the Project

32

3.2 Objectives

32

3.3 Justification to the Topic

32

3.4 Site Location and Justification

32

3.5 Scope and Limitations

33

3.6 Design Methodology

34

4. Definitions

35

4.1 Bazaar

36

4.2 Urban Conservation

36

4.3 Gentrification

36

5. Case Studies

37

5.1 Specific Study - Chinese Social System

38

5.2 Literature Study - Chinatown, Sydney, Australia

43

5.3 Literature Study - Hawker Reload Street Stands, Hong Kong

46

5.4 Specific Study - Shophouses of Singapore

53

5.5 Live Study - New Market, Kolkata

56

6. Site Study

62

6.1 Site Study - Neighborhood Survey (1)

63

6.2 Site Study - Neighborhood Survey (2)

67

6.3 Understanding the Lynchian Elements of Urban Design

71

6.4 Assets of the Chinese Community

73

6.5 Site Study - User Analysis

77

7. Design Proposals

89

7.1 Master Plan, Design Strategies, Concepts and Proposals

90

7.2 Documentation Chinese Temples and Clubs

97

7.3 Proposal - Indo Chinese Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre

103

7.4 Proposal - Shophouse Typology 1

111

7.5 Proposal - Shophouse Typology 2

113

7.6 Proposal - India Exchange Place Road or Lu Shun Sarani

115

7.7 Guidelines for Restoration and Rehabilitation of buildings (Ref. from INTACH)

120

8. Bibliography

126

Introduction

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

1. Introduction to the Topic

The city of Calcutta (or Kolkata) was the jewel of the British Raj, arguably the most advanced and cosmopolitan city in Asia then. Kolkata has a long history of immigration of communities, diverse in ethnic, linguistic, and religious attributes. Its streets bustle with people from all over India and the world including Marwaris, Jews, Armenians, Europeans, and of course local Bengalis. It has offered space and opportunities to a vast range of people from different corners of the subcontinent and beyond.

Of the foreign communities that have made Calcutta their home, the Chinese are the only ones to remain and prosper as much as before. It is the ‘community’ that has sustained its re-creation of ‘little china’ on Indian soil. We get references to Chinese settlements in the city as early as 1837 when 362 Chinese were enumerated in Calcutta, a figure which went up to 847. By the first decade of the 19th century if not earlier Chinese tanners, shoemakers, carpenters, dentists, mechanics, and artisans became well known for their skill and ingenuity. Gradually the community diversified into various occupations, one of the most well known in today’s Kolkata being the Chinese eateries. They have not been known to find remunerative employment in spite of the difficulties of language.

From their initial concentration in central Kolkata, in the neighborhood of Bentinck Street in Kasai Tola, Phears Lane, etc they moved to their second nucleus in the low lying, swampy terrain at Tangra in east Kolkata. Cheenapara, or the locality inhabited by Chinese, and Chinese churches bear evidence to the existence of the community in central Kolkata.

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Another major concentration today is connected with the large tanneries in Tangra in the east Kolkata lowlands, many of which have transformed into restaurants serving Chinese cuisine. So if Tiretta bazaar and the surrounding vicinity are considered to be old Chinatown then Tangra is the new Chinatown. This aims to stem the decline and preserve culture and heritage that once added glory to Kolkata's lost image as a melting point of cultures.

1.1 Calcutta as a “Diaspora City” In an effort expose the cultural roots of the Chinese in Kolkata, some provocations are raised which will be answered in the forward. The focus is placed first on the historic background of the Chinese community in India as an underpinning for the research. Beginning on a global scale, it is essential to understand the Chinese represent one of the largest immigrant populations worldwide. Kolkata has been considered the ‘Cultural Capital’ of India. The Chinese population of Kolkata is currently less than 3000. What does this mean for the cultural capital of India? India currently hosts roughly 1|8 of the worlds population and is an undeveloped country. What is the significance of Chinese culture to Kolkata?

Calcutta, like most colonial cities, grew through the migration of different groups of people.

As a trading city, it attracted not only communities from other parts of India but also from outside the country. Jewish, Chinese, Armenian, and Parsi communities thus made Calcutta their home alongside Marwari, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Bihari, and Oriya communities.

The creation of an Anglo-Indian community of mixed descent, as a direct result of colonialism, is a marker of the diverse processes through which a colonial city becomes a site where multiple communities come together. These communities form an important part of Calcutta’s multicultural fabric in both colonial and postcolonial times. There is already a rich body of work that looks into the specific histories of many of these communities (Berjaut, 1999; Blunt, 2005; Hardgrove, 2002; Oxfeld, 1993; Silliman, 2001). Amongst these, Blunt and 10 Hardgrove study the histories of Anglo-Indian and Marwari communities concerning the history of Calcutta and Bengalis. Urban histories of Calcutta have also included mention of these communities.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Analyzing the social fabric of the city using the 1961 Census, N.K. Bose (1965) described Calcutta as a ‘premature metropolis’, after finding that even though most neighborhoods in the city were mixed in terms of class, ethnic groups tended to cluster together, even if not spatially, through their associations. There has also been a recent surge of interest in the ‘minority’ communities of Calcutta. Writing about the changing political contexts of the city, Swapan Chakravorty describes the metropolitan culture of Calcutta as ‘the culture of the displaced’ (2007:3).

1.2 Global Trade Routes To better understand this enclave, it is first important to look at how its different actors arrived in India’s sole Chinatown in Kolkata. Why Kolkata at a global scale? At the time, Kolkata, formerly Calcutta and capital of India, was a central port city offering trading access to the rest of the world. The primary routes utilized for Chinese immigration were the Horse Tea trade route, the Eastern Indian Company’s sea road as well as the famous Silk Road. By providing a map of the trade routes and critical regions, one can better understand the economical and therefore geopolitical importance of the greater region of Kolkata as far back in the 18th century.

1.3 Exposing the cultural roots of Chinese in Kolkata While today, less than 10% of people with Chinese origins in Kolkata still own a Chinese passport, 45% of them originally came from the region of Fujan, being trained in leather making and tanning mostly. Cantonese people from Guangdong and Jiangxi are nearly as numerous as the Hakka, trained mostly in carpentry and restaurant-keeping. Other groups are Hupeh and Shanghai, while rickshaws in Kolkata have originally been introduced by a small group of people from Shanghai. All counted for, there are about 60 Shoe Shops, 54 Restaurants, 50 Tanneries, 33 Beauty Parlors and a couple of hundred rickshaws that are partially responsible for the functioning and identity of a 16’000’000 Metropolitan Region.

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1.4 Chinese Wave in India

Chinese have been traveling to India since the time of the Silk Route. The first recorded Chinese visitor to India was the Buddhist monk Faxian in the 4th century, famed for traveling by foot from China to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. The modern movement between China and India began in the 18th century. The first Chinese immigrant to Kolkata was Yang Tai Chow. He arrived in 1778 on the banks of the Hooghly. He gathered together a group of Chinese, many of whom had jumped ship and decided to stay on in the area of Calcutta or were working on the Kidderpore docks. Yang started a sugar mill with the eventual goal of saving enough to start a tea trade. Yang, known locally as Tong Achi, established the first Chinese community in the area which came to be known as Achipur, a place 33 km from Calcutta. The place no longer has any Chinese inhabitants but Yang Tai Chow’s grave and a temple that he built are still visited by the Calcutta Chinese at the time of New Year to seek his blessings.

The Opium Wars in the 19th century provoked a larger wave of migration, as people moved to Calcutta to escape the civil unrest in their country. In 1857, the Chinese presence in Calcutta was estimated to consist of 500 people. As Calcutta’s Chinese community grew, its members integrated into the Calcuttan economy. Calcutta’s famous brand of Indian Chinese cuisine grew in popularity as Chinese chefs began experimenting with local flavors and adding certain Indian touches.

Certain ethnic subgroups, united by the community centers that still exist today, found industries that they could settle into. The contribution of the Chinese community to the 6

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

social and economic spheres of Calcutta through their restaurants, tanneries, laundries, beauty parlors has been felt by many to be disproportionately large compared to their population. The early Chinese were probably the Hakkas, and then later a lot of the other clans joined. Through the generations, the Chinese have maintained their social distinctions in the field of business. Hakka is the tanners and shoemakers, the Hupeh the dentists, the Cantonese the carpenters and restaurateurs, and the laundries the stronghold of the Shanghai group.

The first Chinatown in Calcutta took shape in the vicinity of Tiretta Bazaar in central Calcutta during the mid-nineteenth century. Often known as Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown or ‘cheenapara’ or even ‘Calcutta Chinatown’ (a name acquired much later with the establishment of a second Chinatown in Tangra), this locality was then home to several Chinese sailors who stayed back, waiting for their ships to return. Situated in the heart of colonial Calcutta, the Chinese population added to the cosmopolitan nature of the city.

This neighborhood developed as a Chinatown in the 1930s and 1940s when there was a significant influx of migration from China. Until then it was mainly a community of men.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

The migration of families from China required the construction of more permanent structures and gradually the visual aspects of a Chinatown began to emerge. There are several historical references to the Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown.

One of the earliest references is in an article by C. Alabaster which appeared in the Calcutta Review, 1858. Apart from describing in detail the temples, the graveyards, the opium dens, and the living quarters of the Chinese, Alabaster notes the different groups of Chinese living here -‘ the shoe-makers, ship-carpenters, and hogs lard-manufacturers’ (p.137). Being a tiny community at that time, the Chinese intermarried amongst the different subgroups (mainly Cantonese and Hakka) and also with others living in the same neighborhood, mainly ‘Hindustanis’ and also ‘Eurasians’: “ Properly speaking, they are two distinct colonies, belonging to distinct races, carrying on distinct trades, and speaking different languages; but a community of interests, the 8

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

manufacture of hogs lard, opium-smoking, and Hindustani have almost merged them into one; and constant intermarriage threatens to annihilate the difference between the shoemakers and ship-carpenters notwithstanding the still existing obstacles to such complete union in the great disparity of wealth of the two communities.” (Alabaster, 1858 [1975]: 138) A later article by Augustus Sommerville (1929) paints a stereotypical image of Chinatown as a place of crime. Choosing to uphold the ‘seamier’ side of Chinatown, Sommerville fans the imagination of Chinatown as an unsafe place. Such an image had resonances in the popular imagination in later periods as well, especially through the existence of some gambling and opium dens. At the same time, there exist fond memories of Chinatown mainly in connection with food. Nanking restaurant became a popular place for the rich and the famous in Calcutta. The daily Chinese market selling all kinds of delicacies was well-known to other communities. Rafeeq Ellias’ documentary, The Legend of Fat Mama (2005), traces the story of an elderly Chinese lady selling food in this market. Fat Mama, as she was fondly called, symbolizes the attraction that was Chinatown. The Chinese market continues to this day in a much-scaled-down version and the crumbling structure of Nanking survives amidst decadence a reminder of the glorious days of Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown.

Things began to change in Chinatown in the late 1950s when the Calcutta Improvement Trust decided to build a huge thoroughfare cutting across its center. Chattawala Gully, Phears Lane, and Blackburn Lane which used to wind through Chinatown were fragmented.

The impact of the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict was also great on the central Calcutta Chinatown. Most Chinese living there were Cantonese, who worked as carpenters. Since they worked as ‘ship-fitters’ in the dock areas and also in private companies, they lost their jobs and were compelled to emigrate. Many Hakkas living there also chose to move to Tangra, the other Chinatown. Fragments of Chinatown still exist in and around Tiretta Bazaar. Bentinck Street, near Lalbazar, continues to have Chinese shoe shops, though much lesser in number. Several shops are selling Chinese groceries. The Sunday morning market continues with a smaller breakfast fare and road names like Sun Yatsen Street and Lu Hsin Sarani hold on to the Chinese presence in this area of Calcutta.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

At the turn of the 20th century, 20000 Chinese were living in India. However the events abroad and at home pushed a lot of Chinese living in India, and the number surged phenomenally over the first half of the century. In 1910, the Indian government, pressured by the environmental concerns posed by a large number of tanneries, relocated the leather industries to the fringes of the city, to the area now known as Tangra. And a second Chinatown began to develop and the population of the Chinese diaspora in Kolkata increased further. Although most Chinese in the city live in this neighborhood today, Tangra was at the margin of Calcutta in its early years. The neighborhood began to take shape around 1910 when some Chinese shoemakers decided to process leather for their business and moved to the area, also called Dhapa (Oxfeld, 1993). Tangra in its early days was a marshy area with very little permanent settlements around. Although there are hardly any historical references to Tangra, when compared to Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown, the evolution of this neighborhood mirrors the history of the Chinese community in Calcutta very well.

While Tiretta Bazaar was inhabited mainly by the Cantonese (although pockets of Hakka population did exist), Tangra grew as a predominantly Hakka neighborhood.

The initial years in Tangra were hard for the Hakka Chinese and the poverty of the neighborhood stood out in stark contrast to the golden days of Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown (Berjeaut, 1999). The fortune of Tangra turned gradually after World War II with an increase in the demand for rawhide. More Hakka Chinese entered the tannery business and permanent structures were put in place. Hakkas being a close-knit community, Tangra Chinatown developed almost secluded from outside influence. Community organizations played an important role in the overall physical development of the area. Pei May School was set up on community initiative. Most cemeteries, both Cantonese and Hakka are located here too. Tangra, inhabited mainly by the Chinese in contrast to the cosmopolitan Tiretta Bazaar area, appeared more insular.

Much of the current state of the Indian Chinese community in Kolkata is due to the Sino Indian war of 1962. During the conflict, the Chinese population in India, Chinese citizens, and Indian Chinese alike came under scrutiny by the Indian government. Persons of Chinese ethnicity were regarded with suspicion and often perceived as enemies. Many Chinese were 10

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

also dismissed from their jobs, both in the public and private sectors. The Sino-Indian conflict in 1962 is a point of disjuncture in the history of the Chinese in Calcutta and other parts of India. Border disputes between India and China which began in 1959 culminated in a war in 1962 (Leng and Cohen, 1972). Many Chinese holding PRC passports and associated with pro-communist schools and associations were deported and many were taken to an internment camp in Rajasthan (ibid.). Many of the Chinese were charged with anti - Indian activities, and sent to internment camps in Deoli, Rajasthan, before being deported back to the Chinese mainland. Covered by a blanket of suspicion and resentment, much of the traditional flavor of the community was lost. In Tangra, tannery owners faced great difficulty in reaching the rawhide markets located in central and north Calcutta because of restrictions on their movement. Tangra was located outside Calcutta municipal boundaries and hence the Chinese needed permission each time they had to travel beyond Tangra. But with business booming through the 1970s and 1980s, the Hakkas became more prosperous than the Cantonese and those who remained in Tiretta Bazaar Chinatown and carved a more permanent place for the community in Calcutta.

In 1995, the West Bengal government decided to move the tanneries from Tangra to Bantala, a suburb 20 km away from the city. The land was acquired further east of the city to create the Calcutta Leather Complex where tanneries were ordered to move. While bigger tanneries could afford this move many smaller tanneries suffered as a result of this decision.

The Chinese, especially the younger generation, began migrating out of the city. The crisis in Tangra continues as the community dwindles each day. Interesting changes though are taking place in the neighborhood. Tangra had gradually taken over Tiretta Bazaar as the hub for Chinese food in the city since the 1980s. With the tanneries being forced to shut down recently, many have turned to the restaurant business. This move forced many tanneries to close and their owners to migrate to other parts of the world further asphyxiating the once-thriving Indian Chinese community.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

A significant part of Calcutta’s Chinese community has migrated from the city since 1962, though migration from Tangra took place later in the 1970s, and continues till today. Many live in other cities in India like Bombay and Bangalore, but most live outside India in Taiwan, China, Sweden, Austria, the United States, and Canada with a significant concentration in Toronto. The unofficial number of Chinese in Calcutta is less than 5000 (Indian Chinese Association 2001 diary).

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

1.5 Timeline: History of Chinese in Kolkata A closer zoom-in is necessary to take a closer look at what used to be one of the first and biggest Chinatowns in the world: spatial shifts from 1750 to current. The first Chinese settlers saw Kolkata as an opportunity to make money, to have a better life, arriving as sailors and skilled workers. Chinese came to India for work, literally to earn a better life, but intend to go back to China. Returning with money meant a better name for the family achieving a higher status in Chinese society.

• 1778 - It was not until 1778 that written history of the first Chinese settler in India can be

found of a man named Atchew. Atchew set up a sugar mill in the outskirts of Kolkata with 110 Chinese men. While one may notice that the Chinese population is dispersed in Kolkata, it’s important to state that this first spot of arrival has constantly been used as a place to gather during the Chinese New Year by the Chinese community.

• 1804 - In November, sugar mill of Atchew along with land, plant, and machinery, were advertised for auction in the Calcutta gazette. The successors of Atchew’s sugar mill thus moved to Cheenapur, today’s Teritti Bazaar, Calcutta and the community further developed there. First structures to support the temporary Chinese sailors as well as the permanent residents were built.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

• 1840 - As they stayed, worked, earned, multiplied and raised their families, the Kolkata Chinese always thought of themselves as “sojourners”. They always felt that they would return back to their country once the troubles were over. Till then they felt that they were on temporary journey. The communists taking over China and the turbulent period thereafter sealed the fate of the Kolkata Chinese. With the problems in China on the increase, it started sinking in that they were here to stay in India and that they now had to think of Kolkata as their home. This was the first real “settlement” of the Chinese in Kolkata.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

• 1910 - The Chinese community was pushed to the fringes of the city, where they established leather gardens for the production of leather. This place would later become known as Tangra, (also known as Dhapa or the New Chinatown near Eastern Bypass) was conceived and a second Chinatown was born. • 1996 - Tanneries banned in Tangra! Issue of Supreme Court order. New Leather Complex established in Bantala.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

1.6 Settlement Pattern

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

1.7 Chinese Community of Kolkata The Chinese who immigrated to Calcutta in search of work were mainly from Guangdong Province.

• The Carpenters – These people were Cantonese speaking from West Guangdong Province. These people were master carpenters whose work was adored by the British. This community mainly settled in the Tiretti Bazaar locality. Here they set up their carpentry shops some of which still exist to date.

• The Tanners – These groups of men came from the East Guangdong Province and spoke Hakka. Being tanners involved working with rawhide they set up their business around Tangra which then was the extreme outskirts of the city and was mainly marshlands.

• The Dentists – These men were traditional Chinese Dentists and came from Central China (Hubei Province).

• The Laundry Men – This group of people came from Shanghai. Most of the people from this community set up laundry and dry cleaning businesses around the city.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

1.8 Formation of Chinese Churches and Clubs The first set of Chinese immigrants were mostly men and it is quite natural for them to form their groups usually from the same village or the same trade. Group formations like these were not uncommon as within mainland China also workers from one province who would have traveled to another province for work would form groups.

These social groups were referred to as Huiguans (“Voi-Koon” in Cantonese and “Fee Kwan” in Hakka) which actually would translate as “meeting place” in English. So the Chinese workers who had come to Calcutta started forming these Huiguans. These were social clubs that had facilities like that of a school, games like Mahjong, some had basic beds while some had proper boarding facilities for newly arrived workers from the mainland.

Whenever a new immigrant would come from a particular province he would first head straight to his community Huiguans. Here other than meeting his people he would also be in groups who had similar skill sets like carpenter, dentist, tanners, etc. This way it would also be easy for them to find a job by word of mouth. Another important role for these Huiguans was to make funeral arrangements. When a Chinese immigrant would die here in this city then most likely he would have been alone here without his family. Since it was impossible to send the body back home to China they would have to be buried here in the city and with no relatives around it was these very Huiguans that would do the necessary funeral arrangements. Most of these Huiguans also had a traditional temple built. So basically it was a social club where one could come to socialize, play some games and pray to their gods.

These are traditional Chinese temples but are referred to as Churches. Some elders in the community say that it was because the local Chinese community saw several massive churches all around them mostly built by the British and so they also started calling their temples as churches as for these initial Chinese immigrants they did not have the exact dictionary translation for their place of worship which could be translated to English.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Photo Story

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

A CALCUTTA DIASPORA? MEMORY, NOSTALGIA, AND IDENTITY IN THE EVERYDAY LANDSCAPES OF THE CITY I stand and stare at my deserted town childhood memories flash by to hold me on. the rumbling machines have now died down... its like a western ghost town now, gone are the days when children run... all that matters now is the setting sun. the old school is at the treshold of closing its now like an old model posing! the chimney’s smoke is seen no more... tangra now is not as before... tanneries are now been sold at haste new neighbours come in with a darker face... people now move to the other world only leaving back thier “undeserving old” language and traditions are fading out western culture is in and that’s no doubt. the coloured drainage still flows on; so does the elder’s stories still lives on... the famous women gossips are fading down... but now...it’s rebirthing in the foreign town!

Setting sun - Shutting down of tanneries Old school - Pei Moi Darker face - Non chinese (Wuu Qui!) - By, Benjamin Kuo, Tiretti, Kolkata

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

“But Calcutta, oh! Calcutta The city of my birth; There’s no place quite like you In the length and breadth of this earth.

Your streets are always teeming Your voice raucous, loud; But oh! What sights and smells You’ll find in a Calcutta crowd!

I see the Victoria Memorial Stately, gleaming white; Watching over the city In the warm Calcutta night.

Great monuments to the Raj And the grand Dalhousie Square; I think about them often And wonder if they are still there.” - Excerpt from ‘My Beloved India’ by Colleen Campbell, 1999:13-14.

These two poems aptly capture the sense of nostalgia that Chinese communities have for Calcutta. Whilst the first poem is written by a Hakka - The Chinese man who grew up in Tangra and rues the loss of the community that once existed, the second poem is written by an Anglo-Indian woman who ponders about both iconic and everyday spaces in Calcutta.

The sense of loss is palpable in both poems, although in different ways. Whilst Benjamin Kuo’s poem describes a loss in the more immediate past and rues the loss of ‘the rumbling machines’, the fading language and tradition, and laments leaving behind the ‘undeserving old’, he also sees a glimmer of hope in the women’s gossip ‘re-birthing in the foreign town’ (Toronto). Colleen Campbell’s poem, on the other hand, by mentioning Victoria Memorial and the ‘great monuments to the Raj’, implies nostalgia for colonial Calcutta. The streets and the sights and smells of a ‘Calcutta crowd’ place this nostalgia in the everyday spaces of the city as well.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Synopsis

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

2. Synopsis 3.1 Aim of the Project Transforming Kolkata’s Chinatown into an economically vibrant, clean, sustainable, arts heritage - food hub with its own unique identity.

3.2 Objectives • Design and creation of food streets and street markets turning the entire Tiretta Bazaar into a clean, socially-active, and culturally vibrant place.

• Identification of old structures to bring back the history of the Chinese diaspora and the creation of heritage trials.

• To unleash the huge unrealized economic potential of Chinatown, and to boost business, help increase jobs and tourism potential, exponentially improve the quality of living.

3.3 Justification to the Topic Chinatown at Tiretta Bazaar forms the oldest and most distinctive settlement of the community, only such to be found in India. Once a thriving 1,00,000 immigrants, Kolkata’s Chinese community has dwindled to less than 5,000 and is at imminent risk of being forgotten forever.

3.4 Site Location and Justification Tiretta Bazaar is roughly bounded by BB Ganguly Street in the south, Bentinck Street in the west, Chittaranjan Avenue in the east, and Maulana Shaukat Ali Street in the north. This is one of the most centrally located areas in the city. As it stands, it is unattractive for commercial investment, but its location presents unique opportunities.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Chinatown does not seem to have any fixed boundary. The neighborhood seems to just blend in with the surrounding context.

3.5 Scope and Limitations • The existing street market in Tiretta Bazaar can be transformed into a clean, attractive, bustling bazaar. Creation of the street market and identifying the right products. • Indian Chinese food is a unique and hugely popular cuisine. By providing stalls and restaurants, it will boost the economy of the people and increase tourist flow. Creation of food street in Blackburn Lane and Chhattawalla Gullee and identifying the right vendors to take up the stalls.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

• Developing modules for the homeless which can be implemented at low cost.

• Making elevation changes in iconic buildings and unlocking the economic potential of unused buildings through adaptive reuse, restoration of six Chinese temples, and creation of heritage trial.

• Designing of Indian Chinese Community Association Building which houses a heritage institute/museum and can host events like book launches, talks, literary fests, etc., and the existing BSNL telecom office.

• This project aims at preserving and developing spaces only in Tiretta Bazaar, which forms the oldest settlement of the Chinese community in Kolkata. The spaces designed or developed and the methods implemented may vary for others.

3.6 Design Methodology

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Definitions

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

4. Definitions 4.1 Bazaar A form of gathering space defined by significant roads that are composed of small markets, living spaces, public facilities and dead end alleys forming outdoor courtyards.

4.2 Urban Conservation Urban conservation is concerned with those parts of the built environment that are of architectural or historic significance. This includes buildings (individually or in groups), localities (streets, blocks, environments or precincts), special gardens or landscapes, and other structures.

Urban conservation is concerned with those parts of the built environment that are of architectural or historic significance. This includes buildings (individually or in groups), localities (streets, blocks, environments or precincts), special gardens or landscapes, and other structures. Conservation does not mean preservation of buildings, localities or other features for all time. Only a few buildings are so highly significant that they should be retained in a wholly original form. Many more buildings of character can be retained if they are adapted to allow continued economic occupation. This may mean a changed form of their original use or an entirely new use and this is emphasized in the Board's strategy. Lack of maintenance is a major reason for the loss of many worthwhile older buildings. Their continued occupation ensures that they are maintained in a reasonable condition, The Metropolitan Planning Scheme already allows some flexibility in the use of buildings of architectural or historic importance.

4.3 Gentrification Gentrification is a process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Case Studies

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

5. Case Studies 5.1 Specific Study - Chinese Social System Home Manners • Be a person of proper behaviour, one must not get up late: settle your own bedding and be alert and clear minded both at dusk and dawn.

• One must not take the centre seat; while walking do not walk in the middle.

• One must inform when leaving, disagreement must occur in the face-to-face situation.

• When receiving from the elder, accept it respectfully with both hands.

• While walking with the elders, one must walk slowly behind the elder/elders, not walking before them hastily.

• In the presence of elders one must remain standing till they are invited to sit or till they are seated. It is proper to stand when the elders come in.

• Do not walk up and down in the presence of elders.

• Do not stand in the middle of the doorway; when crossing the door do not tread on the door frame.

• While standing, always stands on both the legs, do not stand on one leg; while seated do not stretch your legs out in front of you.

• Your sleeping posture should not be facing upward or lying prostrated, lie on your left side and let your body be in the form of a bow.

• While eating together on the table, no additional preparation of dishes for personal consumption be put forth.

• Eat all the dishes on the table; do not pick and choose your favourite or disliked dishes.

• During eating time, do not sigh or scold the younger members.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Ways of Associating with People Around You • Do not speak about the weakness of other and do not praise one’s own strength.

• Matters of the family must not be told to outsiders.

• Remember well, the mouth is the door of fortune or disaster. It is worthwhile to speak only after due consideration. Get into the habit of thinking over the matter before you speak.

• Do not discuss serious matter with the mere acquaintances.

• Do not use rough or harsh words when dealing with people in difficulty.

• Do not speak of other’s success and happiness while dealing with people who are dejected.

• While speaking to elderly people, do not speak about the matter concerning growing weak or losing one’s health.

• If you do not want to insult or show disrespect to elders, do not play pranks or make fun of others in their presence.

• When dealing with persons with of deform it, one must be especially respectful towards them. - Do not seek small advantages from peddlers and laborers.

• Do not remind or ask people to recall the benefits they have received from you.

Reciprocate the benefit you received; the blame on other must be explained; One must increase one’s forbearance towards the person who blames you.

• To the kind-hearted, one must keep them close and show proper respect; while to the wicked, respect them but keep far away.

• When things happen, be calm; do not give any assurance or offer false hopes when one cannot do anything about it.

• To avoid suspicions, it is better to be sure that the plums are better protected.

• To make sure that matters are reasonably and intellectually dealt with, one must not be emotional in making decisions.

• To make sure that matters are reasonably and intellectually dealt with, one must not be emotional in making decisions.

• Whenever you seek advise on personal matter, you must make the query yourself.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Outside Home • When going out, one need not be dressed in a gorgeous manner, but make sure that one is dress in a neat and clean way.

• When you are at a high location, it is inappropriate to call out loudly; avoid pointing and beckoning others.

• While walking on the road, do not eat or chew food and do not sing.

• While travelling, if you meet an elder, one must stand up and offer the place. If you meet a junior, one must express the joy of seeing him.

• One must make the effort to be at home before dark (the night) Be certain to inform the family if one is unable to reach home due to some business engagement.

• In a crowded traffic, do not greet or salute others.

• Avoid speaking for a long time when you are standing on the road.

• Do not stand in the middle of the road; when crossing the road, one must look left and then right before crossing the road.

• Avoid competing with the vehicles.

• Before taking a step forward, make sure you are standing in a firm and steady position. It is advisable to have a correct body posture; that is, mouth closed, open chest and your eyes focused in front at you.

• Always give way to ladies, the aged and the weak.

• When giving direction to people, one must make certain the information is relayed in a caring and clear manner.

• When on a moving vehicle, do not extent your hand outside the window or spit.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Meeting Visitors • Welcome and greet visitors. To your close friends, exchange a few word of greeting; to strangers, exchange names and addresses.

• At the door, allow the visitor to enter first as a mark of respect.

• When going out of the house, the elder or senior person must be given the honour of going out first.

• Make sure that the guest is seated comfortably.

• If there are other guests present in the same place, introduction must be made. Introduce the young to the elder; the humbler to the most honoured ones; people close to you to those who are more distant; and among equal, those who are in front to those who are at the back.

• While offering tea or snack, always start the elder then move on to the younger; to the guest first and then to close friend.

• The host must ride from his/her seat to fill cup or glass of the guest.

• Departing guest must be sent off with respect. Those who are from far off places should be seen off at the crossing or to the edge of the village.

• Arrangement for food. lodging or proper rest places with toilet facilities must be made for those guests who came from far places.

• Guests who came from very far distance, should be reached to the point of departure, and leave only when they go out sight.

• When other people are in conversation, do not spill in the midst of their conversation.

• When two people are in conversation, do not walk between them.

• Do not speak in a loud manner or shout so as to create confusion among the people around you or disturb their concentration.

• One must sit upright, do not sit cross legged or put your hand on your foot.

• Do not speak to a person, when there is another person sitting between you.

• Do not tilt the chair forward or backward that you sit on.

• Do not put your coat or hat on top of another person’s coat or hat.

• Do not spit or throw out water in the front of people.

• Do not yawn, stretch or sneeze before other people.

• When two people are in conversation, do not walk between them.

• Do not speak in a loud manner or shout so as to create confusion among the people around 41

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

you or disturb their concentration.

• One must sit upright, do not sit cross legged or put your hand on your foot.

• Do not speak to a person, when there is another person sitting between you.

• Do not tilt the chair forward or backward that you sit on.

• Do not put your coat or hat on top of another person’s coat or hat.

• Do not spit or throw out water in the front of people.

• Do not yawn, stretch or sneeze before other people.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

5.2 Literature Study - Chinatown, Sydney, Australia Relevance to the Topic The main objective of selecting this project is to understand the culture of Chinese people who settled all over the world and to study the future developments of Chinatown and current trends. This study deals with the Chinatown in Sydney and its improvement as a public domain.

Introduction Chinatown is a distinctive part of Sydney, with a special character that is lively, diverse, and constantly changing. Possessing a vibrant culture that is characterized by eating and shopping, Chinatown is a very popular place to visit for locals and tourists alike.

The Study Area The Chinatown study area is located between Liverpool Street and Railway Square, extending westward from George Street and Quay Street. • Paddy’s Market and the western side of Dixon Street north of Goulburn Street, which is governed by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA).

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

• Goulburn Street, Harbour Street, and Hay Street, which are controlled by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA).

Study Aims The fundamental aim of the Chinatown Public Domain is to provide a strategic urban framework for the improvement of the parts of the public spaces within the Chinatown.

Strategic Objective “to respect, protect and build on the area’s historic links with Chinese culture and the Chinese community, together with the growing influence of other Asian cultures and communities, while recogonising the area’s importance to contributing to the vitality and diversity of Sydney as a global city”

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

A Divided Precinct Within the study area, the busy EW roads of Goulburn Street and Hay Street divides Chinatown into three distinct parts, • Chinatown Core, a highly active urban core, situated between Goulburn Street and Hay Street. This area is popularly recognized as the social and cultural hearth of the Chinatown, and can often be very congested - particularly in Dixon Street and Sussex Street.

• Chinatown North, the area situated between Goulburn Street and Liverpool Street. This area has a noticeably less active public domain than Chinatown’s core.

• Chinatown South, the area situated between Hay Street and Railway Square. This area includes Paddy’s Market and Market City, which are significant activity attractions in Chinatown.

As one of the city’s main EW arterial routes, Goulburn Street carries very large volumes of vehicular traffic through Chinatown, which makes it a significant barrier to pedestrian activity.

While Hay Street is not an arterial route but carries traffic as much as compared to other Chinatown streets. Furthermore, the tram line and the substantial width of the street creates confusing junctions for pedestrians.

Two Types of Projects Chinatown wide ‘overlay’ projects that aim to improve specific aspects of the public domain experience throughout the entire study area. Place specific upgrade projects that aim to make physical improvements to particular parts of the Chinatown. These projects focus on discrete areas of Chinatown and can be implemented independently of one another.

Chinatown has evolved from an ethnic enclave to a distinctive hub for Asia - Australia connection and exchange.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

‘Chinatowns’ can be found in almost all major cities in the world. Historical Chinatowns are usually connected to the Chinese immigrant experience in the West. A century ago, Chinatowns were ethnic enclaves for Chinese migrants who sought refuge from racial discrimination in their host countries. By the 1980s, Chinatowns were no longer ethnic ghettoes, but popular destinations for local and international tourists.

Sydney’s Chinatown has evolved through different historical stages; from its beginnings as a ‘ghetto’ for early Chinese immigrants to an ‘exotic’ tourist precinct in the 1980s, to what is now branded as an ‘urban village’ characterized by distinctive Asian culture within a globalizing city. It is no longer a self-contained ethnic enclave, but a ‘nodal meeting place’ for different kinds of transnational human, economic, and cultural flows between Australia and Asia. This re-conceptualization of Chinatown is important, and this is high time.

5.3 Literature Study - Hawker Reload Street Stands, Hong Kong Relevance to the Topic The prime objective of selecting Hawker Reload as a case study because to understand how the design of future stalls may develop and how the future designs should respond in a way that it responds to the climate and the street vendors various needs.

Reason for Selection This project is taken as a reference also because it gives a solution to Hong Kong’s unique heritage and provided design solutions for hawker stands in Hong Kong.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Project Location Temple St, Jordan, Hong Kong.

Fa Yuen Street is a street between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With over fifty stores selling sports shoes, the street is famous for selling sports gear and is known as Sport Shoes Street or Sneaker Street.

Historical Background During the Ming Dynasty (A.D 1368-AD. 1644) and the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-AD 1911), Fa Yuen Street was a place of growing flowers, that belonged to Mong Kok village at that time. Fa Yuen means "garden" in Cantonese.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

While "Fa Yuen Gai" (花園街) is mostly known for its sneaker and sports shops there has been a street market here for many years and it is for the market stalls that many people visit.

These are officially licensed stalls open every day and sell a wide range of goods, from clothing through to fresh food. Stalls with fresh fruit and vegetables intermingle with the clothing and other items.

Opening Hours Most stalls will open at 10 am or 10:30 am Not all stalls are open at all times, particularly in the evening as it gets later some start to close but there will be still a variety of items to choose from until at least midnight except when the weather is very bad.

Project Abstract ‘Hawker Reload: Hong Kong Street Market Urban Design and Hawker Stall Implementation’ was a multi-year research and implementation project that saved over 4,036 hawker stalls and 63 street markets in Hong Kong. Street markets have been an important part of Hong Kong’s urban culture, local economy, and social infrastructure. Paidongs existed since the 1930s, before World War II. In November 2011, a fire broke - out during one quiet evening at Fa Yuen Street; one of Hong Kong’s most prominent street markets. This fire claimed 10 lives and 34 injured. The density of the market and residential buildings make this area prone to such fire tragedies. Instead of improving the fire integrity 48

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

of the hawker stalls that formed street markets, the Hong Kong Government contemplated on eradicating all street markets in Hong Kong.

Design Concept The Project aims to study the possible improvement of Hawker stalls, along with two related directions- an engineering approach and a social science approach. The reason behind the name Hawker Reload was chosen specifically for this project because it encapsulates the essence of this mission. It is chosen to revitalize and restore one of Hong Kong’s most significant civic symbols.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Design Implementation Officials have visited each of the 233 hawker stalls along Fa Yuen Street and have explained each hawker the intention of this project. An additional requirement of 16 stalls has been taken into account through interviews and surveys. Each of these selected hawker stalls is photographed with standard distances, viewing angles, camera, and weather conditions.

These photographs are taken not only for the project but they may also serve as the record of a fragment of Hong Kong’s unique heritage.

Site surveys are taken to realize the importance of acquiring a full understanding of the hawker activities along Fa Yuen Street before the newer design solutions are proposed.

Meetings, presentations, and interviews with trade union leaders, hawkers’ representatives, the Government’ Hygiene Bureau representatives: taken to collect opinions and to prepare the project brief. Every different hawker and their trade would require a unique display system of goods that is specific to their needs, which explains why a universally adaptable ‘prototype’ hawker stall is highly idealized.

Proposed Gadget Improvements To improve the business operating environments for the operators, they focused on offering different goods’ display systems. This provided a matrix of designs that will be responding to three different site conditions and three typologies. Each hawker stall can be divided into 3 parts: the top, the body, and the shelves. Hawker may choose from the 4 types of body and shelves that best fit their stall’s situation. Another top made of corrugated metal is fixed on existing tops with two sliding tracks. This simple connection allows the retractable top to be e a s i l y

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e x t e n d e d

a n d

r e t r a c t e d .

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Less Effort - Less Time According to the research made, the average age of hawkers is 65 and above. The process of setting up their stalls usually takes up to 60 minutes. With the help of these new improvements to ease the ‘popping and packing’ pain for the aging and physically weak hawkers, setup time now has been reduced to mere 15 minutes.

The weight of the structure and detachable doors are much heavier in previous ways thus the new design systems minimize the number of detachable doors. Doors mostly hinged and additional support for the doors are provided by castors.

Display shelves and tables are separate entities and they could be wheeled into the parent structure entirely. The design has been given to the contractor and hawkers directly. This design allows hawkers to appropriate and customize the stalls according to their display and ergonomic needs.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Inference • The Project aims to study the possible improvement of Hawker stalls, along with two related directions- an engineering approach and a social science approach.

• This work is completely based on the existing Hawker stall of 3x4x6ft, through the testing of fire precaution and signal system, automated fire distinguisher, fire-resistant material, and/or other related engineering installations.

• Hawker stalls developed in these markets can be understood as a design typology and architectural tradition, with its right, aesthetics, and culture. Yet in recent decades, Street markets and Hawker stalls are challenged by complaints and accidents therefore unfavorably policy and governance.

• As per the new design, each hawker stall is built with 1.5 mm galavanized sheets. After several extensive fire tests, they proved to be successful in delaying the spread of fire.

• Better interviews, meetings, understandings, and better government policies can bring the best projects that help the livelihood of many.

5.4 Specific Study - Shophouses of Singapore What is a Shophouse?

• A Shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This mixed-use building form characterizes the historical centers of most towns and cities in the Southeast Asia region.

• Simple buildings usually two to three stories high, built-in continuous blocks with common party walls. In the past, the business was conducted on the first floor, and the top floors were for residential use.

When did it begin?

• The origins of the Singapore shophouse trace back to China, particularly the Guangdong 53

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

and Fujian provinces where a majority of early immigrants to Singapore came from. The first shophouses, known stylistically as the Early Shophouse Style (the 1840s-1900s), were constructed during the mid-1840s at the southern end of the Singapore River along South Bridge and New Bridge Road. Such houses would lay the foundations for the various styles that would develop in the years to come.

• The archetypal Singapore shophouse is a two or three-story building with a commercial shop on the ground floor and living accommodations above. The ground floor sits back from the road, while an overhanging veranda is supported by a brace of columns – creating the distinctive five-footway, a feature introduced by Sir Stamford Raffles through the Town Planning Committee of 1822, as part of his town plan for early Singapore.

• Shophouses were built with symmetry and orientation in mind. When possible, they were built along the north-south axis, according to the ancient Chinese belief of universal balance.

Within the house, the main hall, seen as the most important part of the house, sat at the back (north) of the house while facing the entrance (south). The front of the house served as a courtyard where guests were traditionally received and entertained.

Shophouses Styles Shophouses can be categorized into six architectural styles, each possessing a set of defining characteristics influenced by architectural trends of the era. Shophouses can be broadly categorized into 5 categories: Early, Transitional, Late, Art Deco, and Modern. The formational causes of the prototypes are also decided by both natural factors, such as geographical or climatic

conditions, and cultural factors including politics, legislations,

religious, customs, etc.,

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

5.5 Live Study - New Market, Kolkata A Heritage Market New Market, a municipal market is about 136 years old. It is situated on Neli Sengupta Sarani (Lindsay Street) of Central Kolkata and was born out of an English whim. It is technically referred to as an enclosed market but today in local idiom the entire Lindsay street shopping area is often known as New Market.

Location The New Market, the study area is located at the heart of the city in Lindsay Street. New Market is bounded by Kolkata Municipal Corporation Headquarters on the north, Simpark Mall and Treasure Island on the south, and New Empire Cinema on the west and the east.

The location makes it an ideal public market in Kolkata.

History & Background In 1871, English residents in Kolkata (then Calcutta) organized to develop a shopping mall, like those found in England at that time. The mall was put up in an effort to provide British goods and services in a space where entry could be controlled. British colonists had long wanted a separate shopping facility from the longstanding Indian bazaars to avoid mixing with the ‘natives’. The Calcutta Corporation funded ts construction and the market was 56

eventually named Sir Stuart Hogg Market after the head of the corporation. The mall was

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

hugely successful and British colonists would travel from all parts of India to shop for English products in a familiar setting.

Following the end of British rule in India, Sir Stuart Hogg Market was adapted to a truly public market by residents. All the barriers to entry were removed and today anyone can go into the colonial built structure. In this shift, the mall had been renamed ‘New Market’, though many people still refer to it by its original name. While the mall remains primarily for upscale shopping, today local vendors set up temporary stalls in the open central space, much as they would in a bazaar, to sell food and traditional artisan products.

What makes it great?

The New Market continues to be hugely successful over 100 years after its construction due to its wide appeal and central location in Kolkata. The market is located in the dense urban core of the city and is easily accessed by foot or on the city’s extensive tram and bus systems. The market is equally popular among locals and visitors looking to purchase either luxury goods, souvenirs, or groceries from the market. The New Market’s high ceilings keep in cool, even in the hot Indian summers, which sets it apart from the outdoor bazaars throughout the city and draws passers-by looking for a break from the intolerable heat.

The public occupation of this site has also come to be a symbol of national pride among Indian citizens. Residents completely opened the New Market building to anyone who wishes to enter, though they were once not allowed in themselves. Today, the once British only market demonstrates the local ownership of local spaces and the shared value of truly public, accessible space in the city.

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Nature of shops The shops here are well decorated and sophisticated. The nature of items found in this Market marks a convergence between the Eastern and Western cultures. The shops are both traditional and modern types. The markets attract a mainly rich sections of people of Kolkata as well as visitors of our country and abroad.

Characteristics of shops The Vastness of shops includes various types of garments, accessories, gift items, house appliances, vegetables, fishes, meat shops, fruit shops, etc. There are also many items found in the shops of New Market like food and medicine for pets etc. which are rarely available in other markets.

The items or products which are available in the shops of New Market are garments, accessories, gift items, house appliances, flowers, confectionaries, food for pets, and miscellaneous items. The products of the markets mainly come in from different parts of West Bengal, India, and abroad. \ 58

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Morphology The size of the market is 0.13 sq. km. The spacious red brick building with its handsome clock tower houses several shops of various kinds. The market is well planned, arranged, and has a strong construction. The facing of the market from Neli Sengupta Sarani is marked by shops on both sides consisting of varieties of garments, leather goods, jewelry shops, fancy goods, etc. The main corridor leads to the different types of shops selling items like glassware, carpets, colored silks and silverware items, etc. The other corridors of the market deal with various kinds of stationery shops, hardware and aluminum stalls traveling requisites shops, pets supplementary food items and confectionaries shops, etc. Local vendors set up temporary stalls in the open central space, to sell food and traditional artisan products.

This market also consists of different fresh vegetables, fruits, and has shops 83 selling eggs and meat. This market has a market office and public telephone booth to cater to the needs of the sellers and shoppers.

Brief nature of shops The maximum percentage of shopkeepers of any big market in Kolkata resides very close to the market area. In the case of the New Market, the scenario remains the same. It is observed that more than 50% of the sellers stay within a distance of 4 km to reduce huge traveling costs. As New Market is located in Neli Sengupta Sarani (Lindsay Street), the sellers mostly stay in areas like Topsia, Landsdowne, Gardenreach, etc. The rest 40% of the sellers stay within 8 km and the remaining 10% do not stay beyond 20 km.

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The biggest Bengali festival Sarodoutsav (Durga Puja), Diwali, Eid, and Christmas are the peak selling season of this market. This market offers an ample variety of products attracting customers from distant places at an affordable price. This reason also causes crowding during wedding ceremonies.

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Inference and Problems related to sellers • Sellers of the market face problems like waterlogging, bad odor from the meat market, interior location of permanent shops, and competition from nearby malls. 30% of the sellers of different shops are severely dissatisfied with the problems of waterlogging mainly during the rainy season. 30% shopkeepers suffer from bad odor from the meat market, 30% of them face keen competition from nearby malls like Simpark Mall and City Mart. The rest of the sellers of this market also face problems from the interior location of shops within the market. The total environmental conditions i.e., air pollution, sound pollution, sight pollution are better compared to other traditional markets.

• The sellers face a lot of problems with respect to slow traffic flow, congested footpaths, accident-prone roads, etc. Vehicles like lorry, taxi, van, and three-wheeler goods carriers crowd the main roads and slow-moving vehicles like cycle-van and cart clog the side streets.

• People face a great fear of risky and hazardous unsafe buildings. In almost every building, 50 to 100 shops were built on each floor by erecting plywood partitions. The civic body has plans to pull down many of such unsafe buildings.

• To minimize firing in this congested area the fire service department has directed some warnings on the buildings and structures of collapsing. The faulty electric wiring in the market area is prone to fire hazards. The temporary electric connections in innumerable buildings ignoring all rules and regulations lead to short circuit and fire in the locality.

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Site Study

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6.1 Site Study - Neighbourhood Survey (1) Site Location Tiretta Bazaar is a neighborhood near Lalbazaar in Central Kolkata. It is usually called "Old China Market". Tiretta Bazaar is roughly bounded by BB Ganguly Street in the south, Bentinck Street in the west, Chittaranjan Avenue in the east, and Maulana Shaukat Ali Street in the north. This is one of the most centrally located areas in the city. Most of the properties (including Chinese temples) are badly maintained, with garbage overflowing into streets and squatters on the roadside. As it stands, it is unattractive for commercial investment, but its location presents unique opportunities. The revival of such a place can positively impact large areas of Kolkata.

Building Typology Tiretta Bazaar and its surroundings have traditionally been a mixed-use area with a high concentration of business and commerce being conducted through the formal and informal sector. In the heart of central Kolkata, a large number of office buildings and commercial complexes occur along the primary streets in the bazaar.

All the mixed-use buildings largely follow the commercial shops on the lower level and residential area on the upper level. Chinese temples are the dominant religious forms in the area, strongly asserting the history and significance, of this area, which has altered the character and demography of this place. The presence of newer mosques nearby indicates the ethnic diversity of this area and the concentration of Islamic influence in recent years.

Building Age The central core of Chinatown consists of narrow streets and lanes. With urbanization started rapidly growing up. India Exchange Place was laid, connecting Rabindra Sarani and Chittaranjan Avenue - hence dissecting the urban fabric.

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Building Height As the 20th century progressed, India Exchange Place served as a spine to this neighborhood, where government and official buildings were constructed. The insertion of these high rise official buildings consequently transformed the neighborhood leading to a diverse urban fabric, with some modernity within it.

The assets of the Chinese community assures the human scale, ranging between single and double-storeyed, highlight the original scale of buildings. Spread across approximately one square kilometer, old Chinatown today is an amorphous formation of closely packed institutions, commercial establishments, and residential tenements.

Newer infill structures formed through the demolition of several Chinese held buildings have led to a dramatic physical and visual transformation of this area.

Building Condition Most of the buildings in and around Tiretta Bazaar, which was built after the post-independence era is in the stage of good condition. Buildings built from the 1850s-1950s were somewhat in a bad condition. Most of the properties are badly maintained, with garbage overflowing into streets and squatters on the roadside. As it stands, it is unattractive for commercial investment, but its location presents unique opportunities.

Land Ownership As the name suggests, buildings in Tiretta Bazaar was under private ownership because of the commercial activity associated with this place. Most buildings follow mixed-use typology, commercial shops on the lower level, and residences on the upper level. Other properties come under the next big ownerships, public, and semi-public.

This area is predominantly made up of mixed-use properties which have some heritage significance, and consists of residences, retailers of Chinese goods, and other commercial ventures. Even though its a Chinatown, due to the larger Chinese diaspora, most of the own Chinese properties were abandoned or demolished.

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Existing Services Tiretta Bazaar, being centrally located in the city of Kolkata, this area is highly serviced by the Metro railway’s Central metro marking it as a main entry to the Chinatown. This forms a huge potential in designing a grand entry to the only existing Chinatown in India. Its proximity to public transportation also makes it an accessible tourist attraction for international and intranational visitors.

There are unidentified bus stops all over the India Exchange Place Road, which are demarcated and should be developed with accessible bus stops. Most of the areas are lit at night but there seems to be missing night lights on interior roads (for example inner lanes).

There are two public convenience places located in and proximity to the site. There are public water taps which get water on day time.

On and Off - Street Parking and Loading Tiretta Bazaar holds a substantial amount of loading zones and no official parking zones were present in Chinatown. Trucks were observed, parking and loading/unloading is done on ‘no parking’ zones either because loading zones were full or none were located near their destination.

Although parking is at a premium in Chinatown, the majority of the visitors arrive by walking or public transport. Most of the parking spaces generally comprise short term, time-restricted/metered parking to increase parking turnaround in this high activity area.

Furthermore, local shops and street vendors derive much of their business from passing foot traffic. Reducing on-street parking spaces to make way for additional pedestrian spaces and in any loss of on-street loading zones as a result of creating new spaces would be managed through timed access for loading.

Central Avenue, India Exchange Place Road, Sun Yat-Sen Street, and BB Ganguly Street function as primary traffic routes, each carrying over 10,000 vehicles per day. A key feature of the Chinatown road network is the number of narrow, one-way streets and laneways that play an important local function for building access and loading activity.

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There is a lack of designated parking spaces in the KMA, which has reflected in the congestion of the road networks around the activity centers. Ad hoc and unplanned parking and inappropriate parking fee structure have been creating chaos over the years. Some roads in KMA have been widened recently. However, the move did not yield any significant results. Wherever the roads have been widened, to accommodate more cars, it has been encroached upon by on-street parking.

Identified and Notified Slums The major parts of Chinatown were occupied by the slum people whose daily life conditions worse from day to day. Slums formed on the pedestrian-friendly side-walks creates a visual barrier to the existing infrastructure and it brings unattractive investment to the local business. These slums on the walkways also make the misuse of existing pedestrian spaces in this neighborhood. The daily life of these slum people mainly depends on selling street foods and working in nearby areas.

6.2 Site Study - Neighbourhood Survey (2)

India Exchange Place Road (15m wide) Formerly India Exchange Place, this busy one - way road is almost always heavily trafficked with both public and private vehicles moving down the street. In addition to this, high pedestrian movement creates a continuous throng of moving people throughout the day.

Although the daily activities commence quite early, the thickest mass of people occurs in the afternoon with a comparable level of pedestrians carrying into the evening hours. An assortment of PWD moderne high-rise commercial and office buildings from the 1960s-70s, dominates the thoroughfare. Their scale and painted brutalist expressions using fins, continuous projecting bands, manufactured glass windows, are in high contrast with the low 67

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rise historic assets of the Chinese community that now get lost amidst these gigantic monoliths.

India Exchange Place Road (South) Poddar Court, Kolkata Improvement Trust, Telephone Bhavan, and Malhotra Building dominates this streetscape, adjoining which are the Toon-On Church, Sea Ip Church, and Sing Cheung sauce shop.

India Exchange Place Road (North) The much altered 18th-century Tiretta Bazaar, the SBI building, and two other office blocks on Blackburn lane continue the blockish concrete tower architecture of the street. This edge however has a more informal character due to several shanty-like structures and shops.

Chhattawalla Gullee (10m wide) Located between the India Exchange Place and Sun Yat-Sen Street, Chhattawalla Gullee is the current location of the Chinese breakfast - which on Sundays attracts both the local members of the community as well as vendors from Tangra. In addition to this, the lane also hosts an all week morning market. Being thus on the site of both the mercantile activities of the market as well as a place for the local Chinese community to socialize, the lane sees much activity throughout the morning - which subsides as the day progresses. Earlier many Chinese resided here in tenements but now the other communities have moved in. Poddar Court and KIT building bound Chhattawalla Gullee on either side. The southern side has a mixed-use nature with wooden louvered windows and continuous fretwork balconies on upper levels.

The street has lost its historic features and is well known for the breakfast tradition only.

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The breakfast lane, in the backdrop of Poddar court, is subsequently used as a parking area

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during office hours. This souther stretch is a narrow bylane, which is predominantly residential. Several Chinese families resided here until the Sino Indian conflict of the 1960s. following which other communities have moved in to occupy those quarters.

Sun Yat Sen Street (10m wide) Named after the prominent Chinese revolutionary, this streetscape has an intimate scale and residential character, despite being mixed-use and inhabitation. Continuous balconies with wooden fretwork and slender cast-iron columns are commonly found in the city's traditional neighborhoods and are a feature that merits preservation. Hap Hing Co. provision store is the most significant Chinese resource on this street. The intersection with Chhattawalla Gullee is from where the morning Chinese breakfast begins.

Damzen lane (3m wide) Defining the northern boundary of the Chinese community and survey area, it is located in a largely Islamic neighborhood, and is representative of the physical intermingling of the two communities. Characterized by newer apartment buildings and four major institutions; an eatery, a workshop, a tea stall, and the Chinese temple - people are frequently moving about either with a mercantile or social purpose. This keeps the street very vibrant and heavily visited throughout the day. The Chinese temples attract the community whilst the adjoining commercial facilities conduct the coming and going of workers. Furthermore, the proximity of a butcher's shop and washing area as well as a small eatery and cooking area also serve to draw many local workers to Damzen lane.

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Blackburn lane (4m wide) Blackburn lane has retained, in ownership and typology, the largest concentration of buildings that directly relate to old Chinatown's history and contemporary narrative. It contains religious, social, cultural, and commercial typologies withing this narrow street and showcases the diverse cross-section of spaces integral to life in the community. In an amorphous urban fabric that characterizes this settlement today, this lane, therefore, attains high value and significance to the revitalization. Two Chinese temples and three social clubs anchor the street entrance, lending a low rise built to scale that is typical to the city's neighborhood. Double storey buildings with shared walls, louvered wooden windows and balconies, and Chinese signboards in red lend a strong identity to the street, which is its strength.

Activity patterns in Chhattawalla Gullee Tiretta Bazaar allows for multiple functions to take place throughout the day and night starting from 5.30 am to 11.00 pm with effective usage of space. The activities in the public place change several times in a day to serve specific needs and give way for effective usage of place.

Vehicles dominate the public space, pedestrians are given the least importance, noise and air pollution levels are at their highest, parking occupies the space meant for people, unorganized gatherings add to levels of chaos in the area. Moreover, heritage resources are in a state of neglect, infrastructural deficits are leading to unhygienic conditions of living, cultural aspects are given less importance and space is less accessible for vulnerable populations.

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Considering these conditions the main aspects of Tiretta Bazaar that need to be improved to re imagine Tiretta Bazaar are as follows: • Mobility aspects; • Public place and quality of life; and • Conservation of heritage.

6.3 Understanding the Lynchian elements of Urban Design Paths • They are the channels of movement within which the city can be conceived such as alleys, streets, railroads, motorways, canals, and the like.

• Spatial qualities of width or narrowness miss to attract attention and to strengthen the image of particular paths. There are many factors that may cause a break of path continuity.

For example, a sudden change in the use building, branching of the path, and the wider junctions along the path are all causes of breaking continuity. Consequently, peoples fail to find their way.

• Chinatown at Tiretta Bazaar needs strong entry and exit points which are all together bring an important value in creating identifiable paths. Moreover, a clear hierarchy along a particular path improves directional quality as well. No streets have special features such as 71

planting and pavement textures.

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

Edges • They are the linear elements not used or considered as paths by the observer. They are the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity: shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls.

• The building heights of the primary roads are around G + 3 - G + 10 including some buildings like the BSNL telecom office, SBI office, and the other office and institutional buildings along India Exchange Place Road. The primary roads which have width around 10 - 20m have taller buildings and lanes are having shorter building heights.

• There are no distinctive natural boundaries found during the survey such as rivers, via ducts and topography or artificial forms such as greenbelt, waterfront, highway, elevated motorways, or something else.

Districts • Districts are character areas perceived to have common characteristics, a separate visual identity from the rest of the environment.

• Good physical characteristics of districts are determined by continuities and homogeneities of facades materials, textures, spaces, forms, details, symbols, building type, uses, activities, inhabitants, colors, skyline topography, etc., All these features give this district its identity, creates intimacy between its parts, and identify the basic clues of the city of Kolkata.

Nodes • They are the strategic foci into which the observer can enter, typically either junction of paths, or concentrations of some characteristic.

• Location determines nodes utilization, as locating nodes on main routes make movement economy more efficient than those located away from. These identified nodes can be developed to make Chinatown more memorable.

Landmarks (Points Of Interest POI) • In contrast to nodes, which can be entered, landmarks are external features to the individual that act as reference points. Landmarks vary with an individual's personal experience.

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• Landmarks are very important cues in the way-finding process when they are distinctive and not too many. Many peoples with different types of cognitive abilities as well as those who cannot read at all or who cannot read the native language rely on landmarks to mark and remember a path.

• Landmarks are distinguished by their dominance and singularity of shape, color, size, height, location, visibility, and finally, their sharp contrast with the background. Landmarks should be in a tune with their surroundings and not too many, as too many landmarks can undermine their helpfulness.

6.4 Site Study - Assets of the Chinese Community This is a detailed survey of the Chinese cultural and architectural resources embedded within the site of Old Chinatown. The map above allows a comprehensive understanding of existing historic assets of the community, within the Chinatown, in various forms of use, ownership, and condition. Surveyed resources have been categorized under four use types Religious, Social, Educational, and Commercial.

Detailed Survey on Religious Heritage • The dominant institutions of the Chinese community in Tiretta Bazaar are churches and associated social clubs. There are six churches within Chinatown along with their respective social clubs. Each church belongs to the one cohesive ethnic group, native to a specific region and thereby creating a sub culture.

• The clubs are currently used for community gatherings and meetings, festival celebrations, and leisure activities, which compliment and sometimes take precedence over the strictly religious nature of the temple. All churches are heritage structures, thereby establishing their exemplary qualities.

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Religious - 1) Sea Ip Church 2) Toong On Church 3) Gee Hing Church 4) Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church 5) Choong Hee Dong Church 6) Nam Soon Church 7) Ling Liang Church 8) Chon Nee Than Alms House Social Clubs - 9) Sea Ip Club 10) Toong On Club 11) Gee Hing Club 12) Sea Voi Club and Hupeh Association 13) Nam Soon Club 14) Han Fook Koon 15) Golden Dragon Club 16) Hoong Fat Koon 17) Chun Chun Thong 18) Hoi Hei Koon Educational - 19) Chein Kuo School 20) Ling Liang School Commercial - (I) Shoe shops 1) Ahon bros 2) Wam Tong Shoes 3) Indo China shoes (II) Restaurants 1) Pou Hing 2) Hoo Ming 3) D’Ley 4) Tun Nam 5) Chinese Breakfast Street (III) Beauty Parlours 1) Lily 2) Karishma (IV) Sauce shops 1) Pou Chong 2) Sing Cheung 3) Sing Ho (V) Wood workshops 1) Chen’s Carpentry 2) Chen’s Furniture makers 3) Unique Carpenters (VI) General 1) Hap Hing 2) Noodle Making units (VII) Dentist 1) Dr. Moo Chi Wee Dental Clinic Existing Zoning • Most of the built form in Tiretta Bazaar comes under the commercial and mixed-use zone presents all over the site, which becomes the major crowd puller. In between these commercial zones, residential houses, recreational centers merges in.

• The scale and massing of the building relate to the building's age that presents at that time.

Chinese temples become the important assets of the Chinese community, where they have their residential, commercial, recreational, and institutional buildings in between them.

• Most of the people come through the Kolkata’s Central Metro rail network, and bus and other mobility options such as private vehicles. A high amount of traffic and pedestrian flow is seen in afternoon times.

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• Central metro - Central avenue junction, India Exchange Place Road - Chhattawalla Gullee junction, and Rabindra Sarani - India Exchange Place Road junction forms the major nodes in this area.

Other Native Chinese Social Clubs Old Chinatown is dotted with several native ‘huigans’ which are embedded within the urban fabric in an almost hidden state. Some have disbanded hence remain locked while others operate with a thinned out member group. However, their collective ensemble is of great significance in weaving a narrative of the social cohesion of the community and its migration, resettlement patterns.

In Chinatown, the majority of the historically significant buildings are the temples and social clubs. The temples and social clubs belong to a period between 1850-1950. The building interiors play a major role in reflecting Chinese culture. The unchecked modern 76

development in the area is one of the big threats to these historic buildings. It is these

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historic buildings that help us understand the architectural style of ethnic communities in a more holistic manner.

6.5 Site Study - User Analysis Key Characteristics of Tiretta Bazaar Connectivity. This area is serviced by the Metro Railway’s

Central Station and sits right

next to Poddar Court, a busy commercial and business hub; the trading epicenter of Burrabazaar; College Street, the education heart of the city and Lal Bazaar, the police headquarters.

Tiretta Bazaar is located at the heart of the Kolkata. It holds the major part of the city, housing formal and informal commercial activities, religious and cultural sentiments, and vibrant public life. It also has a Chinatown which is more than 150 years old probably the only existing Chinatown in India.

A large percentage of visitors at Tiretta Bazaar are pedestrians and people who come by personal vehicle. On average, 1 person per second enters or exits Tiretta Bazaar during peak hours. Only a third of the visitors are women and the percentage of old people and children is also very low.

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Vehicles dominate Tiretta Bazaar. Tiretta Bazaar is a mixed traffic zone, with a high two-wheeler, auto, and human-rickshaw counts; private four-wheelers and taxis in few numbers, but add to the congestion within the area. High particulate matter in the air, as well as high decibel levels, attribute to vehicle noise pollution. This leads to high fear and risk of road accidents, making road safety a prior issue; about 50% of the central space of the bazaar is occupied by parking during business hours.

Tiretta Bazaar remains active for about 18 hrs a day starting from 5.00 am to 11.00 pm.

From Chinese Indians to local people setting up their vibrant authentic Chinese breakfast in the early morning hours, heavy commercial and business activities through the day, to people visiting the nearby bazaars that are active late into the night. Unorganized vending activities cause congestion and bottlenecks for movement; shop extensions on to footpaths and streets reduce space for pedestrian movement.

The area of Chinatown is located in an area with high business and commercial activities.

This means that the markets not only cater to the people living in the nearby region but also to the larger city in general. The shops sell items that range from shoes, pharmacy, food, and carpentry furniture. The weekly morning Chinese breakfast is one of the important 78

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market-based practices where people from different parts of the city and tourists come to experience Chinese food.

The enterprising skill of the Chinese community continues is reflected in the various businesses they own. For example, it lists 13 beauty parlors, 6 provisions and sauces stores, 4 dentists/dental clinics, 3 doctors, 1 dry–cleaner, 5 interior decorators and furnishers, including carpenters, 2 photo studios, 41 restaurants, and 50 shoe stores. While these numbers are not complete, they indicate the diverse businesses that the Chinese in India are currently engaged in.

Kolkata Chinatown - Brand Identity

The Only Existing Chinatown in India. Chinatown at Tiretta Bazaar forms the only existing Chinatown in India, which can boost the tourism if developed and maintained properly.

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Indian Chinese Cuisine. The unique Indian Chinese cuisine, with innovative fusions like Gobi Manchurian, came from Kolkata. By introducing food hygiene, decor, and presentation, local food shops can be popular.

Handcrafted Leathermades and Shoes. Taneries are no longer allowed to run in Tiretta Bazaar, but the roducts are. This also being the part of Chinatown, can be boosted as local business.

Hairstyling and Parlours. Many hairstyling shops and beauty parlours are seen all over the Tiretta Bazaar. With better design, branding and marketing, this can be developed.

Traditional Skills. With proper conservation, preservation, and restoration, all the heritage buildings in Chinatown can be revitalised and can once again come back to life via adaptive reuse.

Mahjong, Chinese breakfast as a social activity, and daily life. Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game, played typically by four persons using a set of 144 tiles that bear colored Chinese characters and symbols. Every morning from 10 am onwards, senior residents of the community meet at Gee Hing Club to socialize.

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Participants' Information on Chinatown - User Analysis

Participant Information - As per the survey result, (57.14%) of vendors were male and aged above 56 years (47.62%), whereas those aged between 41 and 55 years were (33.33%).

The age group within 26-40 years had the least proportion (19.05%). Regarding education, (52.38%) of them had secondary education, (23.81%) had college-level education, and (4.76%) of people had vocational training. The marital status of respondents was as follows: (4.76%) of the respondents were single; (57.14%), married; (9.52%), separated; and (28.57%), widowed.

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Socioeconomic Aspects of Street Vendors - A majority of vendors (23.81%) have chosen this profession to have a steady source of income, (4.76%) for self-dependence, and (19.05%) as a result of lack of employment and opportunity. People who select this profession for a regular source of income and self-dependence constituted (4.76%), whereas (38.09%) chose this profession because they are lone parents and the remaining (9.52%) of people for assisting household expenditure.

Diagnostics of Vending and Preparation Sites - In the vending sites, (42.86%) of vendors sell their food in open stalls, (14.28%) of the vendors in stalls with tables, (28.57%) of the vendors in cycles with bags and baskets, and the remaining (14.28%) of the vendors sell their food on mats placed on the road. A few vendors (9.52%) prepared food items such as puri sabji or chicken roll at the stall, whereas most vendors (90.48 %) prepared food at home.

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Vending Surroundings - Most street vendors (71.43%) engaged in their business in contaminated areas and (57.14%) of the vendors had no dustbin facilities. Some vendors (47.62%) sold their food near polluted areas containing dust, sewerage water, etc. A majority of people (80.95%) did not have access to drinking water; only (19.05%) washed their vessels with potable water. A majority of vendors (61.90%) reported some disagreeable odor produced in the nearby area due to fish vending and pork meat shop's disposals. A majority of them (85.71%) did not get a waste disposal facility from the municipality, whereas (42.86%) used dustbins brought from their home. Most people (mainly women) suffered because of the lack of toilet facility in the nearby area (66.67%); some (28.57%) were not ready to answer when asked about this.

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Consumer Perspectives About Street Food and Street Vendors - Most consumers were in the age group of 41-55 years and above 56 years (28.12% and 34.37%, respectively) because most aged persons visit this place for meeting their friends and relatives on weekdays. Some consumers agreed that they prefer Chinatown to general public places because this traditional sites holding historical significance, great cultural & spiritual values, and rich heritage practices (21.875%); only (6.25%) assured about hygiene, (9.37%) were people of the local habitat and nearly (28%) of people are food bloggers, foodies, foreigners, etc.,

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Issues Problems that indicate the vulnerable and insecure position of vendors are listed as follows: • Lack of business-operating skills and knowledge of food handling procedures.

• Hygiene and food safety muddle, especially for foreigners.

• Miserable social security of old vendors as representatives of the vulnerable age group and women.

• Lack of unrestricted amenities such as electricity, waste disposal area, washing facility, drinking water facility, and cold storage.

• Absence of toilet facilities, especially for women.

• Lack of organizational strength and voice.

• Absence of protection from extreme weather conditions such as urban flood and rainfall.

• Wastage of unsold goods.

Tangible Resources The architecture of the Chinese churches has a colonial expression from the outside with Chinese motifs while the interior spaces are more by the Chinese shrine. Today most of the buildings in the settlement have a mix of commercial and residential use. The general physical condition of the buildings appears to be poor and in need of repair.

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Intangible Resources The Chinese community at first glance might seem to be one but there are major distinctions in their languages and other social practices. So the Indian languages and English serve as a common platform for communication. Over time each of these communities acquired different professions and excelled at it. The Cantonese were identified as carpenters, Hakka as shoemakers/tannery workers, Hubeinese as dentists, and those from Shandong as silk traders.

Festivals In Chinatown, festivals like the New year celebration holds great importance in the lives of the people of the Chinese community. It is during this period that the whole community comes together to celebrate the new year along with relatives from different countries. The Chinese identity is strongly expressed through the dragon dance and other rituals that are performed in the streets, during this period.

In China, the new year is a 25-day celebration.

On New Year, the gods bless the humans for the coming year according to one's deeds. The belief is that God calls one's Kitchen God to report on all the deeds of the person.

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Food Culture The weekly market in Chinatown takes place every Sunday on Chhattawala Gullee. ‘Chinese breakfast’ is an important feature of this market. The people of the community make Chinese breakfast food and sell it in the market every Sunday.

Performing Arts The community has cultural performances annually during which other various forms of dances and songs are performed. The event includes dances like the Chinese Umbrella dance and fan dance performed by the people of the community.

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Ritual Practices The temples are the main anchors for the various rituals and festivals celebrated in the settlement. Rituals can be read as symbols, they are also a form of communication we can understand architecture holistically if we view it in the context of religion and ritual performances.

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Design Proposals

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7.1 Master Plan, Design strategies, Concepts and Proposals ”Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody” - Jane Jacobs, The Death, and Life of Great American Cities Aim - Transforming Kolkata’s Chinatown into an economically vibrant, clean, sustainable, arts - heritage - food hub with its own unique identity.

Planning - For this project will work on two different levels - one looks to the future and works towards improving the built environment of Chinatown, giving back its own unique identity and creating a more convenient, profitable, efficient place for present and future generations; the other looks back to the past and works towards identifying and preserving structures that have cultural and artistic, architectural value, social interest and historical significance.

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Conservative Measures Buildings of Artistic interest will include, • Good craftmanship • Decorative carvings or sculptures • Ornate plasterwork ceilings • Decorative gates • Religious art • Funerary monuments Buildings of Social interest will include, • A community may have an attachment to a place because it is an essential reference point for that community’s identity, whether a meeting place, a place of tradition, or ritual.

• A structure may display vernacular traditions of construction which illustrates the social organization of the inhabitants.

Buildings of Cultural interest will include, • Works of the past that have acquired cultural significance with time.

• Structures that have literary associations, those have strong recognisable values.

• Structures that illustrate the development of the society, such as schools, temples, etc.,

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1) Sea Ip Church 2) Toong On Church 3) Gee Hing Church 4) Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church 5) Choong Hee Dong Church 6) Nam Soon Church 7) Ling Liang Church 8) Chinese breakfast 9) Indo-Chinese Arts, Culture and Heritage Center.

A Table of major Chinese Temples and its period of construction in Chinatown, Name Of Building

Period Of Construction

Toong On Church

1924

Sea Ip Church

1905

Gee Hing Church

1920

Sea Voi Church

1908

Choongee Dhong Church

1858

Nam Soon Church

1820

Role of Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre • To include pride among Kolkata Chinese of their vibrant history and culture.

• To motivate the preservation of Kolkata’s heritage.

• To source out and preserve exhibits of historic value.

• To provide a platform for cultural exchange by developing a range of innovative educational and cultural programs.

• To archive past activities of the community, like preserving the local Chinese newspaper.

• To ensure a positive visitor experience through a cafe, museum shop, and event space which will also contribute to the center.

• To provide information and advice to conservation, reference materials, and maintaining a resource library.

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Developing modules for homeless people Most of the properties are not utilized to their potential, either abandoned or obstructed by makeshift shops on the street. Moreover, the state of infrastructure (sanitation, water, and power access) among these units is very low. The buildings need to be brought to a basic standard of infrastructure if they are to be opened for commercialization.

What Chhattawalla Gullee needs are recreation centers, tea shops, etc., to encourage social interaction, reading rooms, childcare centers, etc., - an infrastructure to help build a more connected and self-sustainable community.

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Ideas A vending cart that turns into a home; a shop that expands in a way as transforming into a customer seats, display shelves that can be raised when not in use to make space for the sleeping area.

Concept for the project - Sir Patrick Geddes’ Philosophies The central Geddesian lessons — his emphasis of the fundamental unity and interdependence of culture and nature, and his emphasis on transdisciplinary education and locally adapted direct action as a means of cultural transformation — are of profound contemporary significance.

For Geddes the role of the designer was two-fold: i) to contribute to the material adaptation of people and their livelihood to the specific opportunities and challenges of the places they inhabit, and ii), to affect in the transformation of culture through education.

Planning philosophy, • The concept of ‘Place, Work and Folk’ • Diagnostic survey and conservative surgery.

• The outlook tower and public participation in building.

• Valley section principles.

• Classification of settlements and emphasis of regional planning of view in planning.

“Our greatest need today is to see life as whole, to see its many sides in their proper relations; but we must have a practical as well as a philosophical interest in such an integrated view of life.”

Geddesʼ participatory approach to civic action, that emphasized the need for humanityʼs integration into the specific environmental conditions of the region, and his recognition of education as the facilitator of societal change, along with, his trans-disciplinary design methodology, offers an integrated pathway to sustainability. The bioregional approach is increasingly being recognized as a central strategy in planning for sustainability.

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He recognized the important role of cities in the evolution of culture and maintained that a city has to be understood and integrated in the context of its biological and geographical region.

Profound societal change emerges from the bottom up through direct participation of citizens in their local communities and the ecological context of their regions.

Patrick Geddes and his emphasis on the fundamental unity of nature and culture and the importance of Ęťseeing life as whole.Ęź Van der Ryn and Cowan reiterate Geddes when they lament that: “We have individually and collectively denied the interdependence of nature and culture.

The tragedy is that dumb design has provided so little of enduring value at such a great 95

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environmental and social cost. The industrial world, with its science, technology, and borrowed affluence, has developed by denying wholeness within the art of living.�

In summary, the key Geddesian impulses that still deserve further attention in the contemporary context of sustainable development are: the bioregional planning approach that integrates ecological, socio-cultural and economical considerations at a regional scale; the emphasis on transdisciplinary education as a prerequisite for informed civic participation and cultural change; and a holistic methodology for decision making and design that considers the contributions of diverse fields of human knowledge.

Many of GeddesĘź ideas are still influential today, although not always recognized as originating from his work. His theories have naturally been adapted in language and context to the contemporary discourse.

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7.2 Documentation - Chinese Temples and Clubs The dominant institutions of the Chinese community in the Tiretta Bazaar area are churches (or Chinese temples) and associated Social clubs (Huigans). Although called churches, they are Chinese temples, dedicated to traditional deities of Lord Buddha. There are six churches within the core study area of Old Chinatown along with their respective Social clubs. The provincial grouping that is indicative of migration patterns from China forms the basis of the church’s formation. Each church belongs to one cohesive ethnic group, native to a specific region and thereby creating a sub-culture within the broader migrant community.

Membership to the church, its associated social club, and burial ground is restricted on basis of native place too. The temples and social clubs belong to a period between 1850-1950.

The building interiors play a major role in reflecting Chinese culture. The unchecked modern development in the area is one of the big threats to these historic buildings. It is these historic buildings that help us understand the architectural style of ethnic communities more holistically. The clubs are currently used for community gatherings and meetings, festival celebrations, and leisure activities, which complement and sometimes take precedence over the strictly religious nature of the temple. All churches are listed Grade 1 heritage buildings, thereby establishing their exemplary qualities.

Toong On Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 22 Blackburn Lane • Period of Construction - 1924 This church belongs to Cantonese migrants from the Koon Tong province of China. The land was purchased in 1917 and the church was completed in 1924. Toong On is dedicated to the Chinese war god Lord Quan Ti on the upper floor while the lower shrine has a giant Buddha statue. Presently the church and social club have 18 - 20 registered members. In 1925, Kolkata’s first famous Chinese restaurant called Nanking was opened on its ground floor by Au Yah Wah.

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Later it was converted into a supermall. The temple was affirmed as a heritage building in 2006. In 2012, the possession of Toon On was returned to the trust.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) decided to place the garbage dump yard on India Exchange Place Road deeper into Blackburn lane and adjoining the temple building. After several sustained protests from the Chinese community, the KMC has decided to move the garbage vat but it is yet to be executed.

Sea Ip Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 22 / 1 Chhattawalla Gullee • Period of Construction - 1905 Records showing the exact dates of the temple are not available but the renovated date on the entrance plaque of these new premises reads 1905. The ground floor is used as the social club, where gambling was a regular activity in the previous decades. All income generated from this was used to construct and embellish the finer features of the temple on the first floor. The name Sea Ip stands for migrant hailing from four districts from Guangdong province (former Canton) in China. Celebrations are held in this temple on two festivals one in April, which is complemented by prayer service in Tangra cemetery and another one 98

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in June. At present, 20 - 22 families are members of the club, which is also primarily used for social gatherings and festival celebrations.

Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 17 Blackburn Lane • Period of Construction - 1908 Sea Voi church was started in 1908 and belongs to Cantonese migrants from the Se-Wui province. Other than the shrine room and social club, which adjoin each other on the ground floor of this corner property on Blackburn lane, the community is further provided social support from the premise. There is a dormitory, which earlier provided short-term shelter to young Chinese bachelors, newly migrated to the city. There is another room where old dying people are made to rest and take their last breath. Today this temple is predominantly used as a community hall and gathering space for celebrating festivals and has a membership of about 20-25 families. Deities in the temple are worshipped on the first and fifteenth days of the month.

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Nam Soon Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 13 Damzen Lane • Period of Construction - 1820

The temple derives its name from two Cantonese provinces in china, to which the members of this congregation and club belong i.e., Nam hai and Shun Tak province. Nam soon church was started in 1820 and has a current membership of approximately 60 registered members.

Of these, 20-30 members are inactive participation while others have migrated to different parts of the country or foreign shores. Regular prayer is offered only on the first Sunday of the month, though the temple is open daily for a stipulated number of hours, for visitors and community members alike.

Nam Soon is most actively used during Chinese New Year celebrations, from where the Lion Dance procession commences, and for conducting small community meetings and gatherings. The temple contains images of three key Chinese deities - the God of War, the God of Angles, and the God of Wealth along with smaller shrines of Buddha. Chien Kuo 100

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School, which started in 1943 to impart primary education to students from the Chinese community in their native language, forms a part of the temple complex. It has since converted to an English medium school, with a Chinese principal, and opens to students from all backgrounds and communities.

Choonghee Dhong Thien Haue Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 17 Tiretta Bazaar Lane • Period of Construction - 1858 This temple belongs to the Hakka community, which has a dominant population in Tangra, the new Chinatown. Being a corner property in a mixed-use building, the temple is on the upper floor and opens onto a large terrace overlooking the neighborhood. It is dedicated to several deities such as the Chinese Goddess Thein Haue (Queen of Heaven), Kun Se Sin (Lady in white of Buddhism), TuTeh Chun (God and Goddess of well being and happiness), and many others.

According to notice board writings found here, the temple was built by Leong Chin and several others in 1858. It has been renovated several times in the past years, the most recent being 1999 when the Lim brothers, Chung Yee Tong and Mr. Lee renovated the temple.

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Gee Hing Church • Status - Grade 1 listed site plan • Address - 12 Blackburn Lane • Period of Construction - 1920

The Gee Hing church and club was established in 1888 at an alternate location in old Chinatown. In 1920, they were shifted to the upper floor of this current location at 13, Blackburn Lane. Gee Hing does not make any native group distinctions and it open to all Chinese communities.

Individuals who do not belong to other community clubs can register here and members of other social clubs can also register in this club. With a registered membership of 60-70 persons today, the temple and club operate daily from 1 PM to 9 PM and is the most active site for senior community members of old Chinatown to engage in the traditional game of Ma Choi. It is not generally used for prayers but for social gatherings and celebrating festivals.

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7.3 Proposal - Indo Chinese Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre Historical Concepts - Rather than introducing a style as an ornamental design, it may be better to restate the style through the invisible elements that contribute to the cultural tradition - the spirit, lifestyle, and spatial qualities. By attaching new meaning to these forms. we can incorporate humanity and history into contemporary architecture.

Continuous space - If Chinese culture could be described in a word, it would be " continuous “. Religion is one of the factors that makes Chinese culture " continuous ".

Chinese Religion - The basic Chinese religion teaches all living things, including man, animals, and plants are part of a perpetual cycle of birth and death within a greater web of 103

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life. The fundamental belief is that nothing is permanent, be it nature, the man himself, or architecture. Thus both architecture and people, as part of nature, exist within the cycle of transmigration.

Intermediate Spaces - The Chinese concept of space reaches out to embrace nature and to achieve unity and harmony with it. More significantly, there is always a conscious effort to allow inner and outer space to interrelate.

Chinese Gardens - With buildings, landscaping, and different kinds of flowers and trees, the gardens become integrated works of art. Principles are - the straightness, seeing to the end of anything, the modeling of levels, the placing of rocks, and the constant introduction of water. It recreates the experience of wandering or rambling in a vaster landscape, a result of the influence of Taoism which is characterized by irregular and curvilinear forms.

The Parts and Whole - Individual spaces may not be equal within a whole but flow and develop from the context of an ordered unity. The exterior envelope articulates simplicity for an interior that reflects. the diversity and complexity of human existence. Frequently, the result forms an asymmetric and dynamic shape.

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Time and Space - Time is ever-changing. and unfolds along a linear axis. Space is, by the nature of its temporal existence, a constantly changing reality.

Design Concept - The plan of the Chinese Culture center is composed of symmetrical and asymmetrical balance. The asymmetrical suggests the diversity of human activity inside and reflects the characteristics of Taoism. The elements of symmetrical urban order are the direct influence of Confucianism.

• The use of water as a reflecting surface allows the viewer either a solid or void view.

• Dimensions are relative, but not absolute. Without "large" there is no ''small", and vice versa. The more sparsely a garden is laid out, the more spacious it feels and the more changes within. This creates a sense of boundless space within a limited area.

• A wall, a window, or a rock is used to evoke contemplation to interplay void with solid, implicit with explicit so that there are layers of vision.

• Trees are planted not only for their foliage but also for their aesthetic appeal.

• "To remain intact, be dented. To keep straight, be bent. To be filled, be hollowed" • In terms of design, the Ying/Yang principle can be simply interpreted as the rule of contrasts.

• Verticality is inherent in nature through the forms of trees, rocks, and mountains. Vertical movement breaks the monotony of horizontality.

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Site Plan - Indo Chinese Arts, Cultural and Heritage Centre The site is bounded by Sun Yat-Sen Street in the south, Chhattawalla Lane in east and west, and India Exchange Place Road in the north. This is one of the most centrally located areas 106

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in the city. The site location and its surroundings have traditionally been a mixed-use area with a high concentration of business and commerce being conducted through the formal and informal sectors. A large number of office buildings and commercial complexes occur along the primary streets. Most buildings largely follow the commercial shops on the lower level and residential area on the upper level.

Most of the properties in surrounding areas (including Chinese temples) are badly maintained, with garbage overflowing into streets and squatters on the roadside. As it stands, it is unattractive for commercial investment, but its location presents unique opportunities.

The revival of such a place can positively impact large areas of Kolkata.

• Plot area - 34532.55 Sq. ft Permissible built-up area - 69,065.10 Sq. ft (34532.55 Sq. ft x 2(FAR)) Built-up area acheived - 53,230.73 Sq. Ft • Indo Chinese Arts, Cultural and Heritage Centre (6126.81 Sq. ft) (12917.70) + Toong On Church (3776.80 Sq. ft) - 9903.61 Sq. ft (16694.50 Sq. ft) • Permissible ground coverage for Institutional buildings of plot size 500 sqm or above 40% and Ground coverage achieved - 28.67%

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7.4 Proposal - Shophouse Typology 1 This shophouse of typology 1 is designed as a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. It is designed as two stories high building, with a shop on the ground floor for mercantile activity and a residence above the shop. This hybrid building form characterizes the historical centers of most towns and cities in the Southeast Asia region. Shophouses, therefore, form the bulk of our conservation building types. The key elements of the shophouses have been carefully restored and conserved according to the conservation guidelines set by Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore, and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), India.

Built-in contiguous blocks with common party walls, they are narrow, terraced houses, with a sheltered ‘five-foot’ pedestrian way at the front. The planning guidelines for the rear house require a 1m setback from each side boundary. This had also prompted the layout of the front shophouse in such a way that the vistas always open up to the greeneries of the rear house. These are staggered to optimize internal spaces, and the staggering creates vertical apertures for cross-ventilations, day-lighting, and access to the outdoor and greenery.

The openings made are conventional wooden louvered windows that face the neighbor directly. This helps to maintain privacy on both sides and to avoid situations whereby windows are always closed with curtains drawn – not a very neighborly sight. The enclosures of the house have a rustic finish made of stones to blend with its green setting and to complement the timeless and rawness of the brick walls of the shophouse. It responds to the local tropical climate with low energy consumption as the spaces are generally day-lit and naturally ventilated.

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7.5 Proposal - Shophouse Typology 2 This shophouse of typology 1 is designed as a vernacular architectural building type of twin houses for single families that are commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. It is designed as two stories high building, with a shop on the ground floor for mercantile activity and a residence above the shop. This hybrid building form characterizes the historical centers of most towns and cities in the Southeast Asia region. Shophouses, therefore, form the bulk of our conservation building types. The key elements of the shophouses have been carefully restored and conserved according to the conservation guidelines set by Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore, and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), India.

Built-in continuous blocks, they are narrow, terraced houses, with a sheltered ‘five-foot’ pedestrian way at the front. The planning guidelines for the rear house require a 1m setback from each side boundary. This had also prompted the layout of the front shophouse in such a way that the vistas always open up to the greeneries on all sides of the house. These are staggered to optimize internal spaces, and the staggering creates vertical apertures for cross-ventilations, day-lighting, and access to the outdoor and greenery.

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The openings made are conventional wooden louvered windows that face the neighbor directly. This helps to maintain privacy on both sides and to avoid situations whereby windows are always closed with curtains drawn – not a very neighborly sight. The enclosures of the house have a rustic finish made of stones to blend with its green setting and to complement the timeless and rawness of the brick walls of the shophouse. It responds to the local tropical climate with low energy consumption as the spaces are generally day-lit and naturally ventilated.

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7.6 Proposal - India Exchange Place Road or Lu Shun Sarani Existing Condition Lu Shun Sarani is the most prominent thoroughfare, which bifurcates historic old Chinatown into two parts - north and south. It is the primary connector and access point into the area, linked to both Rabindra Sarani to the west and Chittaranjan Avenue to the east. The area is well connected by surface transport and the underground Metro at the Central Station.

Formerly India Exchange Place, this busy one-way road is almost heavily trafficked with both public and private vehicles moving down the street. In addition to this, high pedestrian movement creates a continuous throng of moving people through the day. Although the daily activities commence quite early, the thickest mass of people occurs in the afternoon with a comparable level of pedestrians carrying on into the evening hours. An assortment of PWD modern high rise commercial and office buildings, from the 1960s-70s, dominates the thoroughfare. Their scale and painted brutalist expressions using fins, continuous projecting bands, manufactured glass windows, are in high contrast with the low rise historic assets of the Chinese community that now gets lost amidst these gigantic monoliths.

India Exchange Place Road or Lu Shun Sarani (South) - Poddar Court, Kolkata Improvement Trust, Telephone Bhavan, and Malhotra Building dominate this streetscape, adjoining which are the Toong On Church, Sea Ip Church, and Sing Cheung Sauce Shop.

India Exchange Place Road or Lu Shun Sarani (North) - The much-altered 18th-century Tiretta Bazaar, the SBI building, and two other office blocks on Blackburn Lane continue the blockish concrete tower architecture of the street. This edge however has a more informal character due to several shanty-like structures and shops.

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Observations • Lu Shun Sarani is already a living heritage street so there must be certain guidelines or policies that have to be made to maintain its unique character. The green cover should be increased because at present the street has fewer fewer of trees and shading has to be improved. • Vehicular movement should be made organized. Dustbins have to placed because currently there are no dustbins and it creates throwing of garbage in the streets. Garbage collection is

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erratic, due to a scarcity of District employed garbage collectors. Also, no tools are provided for garbage collection waste that has to be gathered by hand. • Street furniture such as street lights, benches have to be created or improved for the well being of visitors. Issues related to tourism have to be analyzed and improved. • The overall statement is tapping into the potential of this street is a paramount and the over development and change of urban form is a challenge to mitigate and yet the Chinese heritage resources on Lu Shun Sarani must be sensitively highlighted and revitalized to enhance the community’s impact on the city and tourism. This survey identifies those significant cultural resources.

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Existing Plan and Elevations

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Proposed Plan and Elevations

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7.7 Guidelines for Restoration and Rehabilitation of buildings (ref. from INTACH) Creation of the Heritage House and the Heritage Centre • Creation of a centre for raising awareness of the value of the regional heritage and providing relevant advice to the local authorities and the local inhabitants.

Information centre for visitors.

• Office to provide technical assistance to the District Authorities for the development of legal tools for heritage protection.

Development of a Heritage-based Itinerary • Development of a regional identity brand.

• Architectural and urban trails, Temple trail, Handicraft Trail, etc., Creation of a Regional Plan and a Master Plan, an Inclusive Local Protection and Development Plan • Regional level.

• Local and village level.

• Restoration and adaptive re-use.

Identification and Analysis of the Existing Heritage On the basis of a survey of the territory and in close collaboration with the district and municipal authorities and heritage conservation architects, a team of architects and urban planners will identify the heritage elements, built or otherwise, old or new, extraordinary or mediocre, homogenous or heterogeneous, that are necessary to understand the evolution of the sites. The work will involve the analysis of constructed areas and other lands, urban structure and architectural features to serve as a basis for a heritage-based urban planning.

Proposal for Future Orientations Based on the analysis and the diagnosis and taking into account all the stakes, the working group, the Technical Cell, the Heritage Committee and the Heritage House Expert Team 120

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will put forth proposals for future planning which will be presented to local bodies and local inhabitants detailing the objectives to be met, defining the limits of the sector to be preserved in the Chinatown territory with a broad overview of the rules. These proposals will take into account all development plans for the entire sector. Future plans should talk about investigating and proposing guidelines for facade control, height control, additions and alterations.

Maintaining Skyline and Architectural Harmony After the guidelines are framed, buildings within heritage precincts or in the vicinity of heritage sites shall maintain the skyline in the precinct and follow the architectural style (without any high-rise or multi-storeyed development) as may be existing in the surrounding area, so as not to diminish or destroy the value and beauty of or the view from the said heritage sites. The development within the precinct or in the vicinity of heritage sites shall be in accordance with the guidelines framed by the Heritage Conservation Committee.

Penalties Violation of the regulations shall be punishable under the provisions regarding unauthorized development. In case of proved deliberate neglect of and/or damage to Heritage Buildings and Heritage Precincts, or if the building is allowed to be damaged or destroyed due to neglect or any other reason, in addition to penal action provided under the concerned Act, no permission to construct any new building shall be granted on the site if a Heritage Building or Building in a Heritage Precinct is damaged or pulled down without appropriate permission from Commissioner, Municipal Corporation/ Vice Chairman, Development Authority.

Heritage Conservation Guidelines • It defines the potential of the city and reflects its unique attribute in terms of comparitive and competative advantages, values, and preferences of the city's residents, relationship of the city to the history and physical charecteristics of the city. • Reconstruction or Rebuilding can provide the impetus to develop a parallel market for local building materials and new opportunities for the use of alternative systems of building.

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• Noteworthy buildings should be identified and renovation should happen on three categories; Conservation, Preservation and Restoration.

• Reconstruction based on minimal physical evidence is appropriate where it is supported by the knowledge of local crafts people, including folklore, beliefs, myths and legends, rituals, customs, oral traditions.

• Construction strategy must focus on the potential for employing local labour and materials because it will prolong the economic viability of traditional ways of building.

• The style should facilitate with the provision of incorporating modern elements in the visual to depict a contemporary story.

• Modern substitutes should be considered only after their use is proven efficient and judicious, and must not compromise the integrity and continuity of local building traditions.

• Addition of street furniture, paving material, lighting, signage, etc., can add to the experience and appreciation of the heritage.

• Extra service fittings that are to be installed in the heritage structures should not affect the structural integrity of the existing structure.

• The visual cacophony created by advertisements and billboards, signage, hanging electrical cables, air conditioning units, dish antennas., must be carefully controlled to enhance the visual character of the architectural heritage and site.

• Regulations to control or mediate development within the heritage zone, including new construction, demolition or modification to existing buildings around historic structures or within historic precincts must be strictly formed and followed.

Guidelines to Increase the use of Existing Character • Department of Tourism, Town and country planning department, and municipality should encourage such activities and should welcome new innovations to express the city’s heritage in a better way.

• Emphasis should be given to strengthening public-private partnerships by involving various interest groups, both government and private, to address crucial issues and to identify effective and practical solutions.

• Local authorities should collaborate with the different government agencies, non-profit organizations, and local residents together to fulfil their objectives and funds. The approach, 122

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process, experience and information related to the project can be shared with various stakeholders.

• Conducting awareness programmes can make understand the need and importance of safeguarding heritage by involving multiple stakeholders from all sections of the society including local community, public, agencies, schools, professionals etc., • Creation of institutional frameworks/structures by the local or state government can support preservation/awareness of heritage in cities including policies, legislation and regulation.

• An introductory video on the architectural heritage of the Chinatown can be prepared.

• Signage and plaques can be mounted on the noteworthy buildings which can provide the brief information on their historical background and architecture.

• For an efficient non-polluting transport system in the town, battery cars can be introduced by the municipality.

• Heritage walk along the streets of the town is recognized as an effective way to highlight the heritage and bring a sense of pride to the residents.

• Guides should be trained, and a brochure with a map of the old Chinatown and the routes should be published in both English, Hindi, Bengali and Chinese.

Physical Challenges Encroachment of public space is a challenge that is faced. It is important to note that the quality of urban services and infrastructure have high impact on the living environment within this area. The renovation of drainage systems, waste management and road repairs are just some of the essential basic requirements that need to be met before inhabitants can show concern in conservation or preservation of tangible or intangible heritage. The dense urban settlement has very less open space. The lack of open/green space affects the lives of the people.

Social Challenges One of the major social challenge facing the community is the migration of the Chinese people outside Kolkata. Migration occurs for various reasons, economic being one of the major contributor. For this reason reviving business is of key importance. ‘The Indo-China 123

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war’ of 1967 has affected the inflow of Chinese into India, post war this immigration has almost stopped.

The area of Chinatown Tiretta Bazaar and Chinatown is now a commercial zone where a lot of trading and movement of goods takes place. This means it needs to employ cheap laborers to carry out the job, this leads to people and families squatting on whatever vacant piece of property available for use. Poverty is a challenge that requires attention and a sensitive approach to solve it. Because of poverty and poor built environment squatters start occupying such spaces. This sometimes creates a problem of safety for the residents of the community. To decrease such negative spaces is a challenge for the project.

Restoration and Heritage Conservation In Chinatown, most heritage buildings in the vicinity are in a condition of decay or poorly maintained and not put to any economic use. The Toong-On Temple, which is a landmark building was under threat of being demolished. The area around Damzen Lane is an old historic neighborhood with great potential for a HeritageLed Regeneration. The Project aims to renovate the historic buildings and introduce functions in them so as to help animate the dead space in the urban fabric.

Makeover of Streetscape The aesthetic beauty of heritage buildings is obstructed by hoardings and haphazard electrical wiring. Waste management and garbage disposal is one of the major problems.

The Project aims to develop and organize a system of general waste management that can be followed by shop-owners and residents of the area. The important note is that the project only tries to enhance the existing character of the settlement and not impose a new identity on the streetscape.

Business Revival The project hopes to revive some of the traditional trades and crafts that are fast disappearing. The famous shoemakers of Bentinck Street are an example of business in need of revival. There are 30-odd Chinese shoe shops on Bentinck street. The Project hopes to 124

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provide branding, design and retail consultation to help revive these traditional businesses.

The Indian Chinese food, is a unique and highly popular cuisine. By providing know how on presentation, hygiene and stall/restaurant design, this cuisine can become globally recognized and can provide a big boost to the tourism industry.

Preservation of History Chinatown has a rich and vibrant history that needs telling. The Project proposes to create a Heritage Centre that preserve the history and culture of the Chinese Diaspora. The project also intends to chalk out a Heritage Trail connecting six Chinese temples around Tiretta Bazaar and taking in the cultural and architectural diversity of the area with trail markers that will bring out the history of the place.

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

8. Bibliography Research Papers to Support Hypotheses https://issuu.com/buzzzmedia/docs/thechaprojectreport_red2 http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1030.1818&rep=rep 1&type=pdf http://www.rmaarchitects.com/essays/making-indian-cities.pdf file:///D:/Thesis/Tiretta%20Bazaar,%20Kolkata/Reference/Hybrid_Bazaar_Space. pdf https://www.academia.edu/11318013/Development_in_the_Context_of_Urban _Conservation_Examining_the_Interrelationship_between_Architectural_Heritag e_and_Intangible_Culture_in_Historic_Settlements http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:852913/FULLTEXT02.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/245440835_Space_Formation_and_ Transformation_of_the_Urban_Tissue_of_Old_Delhi_India https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3130/jaabe.1.261 https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-systems-studies/ussconserving-the-nations-built-heritage.pdf

Web / Newspaper Articles to Support Hypotheses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiretta_Bazaar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_people_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangra,_Kolkata https://maptia.com/alicecarfrae/stories/china-town-kolkata https://medium.com/the-calcutta-blog/the-oldest-chinatown-in-south-asia9bb40f7997c1 https://www.kolkatachinatown.com/ http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/31/2003181147

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

https://www.indiatimes.com/culture/food/open-at-5am-tiretti-bazaar-inkolkata-is-a-paradise-for-every-authentic-chinese-food-lover-321337.html https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/streetwise-kolkata-tirettabazaar-a-chinatown-names-after-an-italian-6176952/ https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/streetwise-kolkata-tangra-wasnot-the-first-choice-of-citys-chinese-community-6154092/ https://www.wionews.com/opinions/how-a-small-club-is-preserving-history-ofkolkatas-chinatown-255272 https://www.firstpost.com/india/tucked-away-in-a-kolkata-bylane-indias-onlychinese-newspaper-runs-on-old-methods-and-perseverance-7456951.html https://scroll.in/article/925141/from-a-zebra-drawn-buggy-to-chinatown-rarephotographs-offer-a-new-and-an-old-look-at-kolkata https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/inside-china-town-in-kolkata-1.2153076 https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/calcutta-throughchinese-eyes/cid/1419947 https://mediaindia.eu/tourism/hidden-history-in-the-bylanes-of-kolkata/ https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Finding-common-groundin-Kolkata-s-Chinatown-13580281.php https://www.firstpost.com/india/the-idea-of-the-indian-watch-fat-mamarafeeq-elias-poignant-film-on-chinese-indian-emigres-6800631.html https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/the-dwindling-chinesecommunity-of-calcutta/cid/1716379 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/cover/Missing-fromChinatown/article20858969.ece https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/indias-chinatown-gets-a-makeover-1.1642699 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bowingout/articleshow/68747124.cms 127

Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Chinese-in-Kolkata-eyeMandarin-advantage/articleshow/49531532.cms https://scroll.in/magazine/826383/the-legend-of-tong-atchew-who-was-thefirst-ancestor-of-the-chinese-in-india https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/from-canton-tokolkata/story-ZWPkzu5UbdASeOukQqNZAN.html https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/how-a-trader-became-adeity/cid/1408157 https://www.ozy.com/flashback/why-these-chinatowns-are-vanishing/68700/ http://indianbazaars.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-architecture-of-bazaar.html

Video References https://youtu.be/hnOemizEGv8 https://youtu.be/pQ2QJSHWOqQ https://youtu.be/LKkoEIiMWgw

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Urban Conservation and Gentrification: Redevelopment of Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata

URBAN CONSERVATION AND GENTRIFICATION: REDEVELOPMENT OF TIRETTA BAZAAR, KOLKATA

老唐人街 • Cheenapara (India’s last surviving Chinatown) Thank You! Thesis Guides - Ar. Prabhu M, Ar. Thirumeni (Internal Jurer), and Ar Dr. Amrutha (Director Nehru School of Architecture, Coimbatore) Thesis Coordinator - Ar. Debasis Das

Report submitted by, Siddharth R • 712115251083 McGan’s Ooty School of Architecture, The Nilgiris Anna University: Chennai 600 025

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