TEACHING URBAN DESIGN across the river connecting the new and old city out of which Purana Pul is the oldest surviving bridge as well as a Grade-I historic structure. Many other bridges perished during the great Musi flood on September 28, 1908. Musi River is a tributary of the Krishna River and therefore acts as an ecological edge between the old and new city while also creating a demand for several opportunities along it. The existing situation along the edges is summed up by unplanned development, pollution from the untreated sewage water coming from the city, incongruous to its surroundings, disturbed habitats, depletion of ecological resources, impermeable river edges and no clear policies with respect to conservation of historic buildings along the edges. The urban design objective for the design studio was to essentially transform the historic edge into a vibrant and convivial urban space which would create great impact on the surrounding built fabric.
HERITAGE PRECINCT STUDY The study phase for the design studio was centred on the heritage precinct stretching across four kilometres from Purana Pul to Chaderghat Bridge. This precinct is the same as the one demarcated in the Musi Heritage Precinct Revitalisation Project, under the Inclusive Heritage-based City Development Program (IHCDP), a pilot programme of the World Bank. As many as 35 structures of heritage relevance have
been identified near the river for restoration on the basis of this project. The study group was guided by faculty members Karteek G. and Kiranjith C. along with practicing architects and urban designers from Hyderabad- Venugopal P., Sanjay Torvi and Trivikram T.N. The key aspects of the study of the selected precinct were figure ground analysis, morphological studies, movement networks, landmarks, heritage buildings, open spaces and activities and building uses and transformations. Another element was also the review of current proposals by various agencies for the same stretch. The figure ground suggests that the riverfront is a prey to various types of development over the years in different stages but not of a uniform grain. The study area had predominantly residential buildings (31%) followed by mixed-use (7%) and public/ semipublic buildings (6%). Organized commercial made up another 6%. For the most part, the riverfront was occupied by illegal cultivation, dhobi ghats, dump yards, cremation grounds, parking for heavy vehicles, high-tension lines and illegal or defunct buildings causing the death of public spaces along the public edge of the river. The open spaces along the riverfront provided very less it terms of good public spaces where people can meet, interact and experience various activities. Speaking to the public folk in the precinct revealed that many were unaware of the riverfront’s presence in some parts because the visual connections to the riverfronts were blocked by unintended development.
City, along the Musi, is divided primarily into three zones under the save Musi campaign launched in 2006. Source: SPAV Urban Design Studio-2013
104 CITY OBSERVER | June 2015