Eyes on the Canal- Participatory approaches to reimagine Chennai's Buckingham Canal- Volume 1

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH FOR REIMAGINING CHENNAI’S BUCKINGHAM CANAL INTO A LIVEABLE SPACE AND A MODEL FOR CLIMATE-PROOF URBAN DEVELOPMENT Project Completion report for Phase 1 Submitted: November 2018

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

PUBLIC RELATIONS

DOCUMENTATION

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESEARCH OPEN IDEAS COMPETITION

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

WAY FORWARD

01 About the project 02 Timeline of events 03 Acknowledgments

4 6 8

04 Branding and identity 05 Online presence and social media management 06 Press coverage

10 12 18

07 Photo documentation 08 Maps and drawings of the canal 09 As we speak - Educational video series

22

10 Public walks 11 Household perception surveys

28 36

12 Tracing the history of development of the canal 13 Expert interviews

44 52

14 Jury selection 15 Competition brief 16 Jury orientation 17 Managing competition registrations & entries 18 The jury process

54 56 60 62 64

19 Exhibition at Dialogue Forum 20 Award Ceremony 21 Public exhibitions

84 86 90

22 Next steps

94

24 26

01

ABOUT THE PROJECT The Buckingham Canal is a manmade, saltwater, navigation canal that runs parallel to the Coromandel Coast in the north-south direction. It was built in phases from 1800 till 1882 and measures approximately 800 km in length from Vijayawada to Marakkanam.

Within the Chennai metropolitan area, the canal connects the three rivers - Kosasthalaiyar, Cooum, and Adyar - that cut across Chennai. Though primarily constructed to transport goods from Vijayawada to Madras, the canal also helps manage floodwaters.

Archival photographs show the canal to be an idyllic setting with lush green edges and wooden catamarans cruising its course.

Today, however, the canal is faced with severe pollution woes with untreated sewage and solid waste finding their way into its waters.

The numerous encroachments too have severely compromised its width and carrying capacity over long stretches within the Chennai Metropolitan area. Over the years, various governmental agencies have struggled to revive the canal but continue to do so even to this date.

In light of this situation, EYES ON THE CANAL is an initiative focused on reimagining the Buckingham Canal in Chennai as part of the Cities Fit for Climate Change project.

EYES ON THE CANAL is an exercise in participatory planning to make the canal a livable place for the residents of Chennai.

The initiative involves various activities such as awareness walks, community engagement meetings and an open-ideas competition to generate interest and ownership for the canal which has suffered from our collective abandonment.

4

Cities Fit for Climate Change is a global project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and its International Climate Initiative (IKI). The selected cities – Chennai in India, Santiago in Chile and Durban (eThekwini) in South Africa – are supported in developing their climate-sensitive strategies and their own sources of financing.

This project is in coordination with the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Implemented by

In partnership with

All content related to this project can also be accessed at https://eyesonthecanal.wordpress.com/

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02

PROJECT TIMELINE Project initiation April 2018

• Dialogue with various stakeholders • Defining project goals • Branding and identity building

Community Engagement

May 2018

• • • • •

Five senses walk Awareness walks Community meetings Household perception surveys Awareness videos

Urban documentation • Generating spatial maps and drawings June 2018

Research • Interviews with experts • Research on development history of the canal

23rd July 2018 23rd September 2018

National - level Open Ideas Competition announced Competition submission deadline

8th October 2018

Announcement of 28 shortlisted entries

21st October 2018

Announcement of top 3 winning entries

21st October 2018 onwards

Public exhibition of 28 shortlisted entries including 3 winning entries

Way forward

6

• Develop ideas of winning entries • Reach out to relevant government agencies for implementation • Reach out to residents and community organizations for implementation • Identify channels for funding

7

03

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following individuals/ organizations must be acknowledged for their contributions to the project: IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION - GIZ Daphne Frank Georg Jahnsen Sudhakar Krishnan Michael Engel Amina-Laura Schild Anja Lamche Sharanya V Iris Gleichmann, Consultant to GIZ PARTNER ORGANIZATION - URBAN DESIGN COLLECTIVE (UDC) Vidhya Mohankumar- Project Lead Abinaya Rajavelu- Project Support Devangi Ramakrishnan- Graphics Support Nirupama Jayaraman- Research Support SUPPORTED BY Prithvi Mahadevan, Agam Sei Udhaya Rajan, Webe Design Lab Mohitha Desu, Webe Design Lab COMPETITION JURY Srivathsan A Sujatha Byravan Karen Coelho Klaus Illigmann Georg Jahnsen EXPERT INTERVIEWS Hemachandra Rao Nandhini P Vanessa Peter Karen Coelho VIDEO EDITING & ANIMATION Aithihya Ashok Kumar Jagannath Radhakrishnan

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UDC VOLUNTEERS Photo and Video Documentation Bezylal Praysingh R Priyadharshini N Selvaganesh S Perception Surveys Bezylal Praysingh R Priyadharshini N Selvaganesh S Ksheeraja Padmanaban Sarveswaran Ganapathy Nirupama Jayaraman Lakshmi Jayashree Public Exhibition Interpretors Aishwarya Murari Gokulakrishna Ilavarasu Gowtham Balaje Hari Vardhan Kawin Kumaran Manasa Ramanathan Naushad K Naveena Munuswamy Sarveswaran Ganapathy Vigneshwara Raj PRINTING & MARKETING COLLATERALS Huez and Hypez, Ekkattuthangal Mega digital printing, Adyar Students Xerox, Adyar PUBLIC EXHIBITION VENUE Kasthuribai Nagar Community hall Kotturpuram MRTS station WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Vidhya Mohankumar

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BRANDING & IDENTITY As a first step, a branding exercise was considered very important to create a sense identity for the project among the public and all stakeholders alike.

The project was named ‘Eyes on the Canal’ to indicate that collectively as a city we need to pay attention to the Buckingham Canal in order to restore life to it. This thought also stems from a direct reflection of the city’s neglect towards the canal. The name is also inspired by the concept ‘eyes on the street’ theorized by Jane Jacobs, the renowned urbanist who emphasized that when people constantly watch their streets it makes them the custodians of the street and thereby improves safety and responsibility towards the street. The project Eyes on the Canal aims to do the same for Buckingham Canal.

As a next step, the project required a logo. The line art logo that was developed for the project has an eye in line with the idea of eyes on the canal. The design of the logo can also be interpreted as a man rowing a boat on the canal seen from a bird’s eye view to remind us that the canal was once navigable; and that this can still be a desirable future for the canal. The logo was printed on T-shirts and button badges to be used as souvenirs/ giveaways through the course of the project.

10

PUBLIC RELATIONS

04

11

ONLINE PRESENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Following the branding of the project, a Wordpress page was created to inform people about the project and also to function as an archive for all the content generated through the project. A webpage is essential for the content to be continually proliferated and available even after the CFCC project has officially ended.

In addition, dedicated Facebook and Instagram accounts were set up for Eyes on the Canal. These channels act as a means of mobilizing support for the project through increased public outreach. All announcements, events, photo documentation and any other information pertaining to the Buckingham Canal continue to be shared through all these platforms.

WEBPAGE https://eyesonthecanal.wordpress.com/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/eyesonthecanal/ INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/eyesonthecanal/

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

05

13

14

15

16

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PRESS COVERAGE Outreach strategy for the project also extended to media houses.

A number of online and print media houses reported on the project at various stages from July to October i.e. announcement of the open ideas competition, announcement of the winners and opening of the public exhibition of entries.

This is a list of web links for press coverage so far25 July 2018 - Citizen Matters SHARE YOUR IDEAS FOR REVIVING CHENNAI’S BUCKINGHAM CANAL AND WIN A PRIZE! http://chennai.citizenmatters.in/eyes-on-the-canal-open- ideas-competition-chennai-buckingham-canal-5872 29 July 2018- Times of India GOT AN IDEA TO RESTORE BUCKINGHAM CANAL? SHARE IT https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/got-an-idea-torestore-buckingham-canal-share-it/articleshow/65181491.cms 24 September 2018 - The New Indian Express PLAN A BATTLE- ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS INVITE ALTERNATIVES TO THE PRESENT URBAN SCENARIO https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/plana-battle-5371135/ 26 October 2018 - The Hindu CARE FOR THE CANAL https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tpmetroplus/care-for-the-canal/article25328723.ece 30 October 2018 - DT Next CALL FOR IDEAS TO REVIVE BUCKINGHAM CANAL https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2018/10/30050539/1093854/ Call-for-ideas-to-revive-Buckingham-Canal.vpf

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

06

19

20

21

PHOTO DOCUMENTATION A thorough documentation of the existing conditions of the demonstration stretch of the Buckingham Canal starting from the mouth of the Adyar river till Thiruvanmiyur MRTS station.

A key map accompanied the photographs to indicate the location and angle from where the photographs were taken.

This exercise was presented as an annexure to the competition brief particularly to help teams that are unable to visit the site to visualize the conditions as they are and inform their proposals.

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DOCUMENTATION

07

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MAPS AND DRAWINGS OF THE CANAL Maps and drawings were generated for the canal and its surroundings, again as part of the documentation process to aid teams to make their proposals.

The following drawings/ maps were provided to all teams that has registered for the competition• Land-use map of the canal (city scale) • Land-use + Base map of the canal from Adyar till Thiruvanmiyur (Neighbourhood scale) • Sections showing the relationship between the MRTS stations, the neighbourhood and the canal • Map showing the original width of the canal vs existing width of the canal • Map showing historical timeline of the canal’s construction

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DOCUMENTATION

08

Drawing showing the extent of the Buckingham Canal flowing through the city of Chennai Residential Commercial Institutional Industrial Informal settlements Landfill Burial ground Open space Beach

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AS WE SPEAK EDUCATIONAL VIDEO SERIES

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DOCUMENTATION

09

‘As we Speak’ is an informational video series about the Buckingham canal. The seven-part video series highlights the 6 opportunity areas for the canal as well as the history of its construction. All 7 videos are uploaded on Youtube and can be accessed through these links• Origin of the canal - https://youtu.be/lBc_muvrY0s • Rejuvenating the canal - https://youtu.be/w7bqMcSaNVA • Managing liquid waste pollution - https://youtu.be/ jUFZUIO0FHU • Managing solid waste pollution - https://youtu.be/L_ Buk2SvOAA

• Reclaiming the canal as part of the city’s public realm https://youtu.be/XZQQPT7h66U • Improving health for the residents of the city - https://youtu. be/9QzcNP6fKUs • Protecting livelihoods in the context of housing and resettlement along the canal - https://youtu.be/JuiLB5Q4fBc The videos were shot with the help of students from colleges and processed by a professional video editing team.

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PUBLIC WALKS The involvement of the local community is crucial for the success of any public project. Public walks were used in this project as a tool to sensitize the public about the canal, its ecological importance, its historical relevance to the city and the canal’s compromised role as a flood mitigator.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

10

“NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD INDEED. IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS” - MARGARET MEAD 28

5 SENSES WALK As part of the community engagement strategy, a perception mapping exercise referred to as the 5 senses walk was conducted during which participants were encouraged to use all their 5 human senses to experience the Canal and record their observations onto a map. These observations were then collated to arrive at a mapping of the canal that is enriched by the readings of the diverse set of individuals who took the walk.

Sight Hearing Smell Touch Taste

29

The collated maps are also useful in understanding which spots/ zones need attention to make it a more liveable space.

Two such walks were conducted along the 3.5 km demonstration stretch for this competition i.e. from the Kotturpuram MRTS station till the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS station.

The first walk was conducted on 13th May 2018 for a diverse set of participants who signed up through an open call that was put out on social media platforms.

The second walk was conducted on 28th August 2018 for the participants of the CFCC Dialogue Forum which was organized between 27th to 31st August 2018 in Chennai. A majority of the participants for this walk were foreign nationals and this gave an interesting reading into how outsiders perceive the Buckingham canal.

The maps on the following two pages show a consolidated version of the many individual maps that were created by participants during the two walks.

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WALK WITH CHENNAI RESIDENTS

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FIVE SENSES WALK With Dialogue Forum Participants Perumal Koil St PATRICIAN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Parking space

KOTTURPURAM MRTS STATION

Birds chirping

Narrowing of the canal Canal B

Garbage

Sewage drain points

ank Rd

Breeze takes away the smell temporarily

Garbage

Shops along the side

Pedestrian bridge acts as a buffers for housing community

Potential for green spaces

Like a medicine

Train sound Children on the street

Car Washing CLRI ParkGreen cover

Illegal water connection

EWS Housing

Temple

Line of edible plants Laundry Construction debris Kendriya

High residentialVidyalaya CLRI buildings Public Toilet locked Parked vehicles Potential for parking management Sardar Patel Rd

Cannot see the canal beyond the walls Traffic Noise Pig in the canal

Smell like olives

Autos

Buckingham Canal

Acidic

Super Noisy Black Birds

32m 100

2nd Canal Cross Rd

Beautiful Trees

3rd Main Rd

1st Canal Cross Rd

Sewage outfall points This entire stretch has potential for cycle tracks Hospital 2nd Main Rd Slow flow of the canal Water stagnant stretches Auto stand and parked 1st Main Rd two wheelers

Canal Bank Rd

MRTS STATION

Canal covered with water hyacinth

Open up the canal on both sides

Noisy and heavy traffic junction

makes canal unusable; infrastructureKASTURI with potential BAI NAGAR

Plants with flowers (calotropis gigantea)

Open space

Stagnated water drains to canal are blo

Dumpsters

Housing built on former farm lands

Foul smell from the canal Airplane noise

Buccke kingdham Canal

Overall light traffic on thisLak street e View St

Colourful Balloons

W Canal R

Traditional huts

d

Informal housing

Sardar Pollution and dustPatel Rd

Grocery shopping Honking Noise Foul Smell Drainage problems 2nd Main Rd

Construction Debris Very quiet Looks and feels like a dumpsite; Unattractive as a public space Traces of a pig

3rd Main Rd Foul Smell because of urination Very windy Smell of open defecation Garbage dumped in the canal Main Rd 4th

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HISTORY AND TIMELINE OF THE CANAL On 14th July 2018, Udhayarajan from Webe Design Lab and Prithvi Mahadevan from Agam Sei conducted a walk that covered the history of the canal, its ecological importance, the time-line of political and infrastructural developments around it and the canal’s transformation. Maps of the canal were given to the enthusiastic group of participants for better orientation and to understand the geographical context.

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HOUSEHOLD PERCEPTION SURVEYS From 28th May 2018 to 10th June 2018, households adjacent to the 3.5 km demonstration stretch for this competition i.e. from the Kotturpuram MRTS station till the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS station were surveyed to understand the needs and aspirations of those living along the canal. 260 responses were collected and processed and the following representations highlight some of the key findings.

The survey was designed to record perceptions both pertaining to the canal as well as the neighbourhoods along the canal.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

11

8 VOLUNTEERS 41 ONLINE RESPONSES 219 DIRECT INTERVIEWS TOTAL - 260 RESPONSES 36

What is your gender?

MALE 54%

FEMALE 46%

What is your age? <17 years

18-25 years

26-40 years

41-60 years

60+ years

9.05%

43.21%

32.10%

12.76%

2.88%

Mapping the households’ perception highlighted the ways in which the community currently uses the canal and the space around the canal. It also helped in identifying the community’s desires for the canal.

The surveys were conducted primarily along the demonstration stretch, but also covered residents living in other parts of Chennai near the canal.

“Twenty percent of the survey respondents weren’t aware of the existence of the canal and assumed that it was an open sewage channel.”

Are you able to see the canal during your daily commute for work/ school/ college etc ?

YES 85.96% NO 14.04%

Are you able to smell the canal during your daily commute for work/ school/ college etc ?

YES 69.74% NO 30.26%

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How safe do you feel near the Canal during the day?

5.77%

Female

Male

2.44%

17.31% 9.76% 28.85% 26.02% 17.31% 17.07% 26.92% 44.72%

Extremely safe N/A

3.85%

How safe do you feel near the Canal during the night?

19.23%

Female

8.94%

11.54% 15.45% 26.92% 25.20% 16.35% 15.45% 20.19% 34.96%

Extremely safe N/A

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5.77%

Male

In stretches where household activities spill over on to the streets, residents reported feeling safe along the canal because there are a steady stream of pedestrians through the day. However this is not true of the canal stretches in the other parts of the city, where women particularly, feel unsafe near the canal at night owing to lack of lighting and activities that can offer passive surveillance.

How satisfied are you with the state of the canal?

60.53%

27.63%

11.84%

Extremely satisfied

Over 60% of residents living along or near the canal are extremely dissatisfied with the upkeep of the canal. The household surveys revealed that citizens see the canal more as a disease-causing open stretch of sewage. It helped reinforce the conclusion that the concerned authorities must act with a sense of urgency in reviving the canal and making it into a safer, healthier and more active flowing water body.

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What activities would you like to see associated with the canal?

Walking and jogging paths/ Nature Trails Cycling Tracks Swimming Fishing Bird Watching Boating/ Canoeing/ Kayaking etc.

Water Transportation Parks/ Gardens Fruit/ Vegetable Farms Art projects/ Events Eateries facing the canal Pedestrian bridge across the canal Washing clothes As a source of potable water Educational activities Other 10% 40

20%

30%

0-17 years

25-40 years

18-25 years

40-60 years

>60 years

Surveys also revealed a strong desire among the residents to reclaim the canal for leisure and recreational purposes. Currently, retaining walls along the canal become a hard edge and visual blockade in most locations. As a result, the canal and its banks remain inaccessible for any kind of leisure activities, even for residents living adjacent to it.

40%

50%

60%

70%

80% 41

Map showing location of households that participated in the perception mapping survey.

How strong is the sense of community in your neighbourhood?

4% 18.67% 31.56% 26.67% 19.11% Extremely strong

How satisfied are you with your experience living in this neighbourhood?

5.78% 20.89% 28.44% 30.22% 14.67% Extremely satisfied 42

COMMUNITY PERCEPTION Understanding how residents perceive their communities is key in helping decision makers adapt their strategies to meet community needs. The surveys conducted in the economically weaker section in Kotturpuram showed that the sense of the community was very strong and that they knew a majority of their neighbours. They also actively took part in the events in their neighbourhood.

However, the surveys conducted in the upper-middle class neighbourhoods in Adyar showed that the residents did not interact much with their neighbours. However, the level of pride towards their neighbourhood was higher in these sections.

How many of your neighbours do you know?

None of them - 4% A few of them - 29.33%

Half of them - 6.67%

All of them - 16%

Most of them - 44%

How often do you interact/ participate in neighbourhood activities?

Never - 12%

Not so often - 22.67%

Extremely often - 10.22%

Very often - 34.67%

Somewhat often - 20.44% 43

TRACING THE HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE CANAL Buckingham Canal has a long history in terms of its development since the 1800s. Many initiatives have been proposed/ undertaken by various government agencies and non-governmental organizations to restore and revive the canal but much still remains to be done in order to make it a truly liveable space for the city. The research component for this project documented and tabulated all the known initiatives / projects pertaining to the canal since its inception.

Also, part of the research, Webe Design Lab and Agam Sei contributed with a set of archival photos of the canal including a corresponding photo set showing the present condition.

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RESEARCH

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HISTORY OF THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL Originally known as Cochraneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s canal, the first segment of the canal was constructed in 1806, from Basin Bridge in northern Chennai to Ennore for a distance of 18 kilometres. The canal was conceptualized by Stephen Popham and the construction was funded by Basil Cochrane.

Subsequently, it was extended 40 kilometres northwards up to Pulicat Lake. The canal was taken over by the government of Madras Presidency in 1837 and further extended 315 kilometres north up to Vijayawada on the banks of the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, and 103 kilometres south of Chennai to Marakkanam. The canal was used to transport various goods such as firewood, salt, produce and also people.

During the Great Famine of Madras in 1877 and 1878, more than six million people perished.

At this point, the then Governor, the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos ordered that the 8 kilometre stretch, linking the Adyar and Cooum rivers be built as famine relief work. The name of the canal as we know it nowBuckingham Canal- is therefore attributed to this final link and the man who ordered its construction.

1877 1876

1857

1806 1878

1857

1878

1882

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TIMELINE OF PROJECTS BY VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVING THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL YEAR

AGENCY

PROJECT

DESCRIPTION

1987

Southern Railway

Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS)

Building MRTS line wit

1992

Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA)

Drainage Master Plan

• Building flood defe • Channel improvem

1998

Housing & Urban Development Department

Flood Alleviation and Improvement of Storm Water Drainage System

• Constructing 10 ve • Desilting South Buc • Constructing retain

2001

Central Government

City River Conservation Project

• Achieving 100% effl Pollution Control B • Increasing agro-for

• Building intercepto Pumping Stations b

2002

Ministry of Shipping

National Waterway

Building 1,100-km long Marakkanam in Tamil N

2008

Ministry of Shipping

National Waterway

• Desilting waterway • Dredging up two m • Introducing barges • »» »» »» •

JNNURM

Various projects along North, South, & Central Buckingham Canal

10 flood control pro Constructing flood Installing fencing a Providing access ra Widening waterway backwater

• Building 533.32km

2009

• Desilting 13km stre

TN State Government

46

Flood Protection

Various projects along

thin the city, from Beach to Velachery on the South Canal

ences ment

ents in North Buckingham Canal ckingham Canal ning wall and jeep track along canal banks

fluent Standards of Sewage Treatment Plants as per Tamil Nadu Board norms restry coverage

BUDGET

STATUS

Unavailable

Completed

96 crore

No official update available

Unavailable

Completed (Repairs to canal linings)

1,200 crore

Funds diverted

or sewers along river banks and augmenting capacity of Sewage

by Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board (CMWSSB)

750 crore (of total funds)

Completed

g waterway system (NW-4)from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Nadu

Unavailable

No official update available

y meters to make canal navigable s for transportation of goods

500 crore

No official update available

ojects along canal including protection walls at vulnerable locations along canal amps for maintenance ys under bridges from Adyar South Lock to Muttukadu

m of storm water drains (scope reduced to 335km)

etch from Okkiyam Maduvu to Muttukadu backwater

North, South, & Central Buckingham Canal

1,448 crore

706 crore (of total funds)

Incomplete

46.86 crore (of total funds)

Ongoing

Unavailable

No official update available

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YEAR

AGENCY

PROJECT

DESCRIPTION

2010

JNNURM / PWD

Various projects along North, South, & Central Buckingham Canal

• North Buckingham »» Widening and dee Cooum confluence

• Central Buckingham »» Widening and dee

• South Buckingham »» Widening and dee Muttukadu

• Constructing straig Okkiyam Maduvu t

2013

2014

Department of Highways

Roads along Buckingham Canal

• Building 16 elevate House along Bucki • Providing cycle tra Buckingham Canal • Widening some ro

Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board

Shelter Provision within Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA)

Relocating 15,733 slum Canal and subjected to

Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT)

Restoration of Buckingham Canal

Cleaning city waterway

Water Resources Department

Road Laying

• »» »» »»

Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT)

Restoration of Buckingham Canal

Restoring canal within backwaters

Ministry of Shipping, Inland Waterways Authority of India

Project for Development of National Waterway (NW-4)

Developing 1,078km o (AP) to Puducherry

Laying roads along 1.5 km between Bh 1.5 km between N 9 km between Karg

Developing 37km of N Buckingham Canal

N/A 48

CMDA

Pallikaranai Development Area

Immediate developme Buckingham Canal

BUDGET

STATUS

m Canal epening canal, and providing bed lining and retaining wall from e point to Elephant Gate Road Bridge up to Ls.1,300m

50 crore

Incomplete

m Canal epening canal between Cooum River to Adyar River

8.76 crore

m Canal epening canal to original bed level from Adyar South Lock to

77.65 crore

ght cut drainage channel across Buckingham Canal from to sea

128 crore

ed roads between Manali Oil Refinery Road and Central Light ingham Canal acks and footway along the banks of Adyar, Cooum, and l oads as envisaged under Second Master Plan (SMP)

800 crore

Incomplete

m families living without basic amenities along Buckingham o annual flooding

Unavailable

No official update available

ys

Unavailable

Ongoing (EoI from consultants solicited)

Unavailable

No official update available

Chennai Metropolitan area from Ennore creek to Muttukadu

Unavailable

Ongoing (DPR from consultants solicited)

of Buckingham Canal (NW-4) from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

3000 crore

Ongoing (Foundation stone laid in 2017)

NW-4 between Sholinganallur and Kalpakkam on South

123 crore (of total funds)

ent proposed over 10sqkm area that includes section of

Unavailable

g North Buckingham Canal harathi Nagar and Korukkupet Nehru Nagar and IOC gil Nagar, Tiruvottiyur, and Ennore

No official update available

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Early 1900s THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL, Central Station

1961 THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL, from Hamilton Bridge in Mylapore

Mid 1900s THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL 50

2018 THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL, Central Station

2018 THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL Mylapore

2018 THE BUCKINGHAM CANAL 51

EXPERT INTERVIEWS Expert interviews were conducted as part of the research to document details about the historical and social fabric of the canal.

Hemachandra Rao, a historian painted an intricate historical backdrop to why and when the canal was constructed and also spoke about the reasons for the canalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deterioration.

Nandhini V and Vanessa Peter work in the social sector and provided an insight into the lives and livelihoods of the lower income households who live along the canal. They emphasised the difficulties faced by these households - in particular, the health issues and the constant fear of eviction as well as their coping mechanisms in the event of relocation.

Karen Coelho is an anthropologist who has spent over a decade researching various social aspects of the canal. She shared her research findings on how the canal was built on private lands which then got converted into â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;porambokeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lands. She also spoke about how the canal attracted different demographics of people in different stretches because of its ecology and how the canal contributed to the affordable housing stock of the city by opening up lands adjacent to it for development. She emphasised the need to reshape the stakes along the canal for the people of the city today.

Overall, the interviews directly helped in the shaping of the competition brief to account for all these concerns through it.

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RESEARCH

13

Vanessa

Hemachandra Rao

Nandhini

Karen Coelho

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JURY SELECTION After much deliberation, an eminent multidisciplinary jury was chosen to judge the open ideas competition given the complexity of the challenge. Also, considering that the competition was open to all disciplines, it was important to have a variety of perspectives within the jury panel.

The chosen jury panel consisted of three Indian jurors and two German jurors.

The jury panel collectively decided that A.Srivathsan would perform the additional role of head juror for the final round of selections.

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OPEN IDEAS COMPETITION

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Srivathsan A., Ahmedabad, India Dr. Srivathsan is an architectural scholar and the Academic Director for CEPT University. He is a nationally recognized architectural critic and has worked as a senior journalist for eight years.

Karen Coelho, Chennai, India Dr. Karen Coelho is an urban anthropologist working as Assistant Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai, focusing on reforms in municipal governance, informal labour, urban ecologies, and urban civil society. She teaches modules on History of Development Thought and Ethnographic and Qualitative Methods at MIDS. Sujatha Byravan, Chennai, India Dr. Sujatha Byravan works on science, technology, and development policy. She is a senior researcher at the Centre for Development Finance, Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai, where she focuses on climate change adaptation. Byravan was previously president, Council for Responsible Genetics, Cambridge, Massachusetts and director, Fellows Programme, LEAD International, London.

Klaus Illigmann, Munich, Germany Klaus Illigmann, is since 2003 head of section in the department of urban planning and building regulations in the main department I “Urban Development Planning” of the City of Munich in Germany. In this capacity he is also a representative of the city of Munich in the network Urban Energies.

Georg Jahnsen, GIZ New Delhi, India Mr. Georg Jahnsen displays a long multi-professional experience and expertise in the field of urban and land use planning based on a profound university study with a Masters Degree.

Mr. Jahnsen’s previous professional experience is shaped by the practical work as a city and spatial planner in projects worldwide. He has worked as a German state official as Chief Town Planner for the City of Heide (northern Germany).

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COMPETITION BRIEF The open-ideas competition titled ‘Reimagining Chennai’s Buckingham Canal’ was an exercise to generate crowd sourced alternatives to reimagine the canal. It was a nation wide competition that opened on 23rd July 2018 and participants had to send their entries by 23rd September 2018.

The participants received an exhaustive database of information as part of the brief to help them understand the context of the canal, its challenges and then come up with innovative solutions. The brief packet contained the following documents: • Competition brief explaining the need and background for the project, expected outcomes and timeline • Annexure 1- Photo documentation • Annexure 2- Perception maps and survey • Annexure 3- Timeline of projects related to the canal • Annexure 4- Glossary and relevant links to government documents

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OPEN IDEAS COMPETITION

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Resilience

Sustainability

Culture

Inclusivity

Equity

Environment

People

Built form

Economy

Viability Diagram showing the interconnected nature of the various aspects that are pivotal to a climate-proof approach to development.

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Ideas for reimagining the Buckingham Canal needed to • consider climate adaptation and/or mitigation measures • follow an integrated, holistic approach • involve participation of all stakeholders • promote the canal and its potential for sustainable and inclusive urban development and identity building • have a multi-disciplinary approach to the solutions The competition sought a wide range of solutions focused on the many issues plaguing the canal at various levels. Four levels of intervention were identifiedIntervention level 1- The canal itself Intervention level 2- The banks/ edges of the canal Intervention level 3- City fabric abutting the canal Intervention level 4- Socio-cultural and socio-economic concerns pertaining to the canal

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Intervention level 1 The canal itself

Intervention level 2 The banks/ edges of the canal

Intervention level 3 City fabric abutting the canal

Intervention level 4 Socio-cultural and socio-economic concerns pertaining to the canal

Participants of the competition were encouraged to view the various issues plaguing the canal as opportunity areas for reimagining the canal across the 4 levels of intervention. Six opportunity areas were identified as follows1. REJUVENATING THE CANAL 2. MANAGING LIQUID WASTE POLLUTION 3. MANAGING SOLID WASTE POLLUTION 4. RECLAIMING THE CANAL AS PART OF THE CITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUBLIC REALM AND URBAN COMMONS 5. IMPROVING HEALTH FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY 6. PROTECTING LIVELIHOODS IN THE CONTEXT OF HOUSING AND RESETTLEMENT ALONG THE CANAL

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JURY ORIENTATION A jury orientation session was organised on 26th August 2018 to enable the jurors to meet each other face to face as a team and also to familiarise themselves with the site for the competition.

The first part of the orientation session involved a walk along the demonstration stretch from Kotturpuram MRTS till Kasthuribai Nagar MRTS Station.

The second part of the session shifted to the UDC office and entailed a discussion on the competition brief, evaluation criteria and general modalities for the jury.

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MANAGING COMPETITION REGISTRATIONS & ENTRIES The open call for the ideas competition garnered 296 registrations over a period of one month from 23rd July 2018 when the competition was announced to 23rd August 2018 when registrations closed. Participants came from many cities and diverse backgrounds and also varied experience levels from seasoned professionals and offices to student groups.

OPEN IDEAS COMPETITION

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The competition was designed to be anonymous to ensure fair judgment of the entries. An online link to a form was provided through which participating teams registered. Once a registration was received and checked, the team was sent a team code that was to be used in all further communication. Participants were also given clear instructions to only mention the team codes in their submissions and if they were to reveal their identities they would be disqualified.

A total of 81 submissions were received for the competition.

81 SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED 296 REGISTRATIONS

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Infographic showing disciplines of the registered participants; font size indicates repetitions 10/9/2018

Word Art

Affiliation ratio of the registered participants 56%

Offices / Organizations Universities

2%

Student groups Recent graduates

38% 4%

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THE JURY PROCESS The jury process involved 3 key steps: 1. Compliance check for submissions 2. Shortlist 3. Final jury meeting to select winning entries 1. Compliance check for submissions An initial compliance check for the entries was conducted before presenting the submissions to the jury. Out of the 81 entries that were received, 28 entries were disqualified as they did not meet the submission criteria.

2. Shortlist The 53 entries that cleared the compliance check were sent to all the jurors for the first round of judgement. Each of the jurors studied the entries and gave it a YES or NO vote accompanied with remarks to explain their decision. The votes from the five jurors were then consolidated into a sheet to use as an aid to decide the final set of shortlisted entries.

A Skype conference call was arranged with all the jurors to jointly decide which entries would make the shortlist and which wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

It was collectively agreed that any entry that had two or more votes would make the shortlist. This resulted in 28 entries being shortlisted. The list of shortlisted entries was then announced on the Eyes on the Canal website and social media platforms.

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3. Final jury meeting to select winning entries The final jury meeting was held on 20th October 2018 at the Kasthuribai Nagar Community Hall. Srivathsan was chosen unanimously by the members of the jury to chair this session as head juror. The session began with each juror spending time going through all the 28 shortlisted entries. This was followed by detailed discussions about each entry to assess strong points and weak points of each proposal. The entries were assessed against criteria including but not limited to sustainability, innovation, feasibility, multi-disciplinary approach, level of impact, level of intervention, social inclusion and ecological sensitivity.

Having reached an impasse, it was jointly decided that there would be two first prizes and one third prize. In addition, the jury also decided on one entry to be picked as a special mention.

First Prize - EOTC109, EOTC208 Third Prize - EOTC195 Special mention - EOTC193 They also commended specific aspects of several other entries as part of the jury statement.

“Overall the responses to the open ideas competition titled ‘Reimagining Chennai’s Buckingham Canal’ have been impressive, and all the short-listed entries have made a good effort to address the pressing issues listed out as the criteria of evaluation. Of the shortlisted 28 entries, the following two entries EOTC208 and EOTC109 stand out by their vision, innovative ideas, detailed proposals, ecological concerns and social inclusivity. The jurors found the following points commendable in the respective entries which and awarded the joint first prize to them.”

- Excerpt from the jury statement

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1st PRIZE 68

EOTC109 69

PROTECT, DELAY, STORE, RELEASE! - A landscape framework for turning the Buckingham Canal into a sponge Chennai began its urban growth trajectory at the mouth of the Cooum River. Today, the city rapidly expands beyond Adyar River into marshes, farmlands, and forests - indiscriminately turning a largely wet and permeable landscape into concrete. As rivers, canals, and other hydrological networks are disrupted, Chennai is unprepared to face the regular stresses of the monsoons and unprecedented shocks from extreme rainfall or cloudbursts. The city faces multiple water-related risks — from flooding to sea level rise to aquifer depletion. Yet, the urban typologies and planning paradigms of the city are indifferent to the region’s ecological realities and challenges. PROTECT, DELAY, STORE, RELEASE is a four-step water management approach that aligns regional planning priorities and neighbourhood plans with the hydrological cycle of Chennai’s basins.

The Buckingham canal traverses multiple basins including the Adyar River basin and the Buckingham canal Chennai subbasin. The canal’s ability to withstand cloudbursts is inevitably linked to the preservation of upstream blue-green systems and a network of infrastructures within the city that can slow down runoff, store rainwater, and release into the aquifer. As such, we propose a SPONGE BASIN framework that is regional in scope but requires landscape-based interventions at various scales. The project uses the Buckingham canal area to demonstrate how the Sponge Basin framework can lead to the re-imagination of urban neighbourhoods, transit stations, open spaces, streets, and the rejuvenation of multi-functional infrastructures like the canal itself.

Two sites are along the canal stretch are identified to test the opportunities in more detail.

Site 1: SPONGE NEIGHBOURHOOD envisions a resilient, transit-oriented, mixed income, residential and institutional district around the Kotturpuram MRTS. The design demonstrates how dense urban areas can also contribute to the capacity of Buckingham Canal by delaying, storing, and releasing runoff within multi-functional ‘holding ponds’. The housing typologies ensure socio-economic diversity as market rate apartment towers are

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stacked over podiums with affordable and resettlement housing.

Unlocking new development potential with incentive-based zoning for developers will help fund the Sponge Basin network through PPP modules involving all local stakeholders.

Site 2: SPONGE INFRASTRUCTURE depicts how landscapedriven approaches can be applied to existing infrastructure through the insertion of best stormwater management practices along strategic streets, modifying open spaces, and opening up the edge of a restored canal in order to turn the Buckingham Canal area into a Sponge Basin. The design showcases architectural and landscape innovations that transform the canal into a civic, ecological, and infrastructural asset for the city.

By replacing the concrete wall with ghats and natural slopes, Team members and naturalizing the section as whole, the canal is protected Praveen Raj as a natural waterway rather than a conduit. Existing parks are Sourav Kumar Biswas modified within the Sponge Basin framework and strategic streets Hyunsik Mun are upgraded with landscape interventions along medians and Logeshwaran Subramanian sidewalks. Together, the interventions within the canal edge, Balaji Balaganesan the parks and streets are prepared to delay, store, and release rainwater during cloudburst.

JURY STATEMENT The key idea that makes this entry stand out is the sponge concept and how it applies it in both the neighbourhood design and infrastructure design. If this idea is implemented, it would be the first one (to the knowledge of the jury) in the country. Through the idea of Sponge city, this proposal addresses many different facets of concern for the canal. It is a simple, elegant and crucial principle for integrating social, economic and ecological resilience into urban space design, thereby preparing the city for future shocks.

Its proposal for mixed income and mixed use neighbourhoods along the canal stretch calls out to an inclusive vision for development. The proposals that flow out of an impressive larger vision are solid and accommodate every day activities that relate meaningfully to the neighbourhood scale. The solutions position the canal as a transformative corridor in the larger ecological context of the city.

EOTC10971

1st PRIZE 72

EOTC208 73

THE CANAL COLLABORATIVE - An inclusive multi-purpose approach to create an integrated resilient system Introduction: Water has a dynamic relationship with Social, economic, political and environmental risks. This proposal understands these complexities and challenges to work towards a Sustainable and Integrated solution. Through an integrated and inclusive approach it strives towards a long term resilient solution.

It perceives the canal as a unifying element to tackle with multiple risks and issues and creates a synergy between local and central systems.

Interdependency of centralised and decentralised approach: This proposal acknowledges the risks involved in a Top-Down approach or only a Bottom-Up Approach and proposes a collaborative approach wherein the local systems work in collaboration with centralized systems, resulting in resilient and robust solutions.

These localized systems are contextual and sensitive to the ground realities. It builds on the community strength and engagement.

Use of various â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and soft Interventions at various scales to create comprehensive solutions.

Opportunity Areas / Resources: The proposal projects the canal as a multi-functional infrastructure that positively impacts the ecology, local economy, and social equations along the length of the canal.

Through decentralized solutions for waste management and sewage treatment it addresses the issue of pollution. It engages the community as not just the user but also as a custodian. It focuses on improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable social groups such as children, women and senior citizens. With the help of smart infrastructure and data monitoring it attempts to prepare the communities for a potential natural disaster. Through placemaking, it tries to transform locally undesirable land into a valuable community asset. The social infrastructure helps create connected communities that benefit from various activities and tasks. The proposal also works to create a Micro-economy that benefits the vulnerable community.

Human Network: To realise the over arching goal of building

1st PRIZE 74

a resilient city, a non coercive and non hierarchical network of individuals, experts, government, non government and private organisations shall be formed to work on a local level along the canal. Based on the opportunity areas, beneficiaries, funding agencies, project specific teams shall be formed. A champion can lead and establish dialogue between these forces and strategically work together to identify projects and implement them. Thus primarily organised by the community, collaborative knowledge and work is brought in from different sectors which again encourages and builds communities together.

Team members Satish Chandran Pallavi Deore Anuja Joshi Shagun Sharma Simran Arora

Implementation: These networks and partnerships work to build community trust, awareness of and engagement by the community and different bodies in the project. Interdependency of centralised and non centralised approach acts as an advantage to unlock resources within the network. Funding can be brought in from various sources like various government schemes, crowd funding, CSRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, beneficiary communities etc. Incentives to implement projects at micro level, social credit systems shall be introduced.

Incentives such as grants in exchange of knowledge and time, increased FSI in exchange of public housing etc. can be looked upon.

JURY STATEMENT This solution is a good example of how a combination of multiple simple solutions can produce a long lasting impact. What makes this proposal stand out is that it places the community as the custodian of the process. This is also one of the proposals that the jury found to be imminently implementable.

It greatly emphasises the creation of public space as well as linking places and buildings for better effect. It also speaks about how to brand this project and make it widely acceptable. The approach also addresses multiple scales and finds transformative opportunities in what already exists on the ground. The solutions are also supported by good visual content in the presentation.

EOTC208 75

3rd PRIZE 76

EOTC195 77

LEVERAGING BUCKINGHAM CANAL TO BE CHENNAI’S SHOCK ABSORBER - A TOOLKIT OF WATER SENSITIVE INTERVENTIONS Our proposal is to re-imagine the Buckingham Canal as a means of making the city of Chennai climate proof and an example of the kind of pro-active and collaborative steps that are urgently needed to address the challenges arising out of unpredictable climate, rising sea levels, future storm surges and possible inundation of the coastal areas of Chennai.

The proposal broadly looks at the different industrial, residential and ecological landscapes that the canal runs through in Chennai and based on land use suggests strategies to combat the perils of climate change at a regional level including Protecting Critical Infrastructure, Flood proofing vulnerable communities and Planned water sensitive future development . If maintained well, desilted and widened Buckingham canal has tremendous potential to protect Chennai from excessive flooding. The project studies future shocks and stresses that could affect the city and identifies Buckingham Canal as an asset that has already providing resilience and is need of strengthening to future-proof Chennai.

The proposal offers a series of strategies and a kit of interventions that are to be applied based on the existing local conditions instead of an over-arching broad master plan. Rather, through the use of macro, local and community strategies we propose various interventions that can be understood in themselves or applied as a comprehensive urban / landscape strategy.

At a local scale we look at three frames - At Adyar River, a residential and an institutional frame and suggest how a cohesive approach of developing the canal and surrounding area can help protect the vulnerable low lying coastal area. The canal is revitalised on the strategy of ‘Delay, retain, store and reuse, drain when necessary’ approach. There is a toolbox of physical measures that have been illustrated below; these display the water sensitive intervention measures that respond to the varying challenges arising in the three frames selected along the canal.

Proposed strategies like natural berms and planted mangroves

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Team members Pratik Daulat Bina Bhatia Vini Shah

along Adyar river to neighbourhood level constructed wetlands for local sewage treatment, bio filtration islands in the canal, retention ponds and flood proof public spaces capable of transforming into storage areas strive to create a refined balance maximizing the closing of local water cycles and optimizing two flows of public money into one integral investment. Along with water sensitive strategies, we propose land use regulations, increasing FSI in higher lying areas to help shifting of vulnerable communities as well as building guidelines with which we can begin to mitigate and protect communities of Chennai. By integrating Chennaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different urban layers and land-uses, this proposal enhances and broadens the relevance of the historical and social values present there, and at the same time raising the quality and attractiveness of the canal by converting it into an adaptive waterfront development. The innovative and inclusive urban solutions offered here convert a current liability for the city to which it has turned its back on into a social asset which not only protects the ecology, but honours the cultural traditions, local identity and also enhances the economic returns for the city, thereby providing a comprehensive resilience from nature and man induced challenges of the future.

JURY STATEMENT The entry takes a kit of interventions approach and offers tools to make many of its ideas applicable. This toolkit approach is innovatively applied to the proposal and demonstrates how to transform the canal into being Chennaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shock absorber.

The entry offers multiple proposals that cater to different sections and target groups and its detailed design for the demonstration stretch is sensitive to the different land use patterns along the canal. Further, the proposal enhances the ability of the demonstration stretch to respond to extreme events (cloudburst, storm surge, etc.)

This is achieved by connecting the solutions for the canal with the larger canal system. In addition, it explores the possibility of increasing affordable housing stock at suitable selected areas.

EOTC195 79

SPECIAL MENTION 80

EOTC193 81

OCCUPY THE CANAL The Buckingham canal lies in the intersection of two generalized structural issues.

On the one side, there is an overarching neglect from behalf of many citizens of Chennai, which has led to a progressive deterioration of its environmental and social condition. And -on the other- the institutional responses to this situation has not only been highly inefficient but, in many cases, exceedingly counterproductive.

Now, what do we do as designers and citizens given that most of the identified issues are supposed to be addressed through these “ongoing” projects? Our position then, is that these need to be executed before any process of conventional design initiates.

Hence we propose a series of strategies for citizen re-engagement and institutional accountability, which can eventually give place to that eventual process.

In that sense, our proposal departs form the notion of URBAN PEDAGOGY: a series of public activities capable of surfacing common issues within community-level discourses, wherein “professional” discourses can become accessible. It is hence not only a matter of distributing information, but an active pursuit to incentivize a citizen-led process of idea generation. We propose to formalize processes of documentation of the canal (from micro to macro narratives) and establish a research cell that can allow nuanced understandings of the canal, while spreading awareness on its current condition. A project envisioned not only as a way to face institutional unaccountability, but rather incentivize the emergence of cooperative infrastructure: the construction of urban poly-functional structures, in tandem to citizen contribution.

Additionally, we propose an intervention based on the coordination of EVENTS: from the initiative of a residency program, engaged activists/designers can arrange for clean-up drives, digitization protocols, public rallies, street plays and so on,

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with the utilization of social media and other resources.

“Occupy the canal” then, is not a project of urban design redevelopment. Is the design of activist-based parameters through which an appropriate redevelopment can lately emerge. Is a project for taking the initiative to raise awareness on the current condition of the Buckingham canal -physically occupying it- while serving as a platform to address specific instances of institutional unaccountability.

In order to do that, we propose a series of movable devices which can travel not only around the canal but throughout Chennai itself, engaging different publics with current and possible scenarios of the canal. An unfoldable box of possibilities, which can additionally serve as a demonstration of the elements gained from the canal’s transformation: gardens, potable water, sitting areas, gathering spaces and so on.

Team members Sebastian Trujillo Kruti Shah

The “THER” is a chariot that –during certain celebrations- brings the god out of the temple onto the streets; what is otherwise reclusive and isolated, becomes public and festive. In the same manner, we surface a discourse limited to specialists and legislators onto the reach of rightful citizens. Yet this emergence is set not in the realm of consumption but in that of active transformation: our “THER” is an instrument of interaction, enquiry and projection. A small urban event, of massive ambitions.

JURY STATEMENT This entry is a bold imagination of what Chennai needs currently – an unhindered space for public gatherings, social protest and political mobilisation. It is highly strategic in its approach, where it tries to animate spaces using mobile carts which work both as urban art installations and functional kiosks. Additionally, its highly impressive graphic is consistent with the radical idea it beholds.

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EXHIBITION AT DIALOGUE FORUM From 27th to 30th August 2018, GIZ hosted the International Dialogue Forum on Climate-Proof Urban Development at the Raintree Hotel in Chennai. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eyes on the Canalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; project was introduced to the attendees who came from many different cities around the world through an exhibition comprising of large format panels that were on display for the entire duration of the forum.

The content for the exhibition was derived from the research on the Buckingham Canal that was conducted prior to the announcement of the open ideas competition. The exhibition panels also served as a way to present the case of the Buckingham Canal as well as the need for the project, its proceedings and current status to the various attendees including the Municipal Commissioner, Smart City CEO and other government officials.

The presentation was helpful in gaining their interest in the project and to set the ball rolling on how to collaboratively work together on it.

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AWARD CEREMONY The public announcement of the prize winners for the competition were announced in an award ceremony held at the Kasthuribai Nagar Community Hall on 21st October 2018. The award ceremony had close to a 100 attendees and consisted of people from the neighbourhood, participants from the competition, students and other interested citizens. The award ceremony also marked the opening of the public exhibition of shortlisted entries.

There was a panel discussion on the future of the Buckingham Canal with Sujatha Byravan, Klaus Illigmann and Christophe Gierot as panelists. The discussion was moderated by Vidhya Mohankumar. The highlight of the discussion was the fact that many members of the audience repeatedly asked how the community could contribute and integrate into the revival process for the canal.

Following the panel discussion, prizes were announced and award certificates were presented to the prize winners.

Lastly, a small round-table briefing was conducted with the prize winners about the next steps to be taken.

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PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS Following the award ceremony on 21st October 2018, the public exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries was on display at two venues- the Kasthuribai Nagar Community Hall and the Kotturpuram MRTS station. The two exhibitions were kept open from 10 AM to 6 PM until 28th October and were manned by an enthusiastic set of volunteers who patiently explained the project to everyone who visited the exhibition.

The exhibition saw a diverse range of visitors such as school kids, office goers, students, residents from the vicinity, professionals, media persons and many more.

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NEXT STEPS Based on the feedback from the visitors to the public events organized as part of the Eyes on the Canal project, the next steps must be oriented towards implementation.

The 3 winning teams will need to further develop their ideas to a point where it can be implemented. Stakeholder workshops will need to be organized with various government agencies, local experts, corporate sector firms and residents to collaboratively develop the 3 proposals in the same participatory spirit of the project.

If this can be achieved, Eyes on the Canal will not only be a model project for climate-proof urban development but also a paradigm shift in the way public projects can be conceived and executed.

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WAY FORWARD

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