Reinterpreting Urban Fabric in Cities with Living Heritage: The Case of Kolkata

The book "Re-interpreting Urban Fabric in Cities with Living Heritage: The Case of Kolkata" has captured the soul of Central Kolkata in its true spirit. The fact there is an order behind the chaos and chatter in the hidden alleys of Central Kolkata, has been wonderfully captured by the authors. This is not a book for just academics; instead, it's a book that all "Calcuttans" should proudly read. The insight which this book is providing is truly useful for the policymakers of our beloved city. I wish the authors and publishers all the success for this publication.

- Prof. Debashis Sanyal

(Head, Department of Architecture, NIT Raipur)

Kolkata is not just any other city and is unique in the way it has grown. There are many spaces in this special city that continue to be memories of an era gone by - with experiences and emotions almost as though frozen in time. Even so, buildings that have been built in the last couple of decades and continue to be built, do often take away from the character of the city that was, thereby transforming the social and cultural fabric and the vocabulary as well. Architectural practice in Central Kolkata is especially critical due to the overarching development control regulations; Or in fact maybe a lack of appropriate regulations. This book offers an alternative urban scheme which might be theoretical at present but does open doors to a different way of looking at these issues. Being born and raised in Kolkata has given the author a personal insight into the urban setting of Bowbazar area, and this particular aspect makes this book different. As an architect, this book definitely made a difference to the way I looked at this part of the glorious city of Kolkata.

- Architect Gita Sharma Balakrishnan

(Founder and Curator of Ethos & ACEDGE;

Former Chairperson IIA West Bengal Chapter)

• ISBN: 978-93-83419-88-3
• Publication Date: January 2020
• Dimension: 6 x 9 in.
• Binding: Hardback
• Pages: 252

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gaurba Das Mahapatra is presently placed as a Ph.D. Scholar in the 'Laboratory of Architectural Planning' at Hokkaido University, Japan.

Dr Kshama Puntambekar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Planning at School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal.