Repositioning Waterfront Settlements (E-book)

The cities along the waterfronts have originated from the water and imbibed it in their functionality along the waterfront, but presently the cities in question have their backs to it and appear in a state of neglect. Having said that redressal of the waterfront will in turn have a positive impact on the overall city. The aim is to revive the settlement and the water body and enhance the equilibrium between the two.

The issues would primarily be addressing physical space, design issues, and bringing back the lost aesthetics of the urbanscape. Most cities in India have lost their traditional aesthetics, and are lying under layers of ill-planned retrofitting. Master plans remain mostly as two-dimensional exercises. The state of the river is guided by the city that integrates it in its growth story. It can become a drain or can be an important public realm if integrated.

The book aims at creating a public discourse amongst professionals and non-professionals alike and creates awareness about our waterfront settlements. It is a profound guide for people who practice urban management and are involved in design policy. The book attempts to re-imagine the waterfront and aims to restore it in order to make it relevant in present times. A mammoth task at hand whose beginnings lie in trivial gestures through which a marked beginning can be made.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neerja Tiku is Professor and HOD of Industrial Design at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. She is also the former head of Architecture at SPA Delhi.