Reimagining socio-spatial Arrangements of a cultural neighbourhood by tourism: a caseof silk weaving community of Varanasi

Abstract

Since the beginning of civilizations, we have been sharing our human experiences, goals, ideas and sentiments with our next generations through the legacies of art and practices. In its simplest sense, it is the fundamental thread that binds cities and societies together by providing members with a sense of common identity and legacy. However, in these times of digging modernization, the role of art and culture in India's complex cities is dwindling as part of the modern development ideologies. Due to such discourteous evolution, the communities concerned with the creative sectors are experiencing social and economic downfall. Creative Industries tend to get located in urban areas, in small quarters of the cities, forming isolated neighborhoods. Varanasi sees a large influx of tourists, both national and international, who come for religious reasons but also to buy handicrafts, particularly sarees, made in the city. They frequently visit these clusters to observe the saree-making process. However, the trader and the craftsman are the ones who profit the most from all of this. Weavers are unable to invest in their businesses since they do not make enough money. Areas for living and working They don't even have free spots in their clusters, which were previously available. Used for a variety of outdoor activities such as fishing and reeling. Their residences and workspaces are divided into several sections, resulting in a claustrophobic environment. Discussing the case example of the silk weavers, creative community of Varanasi, the paper unfolds the spatial and hierarchal network of their neighborhood with the rest of the city through the lens of urban design principles. The key findings have an important role in promoting the creative economy of this community through experiential exploration, spatially establishing the link between the community and its consumers by bringing out the activities of these communities as an integral part of the urban form (public realm). enhance neighbourhood vitality by creating a third space network. This would not only bring about a character change in the local neighbourhood but also act as a template for other neighbourhoods in the vicinity, thereby we can comfortably assume that this could act as a worthy contribution to the future of urbanism in Indian cities.