Designing a Pedestrian-Friendly, Socially Inclusive Landscape Intervention for Kolkata's Historical Core: a case Study Kalighat Kolkata

Abstract

The Adi Ganga Canal, historically significant as a trade route in ancient Kolkata and revered as a spiritual landmark, has faced neglect and pollution amid the city's urbanization. Situated alongside the Adi Ganga, the 300-year-old Kalighat temple venerates the Hindu Goddess Kali and stands as one of the esteemed 51 Shakti Peeths on Earth. Following the partition in 1947, a surge of people, primarily from marginalized backgrounds, sought refuge along the canal's banks, escaping political turmoil and pursuing better prospects in the city. Today, these settlements are marred by household waste, with inadequate sanitation services exacerbating water pollution. The vicinity surrounding the Kalighat Temple lacks pedestrian-friendly pathways and infrastructure. Narrow streets, bustling with activity, suffer from congestion due to factors like street vendors' encroachment, mixed traffic, and insufficient infrastructure. This deficiency renders the area unwelcoming to pedestrians and fails to meet the needs of both residents and tourists. In addressing these challenges, this thesis advocates for a pedestrian-centric design approach as a crucial element of the area's redevelopment plan. This entails broadening sidewalks, separating them from vehicular traffic, establishing specific vending zones vital for the urban economy, and introducing traffic-calming measures like speed bumps and raised crosswalks. The objective of this thesis is to rejuvenate the Adi Ganga Canal, transforming it into a vibrant green corridor that enriches the city's social, ecological, and cultural fabric. The research will assess the current state of the natural environment, ecological health, and living conditions along the Adi Ganga Canal through on-site visits, resident interviews, literature reviews, and data collection via tools like GIS mapping. Enhancing public spaces is central to this effort, with proposals aimed at creating accessible and lively canal-side areas catering to diverse demographics and community needs, while also focusing on ecological revitalization.