Reintegrating the Canal Precinct to the Social Structure of the City- a Case of Alleppey

Abstract

Alleppey in Kerala has a distinctive image of tourism and acts as the face of tourism in Kerala. The golden period of Alleppey as a trade town was greatly sustained by the canal and ecosystem that supported transportation networks. The emergence of Kochi as an industrial town led to the decline of Alleppey as a trade town. Alleppey gradually started shifting to the tourism sector connected to canals and backwaters. This process left behind a lot of tangible and intangible values in terms of water heritage, built heritage, industrial heritage, and community heritage in the city core. The unique landscape and geographical specifications which contributed to the local economy and development of the community once are in a declining phase. These urban identities are not only valuable assets but opportunities for the revitalization of local economic development and cultural identity. With the interdependent structure of the network of canals and development around, it becomes clear that the current way we interpret the heritage landscape needs to be questioned to develop efficient networks that can capitalize on the higher potential for sustainable growth. The thesis intends to decode and revive the indigenous urban identities that are threatened, which will fit into the whole narrative of Alleppey. The thesis tries to explore the possibilities of an urban up-gradation the city requires. The main objective is to enhance the public realm through revival strategies which would strengthen the coherency and spatial structure of otherwise fragmentary elements. The inquiry tries to address the relationship between the spatial form of the city and the livelihood associated with it and will attempt to interpret the heritage landscape for the 21st century