Spatial integration of creative community with respect to the urban context

Abstract

India is a country of diverse culture and rich historical past with arts and craft embedded in the tradition of many communities. Such communities, living and working in the same geographical location, engaging themselves in various creative works are termed as creative communities. These communities, over years, have shaped their urban space according to their own needs forming a unique urban setting. However, in the present scenario, these historic communities are unable to cope up with the present trend of urban development and transformation and are pushed to the edge of the city, surviving in very poor condition being the marginalized community of the city. Kumartuli is an idol making community existing in the historic part of Kolkata suffering from similar issues which is degrading the living and working condition of the people. Moreover, due to urbanization the demand for idol is increasing and huge number of people area migrating into this area, arising the issue of space crunch. Kumartuli is not only a creative community but a living cultural heritage for the city and hence, requires special considerations. Also, located in the oldest part of Kolkata, Kumartuli is surrounded by many built heritages which are left dilapidated or are getting abandoned due to development pressures. This is an attempt to create an inclusive urban form which stimulates the functioning and development of Kumartuli along with unfolding the potential of heritages in the overall scheme. After studying various layers of the area and taking the perspectives of the people, the thesis aims at augmenting the live – work condition of Kumartuli, connecting the intangible heritage of idol making with the tangible heritages of the surrounding and linking the livelihood of the people of Kumartuli with heritage tourism. Different strategies like spatial integration, adaptive reuse etc. are used to develop the design framework, after studying various cases dealing with different perspectives of the thesis.