Community welfare centre for the coastral commons of Pulicat Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The drastic reduction of carbon sinks due to human-induced factors has led to a rise in global temperatures, causing climatic shifts. Climate volatility and an increase in water levels, directly impacting the coastal communities because of their geographical exposure. According to the United Nations, the most vulnerable are the communities belonging to the lower strata of the society, in the coastal regions of the developing nations, due to the lack of proper infrastructure, access to climate related information and their dependency on climate sensitive livelihoods like fishing and tourism. This necessitates external intervention for community so that they are economically, socially, and ecologically resilient. The thesis is an inquiry into the interdependence of the community and the wetlands. Through community engagement and literature review, we try to recognize the community’s aspirations and their socio-ecological vulnerabilities i.e., the social exclusion of the inhabitants from the basic facilities and several other economic and livelihood threats posed on them and their ecosystem due to its secluded geography and lack of sensitive resource management. intending to design and strategize how the built environment may intervene to enable the communities to coexist with the environment. The project’s goal is to intervene through an architectural design for the community that embraces local traditions while conceptualizing a new design that uplifts the communities and rethink how we perceive the wetland and their inhabitants. Historically, wetlands were known as ‘Poramboku lands’: which referred to communally held land for shared use and care. Over time communities have gained a deepened understanding and developed traditional methods to regulate natural resources, which have become a crucial part of their livelihoods and culture. However, during the colonial era, communally held lands were disregarded. Additionally, owing to the natural draining properties of wetlands, these ecological kidneys were classified as waste. The term “Poramboku” is widely used today to denigrate someone. This perspective has endured since colonial times and shaped how we view wetlands and their communities, exposing them to socio-ecological vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is crucial to bring back the wetland and its communities to the forefront. This research explores the interdependence between the community and the wetlands to design and strategize how the built environment might intervene to enable a resilient community. The proposal envisions an architectural design unifying ecology and the coastal commons to foster resilience and revive the life of ‘Poramboku.’