Conservation strategies for the historic area of Bhopal

Abstract

The rich heritage of India, is a confluence of its art, architecture, nature and its philosophy along with traditions and beliefs. The historic areas in cities are such rich valuable assets, as they are the place for people to meet, interact and do business. The architectural heritage which is observed in these historic areas of cities, reflects numerous unique characteristics which differ place to place. The bazaar which is a key component of historic area, has been an important place for trade and commerce of the town or city since their time of inception. These bazaars comprise of colourful shops, giving a lively atmosphere and offering an array of products such as textile, jewellery, antiques, handicraft, souvenirs and spices. Apart from adding economic value, it also plays an important social and cultural part of the city, often becoming its identity. With the increasing need for development has placed enormous pressures in terms of socioeconomic values, increasing commercialization and insensitive development norms, which has led to gentrification of the historic area. This has led to decrease in urban quality of life and association people with their surroundings. The built heritage along with the streets in bazaar holds a lot of significance and major considerations should be made on preserving these original elements of the town or city, which would help in keeping the historic character of the area intact. The thesis aims to study one such bazaar, known as Chowk Bazaar, located in Bhopal. The purpose of the study is to look into theoretical and practical aspects for conservation of heritage present in the historic bazaar and to provide strategies to strengthen the character and look into providing design strategies for future growth and development of Chowk Bazaar, Bhopal.