Revitalisation of Post-Industrial Sites for Creative Industries: a case of Kaleeshwara and Somasundharam Mills, Coimbatore

Abstract

Coimbatore, the Manchester of South India, has been the hub of textile mills since late 1800s. The industrial revolution played a vital role in the city’s growth. Coimbatore is still one of the largest exporters of cotton yarns of India. These textile mills were the backbone of the city’s growth, and its economic boom. A few among such were the renowned Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving mills, Kaleeswarar mills, and Somasundharam mills. Located in the heart of the city, these mills were the important influencing factors of the city’s growth pattern. As it so happened, a decline in these textile mills happened alongside Mumbai in the late 1980s. The introduction of synthetic fabrics, advanced technology in spinning mills and mismanagement in these pioneer mills led to their decline. Later today after almost 20 years of their downfall, these sites of industrial heritage are now merely under-utilised open spaces, lying in the heart of the city’s current Central Business District. This study aims predominantly at understanding the co-existence of the city with its industrial heritage and how it is embedded in the urban ecology. To understand the downfall of these industries, the thesis explores the process of creative destruction and adopts the theory of New industrial urbanism to revive the lost industrial economy. The thesis also explores strategies for the transformation of these post-industrial site and weaving them into the urban fabric. It aims at exploring how interpretive design of such spaces can strengthen the cognitive connection to place and relate with time. The site is studied by mapping and analysing the historic, cultural, socio-economic, and ecological factors. The study progressed with a critical analysis of the data gathered from the above-mentioned studies. The findings of this analysis will reveal the potentials and threats involved in the site and its surroundings, that would be addressed in the further discussions and recommendations. The thesis aims at proposing a framework for the reclamation of these post-industrial sites by addressing the creative class to bridge the gap promoting the socio-economic growth of the city and revive its lost heritage. Besides serving the socio-economic needs, these derelict spaces could be treated as the vestiges in linking the lost connection of the city with its heritage.