Revitalisation of calvetti canal: a cultural landscape of fort Kochi

Abstract

Fort Kochi is a region which is rich in heritage and culture. State has plans to make Fort Kochi the next level tourist destination of Kerala by giving importance to the revival of the built heritage. But there's great potential in the inbuilt/natural heritage spaces as it holds rich historical and cultural stories that have been almost forgotten and erased of from the town and its people. Calvetti Canal meets the magnificent Vembanad Lake, where the river Periyar merges with the Arabian Sea. This canal effectively separates Fort Kochi, the erstwhile colonial Fort area, from Mattancherry and for centuries it was the hub for Kerala’s inland water trade (until 1970s) and has many more stories and history that it holds. The current conditions prevailing near the canal has made it an open drainage that overflows and is a carrier of diseases and shame to its residents. This was the only canal made for controlling flooding in Fort Kochi which has a costal landscape. Revitalization of the canal by considering the cultural, socio economic and ecological aspects of this site will help in creating a better regulating environment that speaks out the stories and memories of this historically important landscape which will strengthen the existing rich heritage Fort Kochi. The synergy between the different cultures found in Fort Kochi can be utilized properly to hear and tell more stories to its diverse cultural community and tourists through a proactive and a resilient landscape design. Canal in itself will act as a storyteller of its cultural and ecological narrative and tries to answer this question: How will this change or affect "the future of culture of Fort Kochi"?