Envisaging the Dysfunctional River Edge as a Public Space and Reintegrating them into the Socio-Economic Structure of the City: a Case of Hoogly River

Abstract

Since ancient time many great cities evolved around rivers, people congregate around river edge to give a character, in terms of business, trade or in terms of society. As the city grows and spreads to the intermediary and peripheral zones that are supports our modern day needs. The activities in the older areas where the city started evolving, which was once a base of social and business structure, now turned into Dysfunctional areas or Abandoned spaces, which often has a negative impact on a city’s urban environment. The thesis main focus is to understand the decline of the industrial areas along the river edge in Howrah and how it has affected the urban environment and the communities living within the vicinity. The research will primarily focus on the need of public space for a neighborhood, understanding people’s perspective and how the dysfunctional areas are affecting the urban environment and how we can repurpose these dysfunctional areas and include them into socio-economic structure of the city.