PLANNING STRATEGIES FOR URBAN RENEWAL OF CORE AREA IN NAGPUR CITY

Abstract

Many Indian cities are facing enormous level of urbanization which is putting excessive pressure on the infrastructure and resources, especially on inner-city areas or core areas. People in these areas are facing acute problems of traffic congestion, pollution, scarcity of resources, dilapidated built environment and overall reduction in quality of life. At the same time dependency of core areas on commercial sector and its decline due to economic evolution has led anti-magnet like situation. Nagpur is one of such city that has a history of 300 years and its urban growth expanded from the central historic core. The compact urban form characteristics of the city, present for decades, facilitated shorter travel distances, prevalence of mix land-use, higher densities with compact urban fabric in core and intermediate areas, high share of non-motorized travel modes, etc. However even with these positive indicators which an ideal city sought for, today it stands on the threshold between compactness and dispersion. The core city densities has declined over the years hinting that people are moving out to peripheral ones from central areas. Urban decay has prevailed in these areas. Once the sprawling centers of attraction for whole city, today are on a path of demise and losing their characteristic identity and pull factor. There is an immediate need to check this dispersion and strengthen the core areas through planning interventions. Keeping in mind the deteriorating conditions of Indian cities, especially the inner periphery, the Government of India has launched various renewal schemes for cities. However they have received meager response due to non-holistic approach. Nagpur is one such study with extensive past and bright future ahead. However like many other Indian cities, Nagpur too has a core which is struggling with a lots of problems. The quality of living for people have taken a hit over the years. With increasing development and real estate pressure the central areas which have organically developed and are a part of city’s identity are now showing signs of decay. The regional presence of Nagpur in the area is huge and thus it becomes necessary to conserve these areas and make the city a growth nucleus for the region. Rishikesh Dixit, Masters in Urban and Rural Planning, 2017-19 Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee iv This dissertation has attempted urban renewal of core city areas, specifically seven wards including the central business district areas of Sitabuldi. A comprehensive and integrated approach covering various facets of redevelopment has been covered making the effort in directions of sustainability. The recommendations are given in project formats with phasing and coverage. The identity is tried to be conserved with removal of negative influences and introduction of positive factors