COMMUNITY BASED REDEVELOPMENT OF CHITAR OLI, MAHAL, NAGPUR

Abstract

Nagpur, the orange city of Maharashtra is also the largest city in central India. Nagpur UA is the 13th largest urban conglomeration in India. In addition to being the seat of annual winter session of Maharashtra state assembly "Vidhan Sabha", Nagpur is also a major commercial and political centre of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. As Nagpur lies in Maharashtra Ganesha festival is the major festival which is celebrated there. The 'chitar oli' is one of the streets in old Nagpur with cultural heritage due to the activity of idol making. As it lies in the core of Nagpur city, it is very congested area. T here was number o f communities in old Nagpur which were involved in traditional art forms such as weaving, pottery, etc. Presently, most of them have degenerated as they have changed their occupation. PURPOSE Because of the cultural heritage of chitar oli area, it has been in a very dilapidated and poor condition over the years. The streets are very narrow and in that also 2/3 of the space is occupied by the sculptors leave a small space for movement. And during the peak period, that small space is also occupied by them for the display of idols for sale. This leads to the congestion in traffic because of loading and unloading of idols. And the buildings are also found in very dilapidated condition. The family size is increasing but the dwelling size is still the same. Problems have to be faces by the residents in rainy season due to dilapidated condition of the building. No typical character of street is observed as the growth is organic. But there are some buildings which have traditional features like wooden 'Jali', projected wooden beams etc. Hence the main aim of this project is to study the community's living and working environment and problems faced by them and redevelop the street to provide them comfortable and feasible work and living environment. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, IIT ROORKEE Page 5 COMMUNITY BASED REDEVELOPMENT OF CHITAR OLI, MAHAL, NAGPUR I 2012 Many other activities other than murti making are prevalent in the lane. Congested working and living space is discouraging the murti making, leading to down fall in number of artists, instead of rising in demand. Hence the objectives of this project is to save the fast deteriorating community of sculptors and its environment, by providing them better living and working space, in terms of better infra structure and urban amenities for all the masses, to explore the opportunities in developing their skills as a state of arts and crafts and to suggest methods and solutions for environmental up-gradation through better infrastructure facilities by keeping its heritage value. The Dissertation discusses the following: • Redevelopment of the space in terms of streets in which the street forms, proportions, its relationship with buildings, its priorities and parameters. • Redevelopment of streetscape in which public urban space, communal urban space, hard urban space and soft urban space has been identified. 0 Heritage conservations along with the bye-laws of Development Control Rules, Nagpur in which minimum plot area for various uses, rod width and permissible heights, FAR for congested areas and setbacks for the same has been discussed The aim of this study is to redevelop the congested area of Chitar oil so that its character and spatial functionality is maintained. Different kind of cases with the same or almost same interface surrounding has been selected which has helped in assessing and making the inferences out of it. Two cases, Kumortuli, Kolkata and Nanded, Maharashtra have been analyzed with respect to parameters like functionality, access and linkages, uses and activities and place imageability. The analysis and assessment from the literature or data collected from various sources and case studies helps in understanding the problems faced by the idol makers, built forms and open spaces. The understanding from the above helps in designing the redevelopment of the existing case of Chitar ON for better solutions. With the help of designing, certain suggestions and recommendations have been proposed. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, [IT ROORKEE Page 6 COMMUNITY BASED REDEVELOPMENT OF CHITAR OLI, MAHAL, NAGPUR I 2012 RECOMMENDATIONS This dissertation addresses design issues in artisan road of Nagpur. It also discusses the measures to enhance the quality of spaces Best practices recommended in this dissertation are listed below: • Working area for artists- sufficient height for murti making should be considered. • Street- The street should be made vehicle free to encourage the pedestrian . movement and to feel the space. • Semi open spaces- for visitors and tourists who are interested in watching the process of making idols. • Safety and security- Whenever possible, different elements of public furniture must be combined to enhance overall convenience, security and appearance; to facilitate maintenance; and to prevent cluttering. • Define clear boundaries between public, semi-public/private, and private spaces. • Parking- Encourage placement of parking along the rear and sides of street-oriented buildings. • Build multiple small parking lots instead of one large lot. • Landscape- The landscaping of properties adjacent to public and communal urban spaces must contribute to the quality of those spaces and must complement their overall . design. • Use water conservation through the use of drought-tolerant landscape, porous materials, and reclaimed water where available. A@OSALS This street is a communal urban space. The activity is mainly related to sculpture making and painting. This lane was allotted to sculptors and painters centuries ago. Due to urban sprawl and increasing population the image of the street is being deteriorated. To improve the condition of the street following proposals are made: DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, III ROORKEE Page 7 COMMUNITY BASED REDEVELOPMENT OF CI-IITAR OLI, MAHAL, NAGPUR 1 2012 • Pedestrian Street. • Access and linkages • Workshops • Exhibition hall • Community spaces. • Parking lots 0 Widening of streets. • Streetscape elements. ~i LUSH India is diverse country. There are many cultures and festival celebrated with vigor. Ganesh festival is one of them. It is celebrated in Maharashtra in full joy. Many sculptures are also made every year on a large scale. One such community is still active in Nagpur who makes sculptures and painting. This community is staying in chitar oli since centuries. In this paper redevelopment proposals are discussed which will help in improving the condition of chitar oli. These proposals will not only redevelop the area but will attract tourists.While redeveloping the street space certain parameters should be considered such as scale and proportion. Certain pockets are proposed /designed for people to interact as there are no interaction spaces due to traffic flow. This will create the sense of belongingness within the people. There were no workshops or exhibition hall for the artist living there. Hence workshop area and exhibit area is proposed. This will also give them a platform to get recognized. This will also attract the visitors and tourists which can also help in raising funds. The pedestrian street will encourage the street activities and will also provide a foreground to feel the place. This will improve the quality of life of the community. It will also increase the tourists and visitors which will help them increase their sale. The redevelopment will encourage the young artists and hence it will affect tradition and culture in a positive way.