GUIDELINES FOR REJUVENATION OF TRADITONAL MARKETPLACES IN INDIAN CITIES

Abstract

Traditional marketplaces are fast losing their glory in this modern urban world, where shopping malls are propping up every day. With the rising stress on them, traditional marketplaces are finding it hard to survive the urban onslaught. The debate on whether traditional marketplaces have lost their relevance in today's world has been going on for some time now. While economist may have some logic to their arguments decrying these marketplaces, the logic of humanitarians and anthropologists cannot be ignored. Traditional marketplaces are not just places of trade. Within them lie several other intangible values which cannot be lost. These marketplaces have developed over a period of time intertwining with the culture, society and beliefs of the place they are situated in. No matter how developed or advanced modern marketplaces become, these are the qualities they cannot imbibe in them. Traditional marketplaces are in fact centres of active trade, social interaction, and cultural exchange. However, it cannot be said that all these qualities alone is sufficient for the sustenance of these marketplaces. In reality, there are several problems that plague these marketplaces. It is, therefore, necessary to take steps to ensure that such rich places is not obliterated from the urban experience of the future generations. Herein lies the aim of this thesis. This thesis formulated a set of guidelines which can act as a reckoner for rejuvenation of traditional marketplaces across Indian cities. The objectives of this thesis was as under: 1. To study the existing Indian traditional marketplaces and determine the desirable as well as undesirable qualities of such spaces. 2. To formulate guidelines for the implementation of the architectural interventions deemed necessary for rejuvenation of such spaces. With these objectives in mind the hypothesis that guided this thesis was "It is possible to rejuvenate the traditional marketplaces by applying appropriate architectural interventions within certain characteristics that are common such places so as to retain the desirable qualities of traditional marketplaces which help improve the quality of urban living." This thesis, however, was bound by the following scopes and limitations: 1. The scope of the thesis is restricted to the permanent traditional marketplaces presently existing within Indian cities. 2. The scope of the thesis is limited to the architectural aspects of the traditional market spaces and their socio-cultural implications only, and, does not account for business economics. 3. The research is limited mainly to the characteristics of the spaces, their qualities, and, their implications on the human activities and behaviour within such spaces. 4. The research is limited to the study of important examples of Indian traditional marketplaces only. Being interdisciplinary in nature, it was impractical to adopt a unilateral strategy. Hence, this study adopted a Combined Research strategy, combining components of Historical Interpretive Research, and Logical Argumentative Research. The study attempted at establishing guidelines by comparing the pros and cons of several traditional marketplaces in the context of the cities of today. Being traditional in nature, there was always an element of historical significance interweaved into these marketplaces. Here, the research borrowed from Historical Interpretive Research strategies to investigate into the history of the marketplaces. And at last but not the least, there was a substantial amount of subjectivity in the study, which, required to be supported with sound logic. It was in this aspect of the research that it took up Logical Argumentative Research strategies. MASTERS DISSERTATION I JUNE 2012 I JAIDEEP SARKAR j 10510004 1 M.ARCH. IIT Roorkee x Guidelines for Rejuvenation of Traditional Marketplaces in Indian cities The research used books and literature to study the development of marketplaces through history to form an understanding of the formation and the lineage of traditional marketplaces. It traced the growth of marketplaces from the ancient to the medieval times of the Romans and the Greeks through to the changes due to the Industrial Revolution and, finally to the present day formations. In doing so, an understanding was formed of the divergence of the traditional marketplaces from their modern counterparts. It was found that while the modern counterparts are an off-shoot of the mass production of machine made goods made popular by the Industrial Revolution, the traditional marketplaces had evolved from the rather ancestral culture. An understanding was also formed of the term 'rejuvenation' and how it differed from the terms 'revitalization' and 'redevelopment'. Both the latter terms refer to an act of resurrection, wherein the vitals have been lost, whereas, rejuvenation refers to simple act of invigorating something that has not lost its vitals, but had fallen stale due to some reason. The research also explored existing literature on the topics relevant to traditional marketplaces to better understand its present day conditions. The study of the literature reposed faith in the aim of the thesis. It was found, in course of the review, that the vitals of Indian traditional marketplaces was still indeed very robust- they were still some of the largest marketplaces in the country and trade was more than healthy. Having borne the brunt of time, it had just become stale, creating the common perception that they had lost their relevance. Hence, it was only apt that these marketplaces need not be revitalized or redeveloped, but rather, just rejuvenated to brush off the burden of time. However, this was to not to mean that traditional marketplaces were doing well in terms of their quality of space, infrastructure, and general conditions. In order to investigate into the problems that plagued these marketplaces, the thesis took Delhi as the study area. Delhi, the capital of India, had a long and rich historical lineage and yet is one of the most developed cities in the country. Also, it had several traditional marketplaces, like Chandni Chowk, Dariba Kalan, Khari Baoli, Chawri Bazar, etc. within its urban fabric which would serve as the study areas. Personal visits were made to these marketplaces an ocular survey and an experiential observation. Vendors and visitors of these marketplaces were surveyed to collect information regarding the dynamics of these marketplaces. The data collected from these marketplaces was then analysed from the standpoint of spaces and their functions. The ocular survey revealed information about the present conditions of the marketplaces. It was used to arrive at important conclusions regarding the problems that plagued these spaces. The data from ocular survey revealed the state of apathy in which the buildings lay. It revealed the lack of regard for the architecture of the place and the utter dismal state of the public facilities. The analysis of the survey responses also led to insightful inferences. It gave an idea of the perception of the people regarding various aspects of the marketplace. The data from the surveys were used to draw inferences which led to a better understanding of the problems and opinions of the people. Based on the above analysis and with the knowledge of the literature review, the set of guidelines was arrived at. This set of guidelines envisioned that "traditional marketplaces could be converted from being just places of trade to becoming aesthetically appealing places of recreation, active social interaction, and cultural exchanges without compromising on their primary function of trade." The set of guidelines dealt with the following main aspects of a marketplace and suggested measures for their rejuvenation: Guidelines for the pleasure of Function — These guidelines give general pointers at improving the functionality of the marketplaces. MASTERS DISSERTATION 1 JUNE 2012 I JAIDEEP SARKAR 1 10510004 1 MARCH, IIT Roorkee xi Guidelines for Rejuvenation of Traditional Marketplaces in Indian cities Guidelines for pleasure of Circulation & Movement — These guidelines deals with the problems of circulation and movement — for both vehicular as well as pedestrian — within the marketplace. Guidelines for pleasure of Maintenance & Services — These were derived to overcome the problems arising out of the lacunas in the provision of facilities for services — like solid waste disposal, etc. - and their maintenance. Guidelines for Visual Pleasure — These guidelines recognized the importance of aesthetics of such spaces and deals with the challenges that have to be overcome in order to make such spaces more attractive and visually appealing. Guidelines for pleasure of Social Interaction —These guidelines laid down the important pointers that concerned the conversion of the marketplaces from ordinary places of trade to exceptional spaces for active social interaction. In this modern urbane world, the relevance of these age old markets is often put to question. A closer look at them reveals why they are so important to us and why they cannot be disposed off with. However, despite the fact that we cannot afford to lose these marketplaces, their state are pathetic. Facing challenges from the organized market sector, they are struggling to keep pace. This has more to do with the negligence shown towards these places than to do with their commercial viability. The situation is indeed alarming in India, in spite of the fact that it is a country which prides itself in its cultural heritage and diversity. India is very rich in context of traditional marketplaces, and these have the potential to act as the showcase for the country. In order for that to happen, it is necessary to immediately try and stop the damage that negligence and indiscriminate urbanization has done to them. The need of the hour is to identify such markets, recognize their importance, rejuvenate them to life, and harness their potential. This study is only a step in that direction. While the guidelines formulated in this thesis certainly pave a way for the rejuvenation of the traditional marketplaces in Indian cities, it also leaves scope for future research for marketplace specific solutions. While undoubtedly, the solutions to the problems of one marketplace would differ from the other, the essence of the work will remain as encompassed in this thesis.............