Open Access
Subscription or Fee Access
Intentional Unsustainability in Waterfront Regeneration: A Case Study of Sabarmati Riverfront Ahmedabad
Abstract
Indian urban riverfronts have largely been neglected and have lost both on ecological and urban aspects. Large tracts of riverfront lands are often encroached, both illegally and quasi-legally, and essential flood plains have been destroyed. Against this background, the development of the Sabarmati riverfront was an opportunity to reenergize Ahmedabad and unfortunately became a pilot project for other cities. The project reclaims about 200 hectares of land and creates around 11 km of public areas along the riverfront. An earlier more ecologically relevant proposal was discarded. Led by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the eventual regeneration plan became an exercise in political image-making, with an emphasis primarily on economic gain. The riverfront has now become a political prop, where during a state election the now Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to takeoff from the city in a seaplane to signify his dynamism. Of more consequence is that Ahmedabad riverfront has become a model for land grabbing and ecological abuse now being aped by other cities. This paper charts how good intentions have turned into nightmarish scenarios. We delineate how the current riverfront fails on both the ideas of economic and ecological regeneration. More importantly, it also fails to create vital urban spaces for unplanned, indeterminate and unstructured public functions and interactions. The visitor is an observer rather than an active participant in the interaction with water. Also, the critical role of culture and history is all but ignored. Based on the study of Ahmedabad Riverfront, we argue that sustainable riverfront should include social, historical and economic aspects in addition to ecological parameters. Political gain or image-making can never be removed from the process, but a set of criteria for the river and urban riverfront development can at least streamline these ambitions. The paper, in the end, attempts to lay out such criteria.
References
Unni, Jeemol and Uma Rani (2007). Informal Workers in Ahmedabad city in Annapurna Shaw (ed.). Indian Cities in Transition. Delhi: Orient Longman, pp 341–389.
Mahadevia, D (2007). A City with Many Borders—Beyond Ghettoisation in Ahmedabad. In Annapurna Shaw (ed.), Indian Cities in Transition. Delhi: Orient Longman, pp 341–89.
(December 12, 2017) No Road Show? Modi takes a seaplane from Sabarmati to Ambaji temple. The Hindu. Retrieved 7 July 2018. From www.thehindu.com
Desai, R (2011). Entrepreneurial Urbanism in time of Hindutva: City Imagineering, Place marketing and Citizenship in Ahmedabad. In R Desai and R Sanyal (ed.), Urbanising Citizenship: Perspectives on Contested spaces in Indian cities. New Delhi: Sage
John, P (8 June 2014). 'London Eye', museums and high-rises being planned on Sabarmati riverfront. The Times of India. Retrieved 13 Nov 2017.
Jha, Paras (6 January 2013). I envisaged an Eco Valley not a Riverfront: Prof Bernard Kohn. Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 17 Nov 2017.
Sabarmati Riverfront – Previous proposals. Retrieved 7 July 2018 from www.sabarmatiriverfront.
com/previousproposals
EPC (1998).Proposal for the Sabarmati Riverfront Development. EPC. Ahmedabad.
Follman, A (2014). Urban mega-projects for a ‘world class’ riverfront – The interplay of informality, flexibility and exceptionality along the Yamuna in Delhi. Habitat International
Roy, A (2005) Urban Informality: Toward an Epistemology of Planning. American Planning Association.
Mathur, N and Joshi A (dir) (2009): Global sites, Local lives, IIMA
Mathur, N (1 December 2012). On the Sabarmati Riverfront: Urban Planning as Totalitarian Governance in Ahmedabad. Economic and Political Weekly.
Desai, R (14 January 2012) Governing the Urban Poor: Riverfront Development, Slum Resettlement and the Politics of Inclusion in Ahmedabad. Economic and Political Weekly.
Mahadevia D and Brar H (2008). Changes and Continuities in Development Priorities, Ahmedabad in Darshini Mahadevia (ed.), Inside Transforming Urban Asia – Processes, Policies and Public Actions. New Delhi: Concept Publishing.
Brooks, A. (1998). Channelized Rivers: Perspectives for Environmental Management. New York: John Wiley.
Gregory, K. J. and Walling, D. E. (1973). Drainage Basin Form and Process. New York: Halsted Press.
Brookes, A. (1992). Channelized rivers: Perspectives for environmental management. Chichester: J. Wiley.
Keddy P. A., (2000). Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Naiman R. J., Decamps, H. and Pollock, M. (1993). The role of riparian corridors in maintaining ecological diversity. Ecological Applications, 3. 209–212.
Rao Mohan S (2012) An Alternative Perspective: Sabarmati Riverfront development. Journal of Landscape Architecture.
Forman, R. T. (2016). Urban ecology: Science of cities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
(2018, July 08). Sewage Division. Retrieved from http://sabarm
atiriverfront.com/sewage-diversion
Mawani V. (February 2017). Ahmedabad City Walks – Sabarmati beyond the Barrage. Retrieved from http://veditum.org/editorial/ahmedabad-city-water-walks-sabarmati-beyond-the-barrage/.
Pradhan A. (September 24, 2014). Whither Riverfront development? A photo tour of Sabarmati River. Retrieved from https://sandrp.in
/2014/09/24/riverfront-development-real-photo-tour-of-sabarmati-river/ on July 08, 2018.
Shannon, K. (2008). Water urbanisms. Amsterdam: SUN. pg. 57
Scott J. (1998). Seeing like a state: How certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Dave K. (April 19, 2018). Sabarmati Riverfront not to get Narmada water from 2019-end? Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/sabarmati-riverfront-not-to-get-narmada-water-from-2019-end/articleshow/63823575.cms
Banerjee S. (2011). Role of Megaprojects in Making of a World Class City: The Case of Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project in Ahmedabad unpublished MA thesis, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.