(Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures Kunnumpuram, Fort Kochi, India.pdf

(Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures
Kunnumpuram, Fort Kochi, India
Mohammadreza Movahedi
Maria Magdalena Mühleisen
Eloïse Redon
Nahida Yeasmin Tonni
A short presentation
video of our fieldwork
study

1 Canal
2 Waste
3 Ecology
4 Gender
Public Space
1
Kunnumpuram
Fort Kochi, India
However, we were able to see how much potential the site
has to offer. We were convinced from the beginning that some
improvements could help to create a very pleasant area with
a strong community bond. Therefore, we identified 5 key
challenges to focus on:
Public spaces is facing many issues and therefore the place to act and
inspire for change to happen in the neighborhood.
Canals are an important natural asset of the area. Due to pollution they
have degraded and put the lives of citizens and nature at risk.
The high levels of pollution, climate change and the very dense streets
are threatening the comunity and the local biodiversity.
Women are suffering from this patriarchal society. Public spaces are
the spatial representation of the gender inequalities happening in the
neighborhood.
The area has a dysfunctional waste management system which results in
a lot of issues like open burning and waste dumping.
Overall, we involved the community every step of the way to
give them a sense of ownership and conduct a project that is
local-specific and rational.
4.2 Methods
38 | Kunnumpuram, Kochi, India | (Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures 39 | Kunnumpuram, Kochi, India | (Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures
4.1 Introduction
Figure 4.1 : Site area
Located in the South-West of India, in the state of Kerala,
Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) is one of the major cities
of the state which is rich in culture and History. Due to the
extreme rapid urbanization, the city is facing multiple challenges
regarding economy, social aspects, politics, and sustainability.
Our site is located in Fort Kochi, in an environmentally sensitive
neighborhood called Kunnumpuram. It is situated between two
canals: the Calvathy canal and the Eraveli canal. Both canals were
originally built during British colonization and served the dual
purpose of dividing areas and as a route for the transportation of
goods. The area is often referred to as “Mini India”, as many cultures
and religions are living here among each other, embodying the
different faces of the country. This neighborhood is comprised of
small narrow streets and low-rise housing in a variety of colors
and typologies. The canals are extremely polluted, emitting a harsh
smell, and creating an unpleasant environment for the people who
are living alongside them. In the area, the residents lack public
spaces for all, as part of their rights to their city. Additionally, the
ongoing global environmental crisis and their neighborhood’s
environmental degradation have been affecting their livelihoods.

During our Fieldwork, we based our work on democratic
participation in the process of solving problems located on the
site. We aimed to be at the highest level of Arnstein’s ladder of
participation, defined as the degree of citizen power.
Local stakeholders together with the community got involved in
the project, and a new understanding of the area was turned into
local problem-solving and action - research.
This research is based on primary, secondary data and the
qualitative analysis of direct observation, in-depth interviews, and
participatory activities with the residents of Kunnumpuram, carried
out during October and November 2022.
This area-based approach allowed us to record different viewpoints
about the ongoing challenges of the neighborhood. Like a gear,
our method process (Figure 4.2) was like a mechanism where the
first action activated the next one and everything worked together.
The interviews with different stakeholders and the participatory
workshops we conducted gave us incredibly valuable knowledge.
Figure 4.2 :
Diagram of methods
Figure 4.3 : Picture of the
participatory workshop
4.1. Introduction and Methodology

40 | Kunnumpuram, Kochi, India | (Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures

Public Space
Previously the area used to have one open public space, where they played sports and
gathered. The municipality took over this green public place and is now developing the area to
serve as a site for a new highrise building. This results in even more social exclusion in the area,
where the most vulnerable grups, like LGBTQ, women and children, elders and disabled are the
ones having to deal with the worst consequences. Now they have nowhere to go, and spent their
time inside their small houses, viewing the streets as a threath and obstacle (Figure 4.4).
Gender inequalities
Gender differentiation is predominant in India. In the market, in the streets, in public transport
etc. Every public space is mainly populated by men. After work, they gather around street shops
to drink tea and socialize while women are staying in their households. Women seem absent
from the public space across the city (Figure 4.5).
Waste Management
The waste management system is insufficient and too expensive for the poorest people in
the community. Pollution is prominent in the neighborhood. People do not have space to keep
the waste in their small houses that often are shared by multiple families. In addition, the sewage
system run open with wastewater directly into the canals, a small meat market nearby is using
the canals as a dumping area to clear the waste of their slaughterhouse (Figure 4.6).
Environmental degradation and canal
The environment is highly degraded due to pollution, climate change and high density. The
canal biodiversity is in a severe danger as the water is highly polluted. In the monsoon season,
flooding is a high risk. Mosquito breeding is another issue which also affects the health of the
inhabitants. The native species has been declining drastically over the years (Figure 4.7).
The lack of involvement from the broader society is leading to a sense of
abandonment among the citizens. Water supply restrictions and improper waste
management are putting many lives at risk. Many of the resident’s basic needs aren’t
being met. Misgovernance and environmental degradation have resulted in the lack of
public space and dangerous streets, threatening women, children, and the elderly.
Figure 4.6 Waste management diagram
Figure 4.5 Gender inequality diagram
Figure 4.4 Public space diagram
Figure 4.7 Environmental degradation diagram
4.2. Situation Analysis
In a community facing many issues and opportunities, we were engaging with the local
community and stakeholders to understand the context, and its potential for the future. We
clearly saw how polluted streets, sea and canals were impacting the life of the inhabitants
and their use of public space, especially women who already were vulnerable and in lack of
resources. Indeed, with almost no open public space in the area, women were oppressed by
the patriarchic society (Figure 4.8).
Problem statement
Figure 4.8 Issues at site

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41 | Kunnumpuram, Kochi, India | (Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures

01 Inclusive Vibrant Public Spaces
The main strategy to reach this goal is to make environmentally sustainable public
spaces that are safe and gender-inclusive to ensure that the need of all groups in society,
both humans and non-humans are met.
A. Making the Pathways more walkable project: This proposal’s aim is to make
the pathways more inclusive, safe and vibrant. We have used the term walkable, which is
a more general term that covers inclusivity and vibrancy (figure 4.10, 4.11). Kunnumpuram
could potentially be a walkable zone that provides a variety of safe options for the
residents’ movement and accessibility to the other areas. To make the neighborhood safer,
we need a new participatory approach toward street design that addresses different
people’s needs. So, our proposal is an inclusive one that considers different street
design-related needs and ideas. For this matter, we think of distinguishing the sidewalks
and car lanes with giving the priority to the pedestrians. The connectivity of the sidewalks
to create a network in the whole area and the surroundings is the key in our proposal.
Since there are not enough traffic signages on the streets, we also recommend to integrate
proper street signs.
Figure 4.10 Making the Pathways more walkable (1)
Figure 4.11 Making the Pathways more walkable (2)
02 A segregative waste management system
B. Placemaking Project, An inclusive green place for the community: In this
proposal, our goal is to create a vibrant public place in the vacant area near the canal.
The vacant area works as a connection between our own case study and Mattanchery
neighborhood (figure 4.12). In this regard, our main solution is to use the idea of
“placemaking” as the lead. Based on our literature review, we’ve used the term “place”.
Here, our aim as a spatial solution is to make an inclusive comfortable public place that
addresses the needs of different genders and ages groups, including biodiversity. In this
proposal, we’ve concerned the connections between various people and the place in the
form of place identity, access and movement discipline of the area, the ecological aspect
with native species, rewilding and regeneration, and the built form of the place.
C. Communal water: Shared communal water will contribute to our goal which is to
make vibrant and inclusive public spaces by providing fresh and clean water to the public
(figure 4.13). It will also be a program with a special focus on inclusiveness and gender
equity. Because women do not move freely around in the area, collecting water will serve
as a legit reason to be outside in the public. The main long-term goal is for the community
to be connected to the city’s water-infrastructure. This will also be a way of providing
them with proper urban citizenship and a feeling of belonging. Shared water taps will be
placed in open public areas where we aim to create a foundation for an inclusive, safe,
and democratic society. Here, people will be invited, through holistic, spatially sensitive
planning, to collect water during the entire day and night.
D. Urban community garden: In this proposal our goal is to provide means for the
inhabitants of Kunnumpuram to make their public spaces as a daily part of their lives. In
this regard, we will try to engage the locals in the urban community garden project. The
goal is to provide inclusive public space and regenerate the ecology for the inhabitants
of Kunnumpuram (figure 4.14). Urban gardens can act as public space, because as a part
of the public realm, the garden has benefits for both humans and non-humans. Urban
gardens offer the neighborhood the “spirit of place” which connects people with nature
(Francis, 1989).
As a means of achieving this, we intend to carry out two different strategies. The first
one would be to create a socially and environmentally sustainable segregating waste
system, and the second strategy would be to ensure that waste management policies are
being put into action through local community groups in the long run.
Figure 4.12 Placemaking Project
Figure 4.13 Communal water for the people
Figure 4.14 Communal water for the people
SPATIAL SOLUTIONS
4.3. Goals, Strategies, and Spatial solutions
Vision statement
In the heart of the area, alongside the canals, rewilding and regeneration
of natural greenery is happening, providing a habitat for native species to
coexist with humans in this dense urban context. These green and open
spaces will serve as socially inclusive places, programmed with activities for
all groups in society, children, women, youth, men, elderly, disabled, both the
local community and visitors will be visually invited to enjoy and socialize,
regardless of ethnicity or religion. Various responsive governance strategies
using social resources from the local community, and actions by the public
and private sectors, we hope will unlock Kunnumpuram’s ecological and social
potential.
In this chapter, we firstly present our
main vision for kunnumpuram’s future.
To reach out the vision, we propose
three main goals. For each of the goals,
we have strategies, and we’ve proposed
solutions and actions to reach out the
goals.
Figure 4.9 Perspective of the future

GSEducationalVersion
A social and environmentally sustainable segregating waste system:
Through a circular economy approach and by involving the community in
different stages, our actions will have different steps, with the aim of inspiring
change.
In the short term, the goal would be to improve the collection of waste and
segregate it. In order to do so, the idea is to implement shared waste bins
accessible for the community across the neighborhood, especially close to
the canals where a lot of trash is being thrown away. This circular economic
approach focuses on the environmental and social aspects (Figure 4.15). By
developing new ways to treat the waste, the aim is to repurpose and revalorize as
much as possible to create new values for these materials.
The Green revitalization and urban rewilding, in respect of the local context
and its natural identity is our main strategy for this goal. Secondly, it’s important
for us that the natural assets of the neighborhood, like the two main canals,
remain clean and lively in a long perspective.
Canal Revitalization Project: Our proposal’s most essential point is to
ensure that residents are informed enough to understand the repercussions
of canal pollution on their livelihoods (Figure 4.16). This “resident awareness”
proposal involves various groups of citizens, including women, youth, and the
elderly. First, the canals will be cleaned, and residue will be removed, then the
transition between the canals and their surroundings will be changed. The
transition should be soft and inclusive enough to allow the local community
and visitors to interact actively with the canals. By fostering close relationships
between people and the canals, this proposal aims to improve the liveliness and
vibrancy of the context, and make people regain their historical relation with the
canal as a blue public space.
We have set goals, strategies, and proposals (Figure 4.17) for the
interventions based on the SDGs. The role of the local community in our
proposals is essential. They have strong social bonds, and they are helping
each other. This is an important social resource, we are planning for the
community groups to co-create and co-produce with NGOs and local
stakeholders, and be the drivers for the change when working towards
achieving the spatial solutions.
Figure 4.15 Diagram of our
circular economic approach
Figure 4.16 Canal and the people
Figure 4.17 Map of the spatial solutions
03 Ecological Regeneration
Segregated waste bins
New public spaces
Community gardens
Shared water taps
4.4 Urban Governance
Urban governance policies will manage the
roles-responsibilities and financial aspects of the project. Spatial
solutions require the involvement of different stakeholders for a
better governance system.
Significant Stakeholders
There are various stakeholders with diverse power interests
and visions for the neighborhood. Spatial solutions will need
the help and support of a good governance structure, involving
decision-makers as well as the community. Therefore, we selected
a range of stakeholders who have the most power and/or interest
to actively contribute to the implementation of these solutions
with specific responsibilities (Figure 4.18). The main focus is the
community, which has low power but high interest.
We created some community groups, who, with the help
of local NGOs, will act and finally regain ownership of their
neighborhood.
Municipality is the main governing authoriy and they will
collaborate with all other stakeholders to implement the spatial
solution. For future solutions, the collaboration will expand with E.U.
GIZ is a German Development Agency that works in
collaboration with the municipality on waste management. The
collaboration will extend further for upgraded waste mangement.
CSML (Cochin Smart Mission Limited) will collaborate with
municipality to create inclusive public space and to clean the
canal.

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Figure 4.18 Diagram regarding involvement of stakeholders in proposals
Ecology Youth Group
This group will be responsible to make
people aware about the canals and their
outer space. They will help the governing
stakeholders to ensure the maintenance of
the strategies at a community level.
Waste Management Youth Group
This group will help to create
awareness among the community about
their space. The unheard young voices
will be turned into actions towards clean
inclusive public space.
Community Garden Group
The community group will be
responsible for maintaining the gardens
and make sure biodegradable waste from
the community is turned into soil. Resilient
green gardens will make a new food
supply, and provide biodiversity.

Cleaning the canal
First step will be to remove waste and clean the canal.
In the long term, sewage lines will be connected to the main
infrastructure of the city. Municipality with CSML will clean and dig
up waste from the canal in 2023. Further, the Youth Group and a
local NGO will be in charge of the long term strategy to make sure
the canal is kept clean. The process will help to achieve the SDG
goal 6.6 -Protect and Restore Water-Related Ecosystems.
Sustainable waste management
GIZ and the municipality will provide separated bins for
bio and non-bio degradable waste. And turn bio waste into soil
for the community gardens. Further, recycling and reusing of
plastic bottles will be executed in collaboration with the youth
group. Awareness programs will be arranged in the community
to improve the whole system. In long term, the entire waste
system management will be upgraded with full segregation and
connected to a wider system for the entire city.
Strategies of governance
Existing situation:
First step in 2023: Municipality + CSML No public space
The area is filled with trash
No lights and security
Presence of drug addicts
Highly polluted canal and dangerous roads
Further steps in 2024: Municipality + CSML
Soft transition from pedestrian pathways
to the canal
Use of permeable and natural stones to
make it more nature friendly
Use of art and sculptures to give some
aesthetic look
Use of signage to provide user friendly
space
Providing social-inclusive space with
facilities like shading, shared water taps,
solar lights, shared waste bins, native plants,
urban furnitures
Creating pedestrian and disabled friendly
pathways
Upgrading local road infrastructure
Today
Further
Process
Aware
Long
Term
Focus on Public Space in 2025:
Municipality +CSLM + NGO-Navajeevan
Community Development And
Innovations Network
Pedestrian friendly and Inclusive design
Safe and secure
Knowledge sharing
Open public space with community
engaging programs
Proving biodiversity
Long-term solution in 2030:
Municipality + CSML + Ecology Youth Group +
NGO-Navajeevan Community Development And
Innovations Network
Upgrading infrustructure regarding roads and
sanitation system and waste management
Returing water transport system for heritage
purpose and tourist attraction
Regaining the relation between the
community and the canal by providing a wide
bridge
Tomorrow
The main strategy of governance is to involve various
stakeholders specifically in different stages of the creation of
inclusive public spaces, canal cleaning and sustainable waste
management.
Inclusive public space
In the first step, in 2023, the municipality and CSML will work
together to provide a social inclusive public space. Further, in 2024,
soft transition between canal and pathways will be executed to
develop connection between nature and the built environment.
The Ecology Youth Group will arrange public awareness programs
regarding green and sustainable public space. The long-term
strategy is to upgrade roads and waste management system to
create an inclusive area. By 2030, we will progress towards SDG
Goal 11.7 Universal access to safe and inclusive green public spaces
particularly for women, children and disabled (4.19).
Figure 4.19 Diagram regarding strategies of governance towards inclusive public space
The urban environment in Kunnumpuram has rapidly changed
over the last decades due to extreme urbanization in Kochi, and
unplanned random development.
After one month of intense fieldwork, the learning process has
been long and insightful. After some time, we started to build
contacts and did various participatory events with the community.
They invited us into their homes and lives with kindness and
openness beyond what can be described. We had a huge
language difficulty at the beginning of the project, but later,
with the help of translators from India, we broke this cultural
bridge, making it easier to approach the community, and got the
opportunity to really understand the needs and wishes of the
people.
We got to see Kunnumpuram through many individuals’ eyes,
and their perceptions. The conflicting interests and values in the
area revealed themselves through these interactions. The fieldwork
and research we conducted in Kunnumpuram’s neighborhood
helped us understand the larger challenges and structures that
affect the entire city and the Global South as a whole.
The usual method used to conduct urban projects in Kochi is
a top-down approach that makes the community feel powerless
and neglected, creating a lack of trust and communication with
the decision-makers. For this fieldwork, we used a bottom-up
approach to give a voice to the community and imagined a
project that would reach the highest level of Arnstein’s ladder of
participation (Arnstein, 1969), or what Sarah White (1996) describes
as “transformative participation” with the aim of giving back
power to the citizens and restore trust. We based our solutions on
the rationality of this area-based planning, with an inclusive and
holistic approach, and identify what could be the drivers of change
in the community.
Overall, the main issues we noticed on site were concerning
the waste management system, the lack of public space, gender
inequalities, and the threat to the environment. Those four
challenges are closely linked together and finding answers for one
would help the improvement of the others as well, and the public
spaces would become the support of our spatial solutions.
To tackle those challenges, we set up three goals: the first
one is to create inclusive vibrant public spaces, that are safe
and encourage gender equity, The second goal is to have a
segregative waste management system that creates a social and
environmentally sustainable neighborhood, and the third goal is
the ecological regeneration of the area.
The spatial solutions are all together working towards
creating a shared context of meaning for the community, creating
purpose, equality and justice. The improvements in the area will
be closely linked to the improvement of the city in general, as
many of the challenges on a small scale are related to a broader
system. Those spatial solutions couldn’t be implemented without
a great governance structure that helps with the creation and
maintenance of the solutions. We identified relevant stakeholders
that would be the most relevant to contribute and created some
community groups to give ownership and a voice to the locals
of the neighborhood. The work that we have done here is just a
preview of what could be done in a neighborhood, as an example
of a Global South city.
Kunnumpuram has a lot of challenges
but also the capacity to become a thriving,
resilient, and inclusive community.
4.5 Reflection and Conclusion

(Re) - Gaining Ecological Futures Kunnumpuram, Fort Kochi, India.pdf

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