Local policies and strategies designed to deal with urban decline, decay or transformation are termed as urban renewal. It is a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change’ With the decision and authority of a governing municipality, rearranging land use, function and ownership features of a socially, economically or structurally decayed part of a certain city . such as slum zones or brown fields, for the purpose of obtaining a desired, well organized neighbourhood.

1. URBAN
RENEWAL IN
HERITAGE CITY
KVN VIRINCHI
NAVEENA GS
SEYED FARSHAD

2. CONTENT
URBAN RENEWAL – Definition
Understanding Urban Renewal
Why Urban Renewal?
Where Urban Renewal Is Required?
Tools / Approaches
Urban Renewal For Varanasi

3. URBAN RENEWAL – definition• Local policies and strategies designed to deal
with urban decline, decay or transformation
are termed as urban renewal.
• It is a comprehensive and integrated vision
and action which leads to the resolution of
urban problems and which seeks to bring
about a lasting improvement in the economic,
physical, social and environmental conditions
of an area that has been subject to change’
• With the decision and authority of a
governing municipality, rearranging land use,
function and ownership features of a socially,
economically or structurally decayed part of a
certain city .
• such as slum zones or brown fields, for the
purpose of obtaining a desired, well organized
neighbourhood.

4. UNDERSTANDING
URBAN RENEWAL
• The term Urban renewal means rebirth or regeneration
of a city or a part of it which has been plagued by the ills
of urbanization
• The planning concept originated in England and America
in 1930’s
• Decayed parts of the city were demolished and rebuilt.
• Initially referred to slum clearance and housing but has
gradually evolved into a multidimensional concept.
• These programs were thrust upon the city and its people
and were criticized and halted on opposition by
organized community movements.
• The urban renewal programs taken up later, involved
greater participation of the communities.

5. WHY URBAN
RENEWAL?
The triggers:-
• Effective functioning of Administrative towns - ( state
HQ, District HQ)
• To accommodate an event of magnitude. - (Asian
games, Common Wealth Games in Delhi, Tri Centenary
Celebrations of consecration of the Guru Granth Sahib
at Nanded)
• Necessity due to natural /man-made calamity -
(Earthquake in Bhuj, Plague in Surat)
• Obsolescence of land uses - (Shifting of manufacturing
industries )
• Market driven change of land use - (Commercialization
of Girgaum,Parel areas of Mumbai)
• To conserve historic monuments/ environment. - (
Areas around the Taj Mahal precinct )
• Lack of modern facilities

6. WHERE URBAN
RENEWAL IS REQUIRED?
Urban renewal is required for
• Dilapidating, ageing parts of the city,
not providing the city its full
potential and becoming a health
hazard
• In built form it consists of old area of
the city, congested area around
transit points, illegal settlements
needing redevelopment
• In terms of infrastructure - measures
for efficient and smooth movement
of traffic, improvement of
transportation network, provision
/improvement of utilities.

7. BASIC CONCEPT• Urban Renewal programs are
generally undertaken by public
authorities or by local governments.
• The emphasis is on those parts
which have fallen below current
standards of public acceptability.
These are commonly to be found
in: o The residential parts of the
inner city o The central business
district itself.
• Indicators for residential parts of
inner cities are: – inadequate
housing, – environmental
degradation, – presence of non-
conforming uses.
• Indicators for central business
district are: – traffic problems, –
congestion, – dilapidated buildings.

8. TOOLS /
APPROACHES
• SLUM CLEARANCE: Demolition of dilapidated
dwellings located in a slum
• REDEVELOPMENT: The demolition of an existing
building and its replacement by a new building
• REHABILITATION : The repair and improvement of
existing structurally sound property
• HOUSING IMPROVEMENT : Improvements of
dwellings by provision of essential basic
amenities
• CONSERVATION : To retain intact or unchanged.
• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS : Main
emphasis is to improve environmental conditions
• ECONOMIC RENEWAL : Improvement of
economic conditions of dwellers

9. DIMENSIONS OF
URBAN RENEWAL
• Physical renewal leads to improvement of urban fabric;
• Social renewal leads to improvement of community and
housing;
• Cultural renewal promotes enhancement of culture and
traditions;
• Economic renewal leads to new generation of
employment and revenue; and
• Environmental renewal leads to minimizing ecological
imbalances in urban environment

10. Paradigm Shifts: Concept of Urban Renewal in Developed and
Developing Nations.

11. Conceptual
Framework of
Urban Renewal:
Indian
interpretation

12. EVOLUTION OF URBAN RENEWAL

13. URBAN
RENEWAL IN
INDIAN
CONTEXT
Indian experience of urban renewal is fairly recent, though several
cities, particularly metropolises, have been attempting to tackle the
problem of decline and dilapidation through ad-hoc initiatives. In
diverse and complex nature of Indian society, problems are
different, contexts differ, needs change, and therefore, policies and
programme to deal with each city and town would also differ.
For example, urban renewal of
• Jaipur city would be conservation and restoration of its cultural
heritage of being a pink city while in
• Delhi it would be of effective use of traditional core areas
• Calcutta it would revolve around the phenomenon of basis as
providing ameliorative measures.
Basically it can be at macro level like redevelopment of inner city
core or at micro scale like traffic operation plan, conservation of old
buildings and up gradation of services, depending upon the
character or issues of town or a city.

14. WHY URBAN RENEWAL FOR
VARANASI
• Tourism is one of the most important economic
sectors for Varanasi. It employs more than 30% of
the city’s population.
• social and cultural infrastructure space are lack of
adequate education infrastructure for pre-primary,
primary, and higher secondary education.
• there is a need for development of health care
infrastructure at both neighborhood and city level.
• No industrial park for silk industry
• Inadequate provision for common effluent
treatment plant
• Drainage networks are carrying partially treated
effluents
• Inadequate technology and lack of modernization
• Issues with existing water network
• Sewerage and drainage in industrial areas
• Industrial waste in Varanasi city

15. Old City
• “The old city of Varanasi is a maze of buildings and
narrow streets that run along the length of the
bathing ghats. Temples, shrines, dormitory for
• pilgrims, shops, restaurants and hotels crowd the
cramped spaces of the city.
• Some of the important areas are chachori gali,
chowk, Vishwanath gali, Hara ka Sarai, Chatta Tale,
Thatheri Bazaar etc.
• All over the city are Shivalingam shrines that are
nestled in corners here and there. None of these
lingams are neglected.Every day a devotee will
place a new flower on each lingam and perform a
short worship.
• The streets of this city are just wide enough for two
people to walk shoulder to shoulder. There are an
immense pressures from tourism,

16. Central City
The areas adjacent to the city core are
constantly under great development
pressure due to close proximity to the core
areas.
 This is because of availability of all services,
cultural attractions and Varanasi is no
exception to this. These areas have been
categorized as “proximal areas” in
developing the growth analysis.

17. Recent Growth
Direction
The city has grown in the
north and north-west
direction .i.e. north peripheral
areas as it can be seen in the
images below. The images are
for the years 2003 and 2013
respectively. In addition, the
population density in the
central city area appears to
have increased. The spatial
growth
2003
2013

18. CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE Type of heritage
Ghats 84
Kunds and water ponds 88
Other heritage properties 1370
Temples only prominent 20
Mosques 2
Total 1564

20. HERITAGE CONSERVATION
INITIATIVES
• Dasashwamedh Cultural Quarter river front development;
• Panch koshi Yatra Halts (Rural Area Development);
• Conservation of water bodies Sarang, Pishachmochan & Pushkar
Kunds;
• Adaptive reuse of the Chet Singh Ghat and palace as a cultural
centre and of the Jagannath temple complex as art & craft center
• Balaji Ghat, St. Mary Church & Tripolia gate.
• At the regulatory level, the following on-going initiatives have
been proposed:
• Demarcation of Heritage Zones – Durga Kund - Sankatmochan
Area, Kamachcha-Bhelupura Area, Kabir Math (Lahartara) Area
and Sarnath in the Draft Master Plan (Figure).
• Cultural Resource Mapping and Listing, which identified several
heritage properties.
• Regulations and guidelines in consonance with the cultural
character of the city that may be processed as part of Master
Plan/Zonal Plans, Zonal Regulations and Development Controls.

22. Development
Goals
Development
Goal 1: Clean
Varanasi-Clean
Ganga
• Water supply improvement
• Provide 24x7 water supply
• Water quality to be improved to provide pure drinking water
for all
• Sewerage system
• 100% coverage of households by sewerage connections in the
city
• Re-use of treated sewerage for non-potable uses
• Sanitation
• To completely stop open defecation and urination
• Storm water drains
• Improve drainage network to prevent water logging and
safeguard quality of roads
• Constructing new drains integrated with the new roads
development
• Perforated tiles footpaths to allow penetration rain water into
ground
• Solid waste management
• Entire city to be covered under door to door collection
• 100% segregation of waste; recycle and reuse waste; start
mechanisms to convert waste to wealth

23. Development Goal 2: Make Varanasi Economically
Vibrant
Economic development
Tourism promotion through better facilities
Industrial facilitation and growth
Focus on informal sector regulation
Infrastructure
Development of roads
24X7 power supply

24. Development Goal 3: Retain the religious and cultural pre-eminence of Varanasi
in India
Heritage
Retain the character of old city while providing it all basic infrastructure facilities
Initiate coordinated approach to heritage area conservation and planning
Planning and service provision in ghat areas
Religious sites
Ensure round the clock cleanliness in temple complexes
Create awareness drives for cleanliness
River Ganga
Completely stop waste and sewerage disposal into the river
Development Goal 4: Make Varanasi an economically sustainable city
Environment management
Increase the green spaces in the city and integrate themPollution control through
multi-pronged strategies
Water body management
Integration and protection of kunds in the city
River front development
Activity zoning regulations on the river side

25. Improvement initiative taken up
by the city (Road Widening)
National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP)
• Equitable allocation of road space (public vs. private modes of transport).
• Priority to use of public transport (all million plus cities to plan for high capacity
transport systems).
• Priority to non-motorized modes.
• Uses up available land a valuable and scarce urban resource (than in Parking).
• Enhance institutional and individual capacity of the ULBs.
• Promote the development of integrated land use and transport plans for the
cities.
• Promote cleaner technologies
• Innovative financing mechanisms

26. Suggested Road Cross Section for 9M wide roads

27. Suggested Road Cross Section for 18M wide roads

28. CONCLUSION
THE CONCEPT OF RENEWAL WAS RESTRICTED TO
CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE SITES IN EARLY
MASTER PLAN . NO SPECIFIC EFFORTS WERE MADE
FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HERITAGE ZONES. EVEN THE
PRESENT URBAN RENEWAL MISSION IS MORE
INCLINED TOWARDS PROVISION OF
INFRASTRUCTURE RATHER THAN RENEWAL.
THE REDEVELOPMENT IS TAKING PLACE ONLY ON
THE PRIME LOCATIONS OF THE CITIES OCCUPIED BY
SLUMS WITHOUT PROPER SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
INTERVENTIONS RESULTING INTO DISPLACEMENT
OF SLUMS.