Culturally conscious urban development fosters inclusiveness and innovation and strengthens social capital, says Ved Parkesh Dudeja, Vice President of RLDA, a statutory body under the Indian Ministry of Railways, in an opinion piece for The Hindu Business Line. Incorporating cultural concerns into the urban development process, he writes, builds trust in public institutions and strengthens social capital, while augmenting tourism potential.
“Urban development interventions that are responsive to cultural context lead to a series of positive outcomes such as fostering inclusiveness, innovation, resilience, entrepreneurship, etc,” he says. A further benefit is tackling ecological threats such as deforestation and climate change.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is the first local body in India to set up a dedicated Heritage Cell to ensure that the development process does not threaten heritage projects. But the Muzuris ancient harbour heritage project is the best example of integrating a conservation-based approach, according to Dudeja. “It has generated many positive outcomes such as employment generation, stimulating a revival of traditional art and boosting the local economy,” he writes.
He goes on to warn that elsewhere, India’s heritage resources are witnessing a rapid degradation that could be prevented by integrating them into such programmes. This calls for “seamless collaboration” between urban planning and heritage conservation regulatory bodies, he says.
Dudeja concludes that the redevelopment of historically significant railway stations is another key project of the government of India. RLDA is currently working on 60 stations that will be redeveloped as a part of Smart City projects.
