22-12-2012, 06:05 PM
The Study on Particular Urban Village
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ABSTRACT
Delhi is a vast city that grows without a definite boundary. In the process, it engulfs villages among many other natural topographical elements. This has resulted in the metamorphosis of many rural-scapes into an unfamiliar urban fabric. This urbanization has been successful in some scenarios and in some it has added chaos. These Urban Villages are now a hub of various activities and it would be interesting to see if and how the village and the villagers have transformed because of this urbanization, moreover, if this approach to planning is sustainable for the future. Also, keeping in mind our core research idea of understanding mixed use and observing how it works in such Urban Villages in the context of New Delhi.
OVERVIEW
The study will focus on one particular urban village – The Hauz Khas Village, to fully understand the implications of this unregulated urban growth of the city. Hauz Khas Village is located in South Delhi, off Sri Aurobindo Marg, overlooking the Deer Park and the Hauz Khas Tank. It is also home to the tomb of Firoz Shah Tughlaq and hence has very strong historical background. The growth of Delhi has been such that it has overlapped with many of the existing villages that have been flourishing for 100‟s of years, much before the expanse of Delhi was what it is today. Because of this growth, the city has often cocooned the village, restricting the boundaries of the village and taking away the prime means of income of the village, i.e. agriculture. It has made the villagers depend on the city for survival. This is a phenomenon that has occurred in the recent history of the city and it is imperative to understand its implications. The Hauz Khas village is no different, but its urbanization has happened in a more sensitized fashion. The village has transformed into an urbanized village which now houses designer boutiques, restaurants, cafe‟s etc. The influx of Urbanization has resulted in an economic upliftment of the villagers as land rates have soared. But, the question to ask and what we want to study is whether
Urbanization changed them for the better or the worse?
Do the natives of these villages still like it? Or have they lost their village to the city? Have they lost their sense of connection and belonging? And do they still call it their home?
It is important to look at all aspects of the society and structure of the village -the social, political, economic, cultural aspects of this transformation for a holistic understanding of this Urban Village. It is also imperative to look at the issue from the perspective of people from diverse classes and diverse cultures. This study will be a culmination of the experiences and perspectives of the people who live there, visit the place and us. The village itself, although small, has very diverse spaces that result in a variety of activities and varied levels of human interaction.
BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
The study began with the want of understanding the relevance of mixed use places or cities, with the central idea and question being whether they were safer. Mixed-use places in Delhi are a rarity since the city was designed and structured in the light of modernism. Urban Villages are places in Delhi where mixed use is prevalent.
The usual notion associated with the word urban village is an ugly sprawl of unrestricted, unchecked growth, since regular municipal rules do not apply to these villages. These are remnants of old agricultural communities that decided to retain their homes, instead of selling to urban developers or getting integrated in the city, and as a result have been cocooned by the development around.
There are about 135 urban villages in Delhi. Most of them do succumb to the unflattering images of themselves. However, these, show interesting characteristics of mixed-land use, a phenomenon that is not predominant in Delhi as a city.
PREPARATION AND WORK THUS FAR
We started with notion of understanding whether mixed land use resulted in more activity, lively places and thus safer places. This stemmed from our experiences of living in a place of segregated land use. The concept of mixed use was prevalent successfully in the villages that existed before modern Delhi. Thus, it resulted in the study of Urban Villages that have successfully incorporated Mixed Use along with Urbanization.
To understand the theory and the system behind mixed use, we looked at works of Jane Jacobs, Leon Krier and Christopher Alexander. The existing structure of mixed use is very different in Delhi, either found in isolated pockets or the Urban Villages in the city. In very few places we see the balance of mixed use. Hauz Khas Village, one of the Urban Villages of the city is such an example.
Before we visited the village, we were under the assumption that the urban growth into the village area would be resented by the original residents. It would take away their privacy, sense of community and prove to be an encroachment. The urbanscape was not only enclosing the village from the outside, but also eating it from the inside. This assumption arose from believing that Urbanization and globalization in these villages would take away from the culture and heritage of the village itself. Our preliminary studies involved visiting the area and speaking to a wide specturm of people and thus collecting empirical data. These ranged from the original residents, to the shoppers, the designers, the shop owners, the workers and the tourists. After speaking to people, some of our notions were changed completely and opened our eyes to newer understanding and possibilities of this urbanization.