Comparative urban form by Gaurav Banerjee

Comparative Urban Form: Indian Cities

Zoya Khan | Gaurav Banerjee | Lo誰c de Bethune

Hulvi the poet, piercing hundreds of pearls with one word, sang one day: The Shah, while on a gracious walk, Stopped at the bank of the river Sabarmati The ground was clean and charming, The water pleasant, the air pure. On seeing these attractions, by the grace of Allah, He dreamt of a wondrous city

The month of Zilqad of the Hijri year 813 Was chosen for the foundation of the city, And when the masons had raised the buildings The sky rang out in praise, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Well done!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hulvi Shirazi Tarikh-i-Ahmedshahi

Why Ahmedabad? “Of all India’s major cities today, Ahmedabad is in terms of antiquity, second only to Delhi. The other metropolitan cities, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, are younger, though bigger and more populous. There are numerous places in India which are older but unlike most of them which are today small, insignificant towns, Ahmedabad holds the distinction of having remained prosperous and prominent through the centuries.”

Source: Yagnik, Achyut and Suchitra Sheth. Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2011.

Prehistoric references 2000 BC

First historic references ( before 2000 BC) Late stone age tools found in various parts including Vatva to the south east. Expanding city has destroyed a good part of the prehistoric landscape. Shallow lakes at the base of the sand dunes at Thaltej on the west bank of Sabarmati suggest that it was a prehistoric pastoral camp site. The problems of the disappearance of the culture are still not fully understood.

Source: Mitchell, George and Snehal Shah. Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Marg Publications, 1988.

Asawal, Ashapalli and Karnavati 800 to 1100 AD

Asawal, Ashapalli and Karnavati (800 to 1100 AD) While the Arabic and Persian sources refer to this ancient town as Asawal, Sanskrit and Prakrit sources call it Ashapalli. Earliest reference to the town was made by the great scholar Alberuni 500 years before the founding of Ahmedabad. 900 AD. All references indicate the importance of Asawal or Ashapalli as a town during the 11th and 12th century when the Chalukya or Solanki kings Bhimdev I, Karnadev and Siddharaj were expanding their kingdom in Gujarat. The prolific literary output of Jain acharyas suggest that they must have been supported by a sizeable Jain community residing in the town.

Speculative form of Asawal in 10th century AD

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Source: Yagnik, Achyut and Suchitra Sheth. Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2011. Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Asawal, Ashapalli and Karnavati 800 to 1100 AD

Jain literary sources from the 13th and 14th century refer to Karnavati town on the bank of the Sabarmati River. It is not clear whether Karnavati was another name for Ashapalli or a neighbouring town or just a military outpost. In 1305 the Jain Acharya Merutunga wrote the Prabanddhchintamani in which he mentions the establishment of Karnavati by the Chalukyan King Karnadev in 1094 following his victory over Asha Bhil, the ruler of Ashapalli In 1300 Brahmin pandit Jayanta Bhatt in his Sanskrit work indicated that Ashapalli was perhaps more than a trading center, it was home to men of letters and it was also a military campsite. In sum it can be assumed that Karnadev may have established a military station in the late eleventh century, which developed as a suburb or town near Ashapalli in the next two or three hundred years and eventually merged with that ancient town. Ashapalli in turn was absorbed into the expanding city of Ahmedabad.

Asawal settlement extent with respect to the walled city

100

200

500 m

Source: Yagnik, Achyut and Suchitra Sheth. Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2011. Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Asawal under Delhi Sultanate

Asawal Under Delhi Sultanate •During Chalukyan rule (942- 1304), Gujarat then known as Gujardesh, was an important center of trade and commerce. •With the Delhi sultanate conquering Gujarat momentous change was brought about for the people of Patan, Cambay, Bharuch and Asawal. •Alauddin Khilji appointed his brother in law Alp Khan, as the first governor of Gujarat, who ruled the province from Patan. •During his ten year rule from 1305 to 1315, he gave permission to a Jain merchant of Patan to rebuild Shatrunjay Temple in Saurashtra, considered the most sacred shrine by the Jains of western India. •Towards the end of Muhammad Tughluq's rule (1325-1351), local commanders in Western India known as Amiran i sada, rose in revolt and captured Asawal after a 20 day long siege. This indicated a protective wall around Asawal.

•Tughluq himself arrived in Gujarat and inflicted the heavy defeated upon them.

Source: Yagnik, Achyut and Suchitra Sheth. Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2011.

Rise of Gujarat Sultanate

•In 1391 the Delhi Sultan Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III appointed Zafar Khan governor of Gujarat. •Zafar Khan's son Tatar Khan then ruler of Delhi had a son Ahmed Khan in November of 1391 who later came to be known as Ahmed Shah. •In December 1398 Mongol army of Timur sacked Delhi. The Tughluq empire disintegrated and a number of independent kingdoms Multan, Jaunpur, Malwa and later Gujarat, came into existence. •Tatar Khan who had fled to Gujarat, proclaimed himself sultan at Asawal in 1404, becoming the first Sultan of Gujarat. with the title Muhammad Shah. •He died two months later in a military campaign. •Asawal remained the headquarters of the district which extended up to Harsol in the North and Kapadvanj in the south east.

Timur defeats the sultan of Delhi

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat_Sultanate

The Sultans of Gujarat

Muzaffar Shah to Ahmed Shah In Mirat- i- Sikandari, the Persian historian Sikandar says Zafar Khan taking the title of Muzaffar Shah became the sultan of Gujarat in the last quarter of 1407. It was he who laid the foundation of the kingdom. According to a legend Ahmed Khan poisoned his grandfather to take his place as Sultan in Patan in early 1411. His uncles Firuz Khan and two others , who held Vadodara challenged him by captured Cambay and Bharuch. Ahmed Shah rushed to Patan with his army and after his conciliatory approach, managed to pursue his uncles into a peaceful agreement.

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat_Sultanate

Foundation of a new capital

Foundation of a New Capital Returning from Bharuch campaign, Ahmed Shah laid the foundation of a new capital in February of 1411 in the vicinity of Asawal. Sensing future rebellion from his uncles in Vododara and Patan, Rajput Kingdoms of Kutch, Jhalawad and Sorath, and Rajput kings of Mewar and Malwa, he strategically chose a central location for his new capital. This position gave an advantage to Ahmed Shah to defend his kingdom and also expand his sphere of authority.

Compared to Patan, Asawal had many advantages. It was well connected through shorter routes to two vital port cities, Cambay and Bharuch, and also with Saurashtra in the west and Champaner in the east. There existed tactical advantage as Muzaffar Shah had already built nearby forts at Harsol and Kapadvanj. The river Sabarmati was also a more promising source of water compared to river Saraswati which had sustained Patan for the preceding six centuries.

Gujarat in 15th century- the external and internal borders corresponds to those of present day Gujarat.

Image Source: Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity

Foundation of a new capital

Foundation Myths One popular myth says that Ahmed Shah went hunting one day on the banks of Sabarmati and saw a hare chasing a dog.

Amazed by the unusual role reversal and interpreting it as an auspicious omen Ahmed Shah decided to establish a city at that spot. Foundation SanctifiedMost Persian historians mention that the foundation of Ahmedabad was sanctified by the eminent Sufi saint Sheikh Ahmed Khattu. He had established his hospice in Sarkhej a town close to Asawal around 1400. He suggested that the foundation be laid by four Ahmeds two were Sheikh Ahmed Khattu and Sultan Ahmed Shah and the other two were Kazi Ahmed Jud of Patan and Malik Ahmed. Ahmed Shah and the new city named after him, looked forward to be prosperous forever being blessed by Sufi saints of three ordersMaghribi, Suhrawafy and Chisti.

Image Source: http://heritageahmedabadamc.blogspot.in/

Source: Mitchell, George and Snehal Shah. Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Marg Publications, 1988.

Image Source: http://www.dineshmehta.com/

Foundation of a new capital- The Citadel

The Citadel: Bhadra Fort The construction of the citadel or royal campus was taken up in the first phase of the foundation ceremony. The fort complex was almost 16 hectares with four gates around the present Bhadra towers and Ahmed Shah's Mosque. The original Royal palace might have been located in the river front.

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Image Reference: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Foundation of a new capital- The Citadel

The Citadel: Bhadra Fort

•The construction of the citadel or royal campus was taken up in the first phase of the foundation ceremony. •The citadel of Patan built by ancient Hindu Rajas has the same form and similar turrets and contained a temple dedicated to Bhadra Kali. •Ahmed Shah's mosque was completed in December 1414. •Most materials used for construction of the mosque came from demolished Hindu or Jain Temples. Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Maidan Shah

Existing settlements

Evolution of the city center

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Foundation of a new capital- The Mosque, gate and tombs

Jami Mosque and Teen Darwaza

• The Jami Mosque was completed in 1424 on the eastside of the royal complex. • Halfway between the Jami mosque and Bhadra Towers, Ahmed Shah built the triple gateway or the Teen Darwaza. • "The Maidan Shah or the King's market was at least 1600 feet long and half as many broad and beset all around with rows of palm trees and date trees intermixed with citron trees and orange trees." - J. Albert de Mandelslo, 1638. • Badshah ka Hazira built by Ahmed Shah. • Shortly after his death the Queen's tomb was built. •The main market sprang up around these imposing buildings. Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Evolution of the city center

Maidan Shah

Jami mosque and the tombs

•Sayyid Alam mosque and Haibat khan's mosque were also built in the formative years of the city.

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Image Source: http://www.dineshmehta.com/

An early interpretation of Ahmedabad Jami Masjid: the Shaking Minarets in a coloured lithograph after a drawing by Captian Grindlay dated 1809. Image Source: http://www.allposters.co.uk/-st/Captain-Robert-M-GrindlayPosters

Foundation of a new capital- The Mosque, gate and tombs

Jami Mosque

King’s Tomb

Gates

Queen’s Tomb

Image Source: Mitchell, George and Snehal Shah. Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Marg Publications, 1988; Redrawn 2013

Fort Walls SHAHPUR DARWAZA

HALIM DARWAZA

Fortification Historians differ in their opinions as to who built the fort walls, Ahmed Shah in 1413 or Mahmud Begada, his grandson in 1487. If we look at the map of the city walls, its irregular and asymmetrical from is clear. By the mid 17th century the city walls had 12 gates and surrounded by a moat 29.2 meters wide. A hundred years later the perimeter of the city walls was nearly 10 kilometers and contained twelve gates, 139 towers, nine corners and 6000 battlements. In the west- Khanpur, Raikhad and Khanjahan Gates, In the north- Shahpur, Delhi, and Dariapur Gates, In the east- Kalupur, Sarangpur, and Raipur Gates, in the south- Astodia, Jamalpur and Dhadia Gates. The British added the Premabhai gate in 1864 and Panchkuva gate in 1871.

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Tanks and Water bodies 1450 - 1500

Tanks and Water bodies •The sultans and nobles developed water resources near their buildings and suburbs. •Sultan Quitbuddin built Hauz-i- Qutb known as Kankariya Lake in 1451. •Shah Alam constructed a tank near his seminary and called it Mustufasar. •In 1499 An elegant stepped well was built by Bai Harir in Harirpura near Asarwa. •In the same year the Adalaj stepped well was built by Ruda Devi. •These wells were located along the trade routes leading to the city.

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Mahmud Begada-1458- 1511

Puras and Suburbs •Sultan Begada encouraged his nobles to establish 'pura' or suburbs. Ruling elite established new areas in the vicinity of the royal fortress. •Shah Alam- Rasulabad •Saiyyad Uthman- Usmanpura •Malik Isan- Isanpur. etc. •Sufi Saints played an important role in shaping the periphery like Sarkhej and Vatva. •Their mausoleums became large complexes consisting of a seminary, mosque and assembly hall, attracting a large number of devotees.

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Mahmud Begada-1458- 1511

Ahmedabad to Muhammadabad- 1486

In 1486 Mahmud Begada transferred the capital of Gujarat from Ahmedabad to Champaner and called it Muhammadabad. For seventy five years it remained the capital but it failed to prosper while Ahmedabad continued to develop as a commercial and industrial city. The city attracted a large influx of immigrants from lands far and near. During the later half of Begada's 50 year rule and after his death, which coincided with the centenary year of the city- the city witnessed sectarian strife among Muslim and Jain communities as well as the emergence of of a new Vaishnav sect overshadowing earlier Shaiva and Vaishnava tradition.

Image Source: Ahmedabad From Royal City to Megacity

Mahmud Begada-1458- 1511

The Growth of the city center •Trade and commerce flourished and the Manek Chowk and the street between the Teen Darwaza the Mosque became the commercial spine. •Dealers in arms and manufacturers of luxury goods settled around these places. •Dhalgarwada, Salapasa Road, Patwasheri and Dananpith, which are still common in this area, was another zone of markets around the mosque.

Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Evolution of the city center

Maidan Shah

Jami mosque and the tombs & Manek Chowk

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Mughal Era 1570- 1757

Coming of the Mughals •The last fifty years of the Gujarat Sultanate were turbulent. •Akbar conquered Gujarat following a revolt by Mirzas and some disgruntled Afghan and Abyssinian nobles.

•Akbar introduced a revenue system of paying taxes in cash and abolished transit dues, which led to the expansion of trade. •Being an important center linking the Silk Route and the Spice Route, the city emerged as an illustrious city of the Mughal era.

The Silk Road and related trade routes

Image Source: http://www.silkroadproject.org/Education /TheSilkRoad/SilkRoadMaps/tabid/177/Default.aspx

Mughal Era 1570- 1757

The Growth of the city center •During this period of relative political stability, this fortified town experienced a growth in prosperity •Bhadra was renovated.

extensively

repaired,

and

fortifications

were

•The modern gate and the alignments on the south, east and north were altered, and that on the south side was repaired. •Gardens and Hamams were laid out, while new buildings were erected elsewhere in the city. Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Evolution of the city center

Maidan Shah

Jami mosque and the tombs & Manek Chowk

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Mughal Era 1570- 1757

Mughal Empire •During the rule of Shah Jahan, discord between the Murtipujak and Sthanakvasi Jain sects became sharper. •Shah Jahan spent the prime of his life in the city, sponsoring the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. •During the governorship of Prince Aurangzeb in Gujarat a fresh wave of prosecution of 'heretics' started. •He exhibited religious intolerance at multiple levels, many temples were converted into mosques. •The mainstay of the city's economy became textiles, indigo production and refining saltpeter.

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Mughal Era 1570- 1757

Source: Mitchell, George and Snehal Shah. Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Marg Publications, 1988.

Mughal Era 1570- 1757 Mughal era: The English East India Company opened its trading center or Factory in 1615, and the Dutch East India Company set up its factory in 1618. In the Mughal era, particularly from Jahangir's rule, the mahajans of Ahmedabad and their Sheths enjoyed great power and prestige.

In 1630-33 a terrible famine created turmoil for a long turmoil. The last two decades of the seventeenth century witnessed a series of natural calamities, famine, flood and epidemic. Natural Calamities (1681-97) Year

Nature

Impact

1681-82

Famine

First roti riot (food riot) in the city.

1684

Heavy rain, flood in Sabarmati

Walls of the city and Bhadra enclave breached at many places.

1685-86

Famine

Rise in prices of food grain.

1690- 91

Famine and epidemic

Heavy mortality throughout Gujarat.

1694- 95

Drought

Rise in prices of food grain.

1696- 97

Famine

Water and grass shortage in north Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Mughal Era 1570- 1757

Source: Mitchell, George and Snehal Shah. Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Marg Publications, 1988.

Mughal Era 1570- 1757 End of Mughal rule: In June of 1707, the Maratha army under the leadership of Balaji Viswanath entered Gujarat from Malwa and reached Mahemadabad. The Mughal governor Ibrahim Khan realising the loss of confidence of the people of the city, decided to negotiate with Balaji Viswanath. This was the beginning of the end of Mughal rule in Ahmedabad and in Gujarat. Maratha Rule In 1711, Maratha general Dabhade marched up to Bharuch and established control over the main trading route between Surat and Burhanpur resulting in the further decline of both trading centers. In 1714 during the Holi festival violence erupted in the main market place due to Hindu- Muslim discord.

Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Evolution of the city center

Maidan Shah

Jami mosque and the tombs & Manek Chowk

In 1733, a large Maratha army invaded the province under the leadership of Umabai, a powerful leader who was in a vicious conflict with Peshwa Baji Rao. However, the Maratha army depended strongly on cavalry which made it impossible to penetrate the fortified city. They continued their siege outside the city gates for nine months, plundering the area it so completely that the suburb Rasulabad where they were based disappeared from the map.

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Maratha Rule 1758- 1817

In February 1758 the victorious Marathas entered the city after Momin Khan surrendered and left for Cambay. For the next sixty years the remained under Maratha rule. The Peshwas enjoyed control over eleven gates and only one gate, Jamalpur, remained under the direct control of the Gaekwad.

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Maratha Rule 1758- 1817

1780: Gaekwad enter into treaty with East India Company to evict the Peshwas 1817: Lease of the Gaekwads was terminated leaving the city in British hands. The city was in bad shape because of the high taxation and bad government of the Marathas. British restored the economy by stimulating trade and business.

Sabarmati River

The Citadel

Evolution of the city center

Maidan Shah

Jami mosque and the tombs & Manek Chowk

Image Source: Conceptual and the real : understanding an experience of the city : Ahmedabad. Thesis by Riyaz Tayyibji

Maratha Rule 1758- 1817

A typical dense fabric of a pol

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

British Rule 1817- 1947

British Rule •With the coming of the British, new rules were also framed to define and penalize 'nuisances‘, expressing a new concept of urban living and etiquette. •People were prohibited from carrying on their profession on public thoroughfares, from damaging or altering roads and from throwing rubbish, dung or filth on the road. •Ahmedabad cantonments were established in 1830. •Kalupur Railways Station was built in 1871.

•Ellis Bridge was constructed in 1889 and opened in 1892.

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British Rule 1817- 1947

A distinct difference in the structure of the city came into being between the west walled city and the eastern part of Ahmedabad. Inequality between West-Ahmedabad and East-Ahmedabad drew a lot of criticism, provision of services and amenities was heavily skewed.

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Gandhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence on Ahmedabad city

Influence of Gandhi on city Ahmedabad: Changed image of Ahmedabad from small provincial town to major city. Heavily influenced a small group of elite leaders to develop the city in a socially responsible way: Ambalal Sarabhai, owner of a.o. Calico mills. Anasuyaben Sarabhai, founder of the Textile Labour Association Kasturbhai Lalbhai, owner of a.o. Raipur mill. Vallabhbhai Patel, to become mayor of Ahmedabad The city in that time was governed by a small cluster of enlightened leaders that made it possible to develop the city with vision.

Gandhi’s influence on Ahmedabad city Power structure between the British and Gandhian leaders can be seen from the introduction of Town Planning Schemes by the 1915 Bombay Town Planning Act. Vallabhbhai Patel was mayor of Ahmedabad at the time. Five schemes were made for Ahmedabad (by the British administration): Two schemes were easily passed: • Kankaria Scheme • Jamalpur Scheme One scheme met with public opposition but was passed by Patel because of his vision for the West bank. • Ellisbridge Scheme was passed by Sardar Patel after protest

Two schemes met with public opposition and were blocked by Patel, they could only be executed after he left office and in a different form. • Relief Road Scheme was highly compromised but built in 1933 • City Walls Scheme was delayed but walls were destroyed in 1930's On the other hand, in the 1920's Patel himself drew up and implemented plans for proper drainage and water for the walled city in a very swift and efficient way. 0

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Relief Road 1933

Temple Mosque Graveyards

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Relief Road 1933

Temple Mosque Graveyards

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Relief Road 1933

Temple Mosque Graveyards

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Tissue of transformation of pols

Pols demolished to create new roads in the walled city

Source: Documenting Ahmedabad : Nineteenth century to Independence by Soumitro Ghosh

Gandhinagar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; capital of Gujarat

1947: Independence. May 1960: Gujarat and Maharastra become separate states. Creation of State Capital Gandhinagar in the 70's, based on Chandigarh and Ghandi's principles.

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Ahmedabad- Post Indepence

1976: Urban Land Ceiling Act placed a ceiling on the acquisition of available land to curb speculation in urban areas. A lot of property transactions became semi-legal or illegal, a black market came up. Leadership started dwindling which led to corruption, mismanagment and carelessness, resulting in the overall haphazard and self-interested growth of the city. At the same time developers started circumventing regulations: for example: CG road and Ashram Road. Until then no markets had been established in the Western city, the connection to the old city started evaporating.

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Ahmedabad- Post Indepence

160

East Side: Mills: 140

1861: 1911: 1921: 1940: 1965: 1981:

120

100

Establishment of first mill mill workers 30000 mill workers 43500 (51 mills) 74000 workers, 880 chawls 133000 workers, 1500+ chawls 155000 workers in 63 mills

Jobs were allocated mostly on caste-basis, leading to different communities living in close proximity in the chawls (as opposed to caste-groups each being assigned a mill).

Conditions in the mill were poor:

Number of Mills 40

Number of workers x 1000 20

Number of Spindles x 10000

Shifts could run up to 15 hours a day, supervision was done by 'jobbers' who beat the mill workers and were responsible for hiring new workers. A 1917 study showed that the mill owners salary was insufficient to pay for daily expenses, let alone unexpected costs. Housing conditions were thus very poor, in most cases too little toilets and lack of access to water.

1891 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1985 1997

Source: Ahmedabad City Development Plan 2006- 2012

Ahmedabad Closed Textile Mill Land

Ahmedabad Closed Textile Mill Land 1980's mills started closing down due to subsidized shift towards smaller production units. Huge tracts of land in East-Ahmedabad were abandoned. Drop in textile labor: 1981: 1987: 1989: 1995:

155000 workers in 63 mills 72000 workers 62126 workers 35000 workers

Diversification into diamond polishing, chemicals and denim. The total land area occupied by the closed mills is 3.34 sq. kms. Due to complex use change procedures and because of claims of Banks and workers the land is lying vacant since 1985/86.

Source: Ahmedabad City Development Plan 2006- 2012

Institutes of Ahmedabad

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Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Religious institutions of Ahmedabad

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Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Textile mills of Ahmedabad

Textile Mills: Ahmedabad has a long history of self generating prosperity through its trade, commerce and textile. It posses a powerful mercantile and artisan cooperatives and guilds.

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Expansion towards the west

West Side: Institutions Ellisbridge developed into posh neighborhood, caused by Cooperative housing ventures which provided an important legal mechanism to make residential expansion possible for middle classes. The growth was then characterized by a total reversal of the fabric due to the introduction of British planning norms. It is now fragmented owing to the buildings set in their individual compounds.

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Institutions of Ahmedabad

The industrial development confined itself essentially in the eastern side taking the form of ribbon development along the major routes in the north-east and south-east. 1935: establishment of Ahmedabad Educational with considerable help from Mill Owners, leading to establishment of institutes of national importance such as Gujarat University, NID, IIM-A, CEPT University Up until the '40s a number of modern institutions were created (hospital, library, museum, town hall etc) all of them around Ellisbridge on the western side of town.

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Outskirts of Ahmedabad

The residential development in the west took a new form- that of the high rise development due to increasing pressure on land. The major changes brought about in this phase areby the elite who have opted for the town house typology within the city where the land is expensive and the built farm houses as a second home in the agricultural zones.

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Present Walled City

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

Historic city center- present fabric

Source: Pandya, Y. (2002). The Ahmedabad Chronicle, Imprints of a Millenium. Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation.

2001 Earthquake

January 26, 2001 Earthquake 745 died, mostly in the high-rises in the western part of Ahmedabad. Exposed the negligence and corruption of AMC and AUDA when it came to violations of construction standards and building bylaws. Up to 90 percent of buildings constructed between 1980 and 2001 would not have a building use certificate that is usually issued at succesful completion of the building. After the earthquake, there was a shift towards more low-rise building.

Reference : http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1805/18051160.htm

2002 Communal Riots

Communal riots: Towards the end of the century, communal tensions were exploited for personal gain by the triggering of riots by politicians as well as gangsters. This led to the ghettoization of the city along communal lines. 1941: 65 killed First major communal riots, an event widely blamed on the British and the Muslim League. The social geography of the city started sharpening: Muslims could not go to Khadia and Raipur, Hindus could not go to Jamalpur and Kalupur

1946: 32 killed 1969: 560 - 2000 killed 1985: riots about Solanki-reservation scandal derailed into communal violence 1992: destruction of Babri Masjid 2002: 1000 killed, Ghodra riots

City Form of Ahmedabad 2002

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Ahmedabad growth pattern

1931-41 population growth has been the highest. From the beginning of the 20th century the rate of immigration rose. Population growth in the peripheral areas is more rapid than the areas within the city limits. The contrasting spatial patterns observed in the eastern and western areas of AMC have extended into the peripheral areas in the same manner which has been absorbing most of the growth in the recent years. Rapid growth in the form of ribbon development along the Sarkhej Gandhinagar highway was witnessed during the 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Image Source:AUDA CDP

Population density

In Ahmedabad a decline is occurring in the population share of the walled city (city core) because of immigration of population to other parts of the city as well as increasing commercialization. This tendency has been particularly marked since the seventies (growth rates of -0.14 per cent and -1.73 per cent in 1971-81 and 1981- 91 respectively).

Image Source:AUDA CDP

Direction of Future Growth

Image Source:AUDA CDP

Ahmedabad road network

The greater Ahmedabad area roadway system is approximately 3478 Kms. Major roads:

Image Source:AUDA CDP

Ahmedabad BRTS

Land market has a tendency to place a higher premium on parcels that are in close proximity to the transit corridors due to the travel time saving and hence the land use transformation along the transit corridors is evident.

Image Source: Nitika Bhakuni - Land Use Transformation Along BRTS in Ahmedabad

Building Height â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2006 & 2010

Image Source: Nitika Bhakuni - Land Use Transformation Along BRTS in Ahmedabad

Building Height â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2006 & 2010

Image Source: Nitika Bhakuni - Land Use Transformation Along BRTS in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad Bridges

There are eight bridges, which make it possible to traverse east-west across the river Sabarmati. There are three additional bridges proposed of which one is between Subhash Bridge and Gandhi Bridge.

Image Source:AUDA CDP

Sabarmati riverfront development project

Make the riverfront accessible to the public. Stop the flow of sewage, keep the river clean and pollution-free. Provide permanent housing for riverbed slum dwellers. Reduce risk of erosion and flooding in flood prone neighborhoods. Create riverfront parks, promenades and ghats to enjoy the water Provide Ahmedabad with new cultural, trade and social amenities. Revitalize riverfront neighborhoods, rejuvenate Ahmedabad. Generate resources to pay for all of the foregoing. Stitch together East and West Ahmedabad. Create a memorable identity for Ahmedabad