Introduction

Sao Tome, Fontainhas, and Mala sit at the base of Altinho hill, with Sao Tome being the northern most neighborhood of the area, Fontainhas in the middle, and Mala to the south. Fontainhas was named after the spring at the southern end of the neighborhood that historically supplied the area with water (Panjim and Its History 2019).

Fontainhas has been considered and protected by law as a Heritage Conservation area since 1974 (Mohta 2011, pg. 34). It is commonly referred to today as the Latin Quarter of Panjim. The buildings painted in bright reds, yellows, and blues attract both domestic and foreign tourists. This has created an interesting and complicated dynamic for the residents of the area.

Physical Capital

The Portuguese influence is strongly manifested in the area in the Indo-Portuguese style of architecture. However, today many of the buildings face physical deterioration due to high cost, lack of funding and shared ownership.

The settlement is organized along a main spine, which narrows and stretches organically. It was initially created as a pedestrian pathway, but nowadays it suffers from vehicular congestion.

Human Capital

Within the area there are many options for education, both for children and adults. There are four schools, ranging from pre-primary to high school level, attended by students from all over Goa. An important institution for the area is the Bookworm library, which hosts a variety of free workshops for children and adults.

Social Capital

There is a clear divide between the wards, especially between Fontainhas, and Mala. This originates in the historical division based on religious affiliations. Where as Sao Tome and Fontainhas are largely catholic, the area of Mala was always considered Hindu. This division is then reflected in other aspects as well. Social cohesion within the Hindu community is stronger than the Catholic one. However the community is generally not very interactive and most importantly there’s a lack of civic engagement.

Financial Capital

The financial capital in the area is mainly generated from the salaries of the residents, businesses in Fontainhas, and commercialization in the tourism sector. Those who struggle financially to maintain their buildings, often commercialize their house into income generating businesses, such as guest homes, small convenience stores, and boutiques.

Natural Capital

In Sao Tome, Fontainhas and Mala, there are not many green spaces. Buildings form a dense neighborhood and limit the availability of public and green spaces. The main open spaces are the Marble Plaza, Hedgewar school playground and Mala lakefront. The Marble Plaza is the most active and is used at different times of the day by different user groups.

After identifying the different types of inhabitants that reside in these neighborhoods, finding the struggles in the municipal systems, learning about the existing institutions and associations and observing the tension between different parties in the area, the students were able to divide the zone into two seperate field work sections, each examined further by group 5 and group 6.

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