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PARK STREETLUCA PESTALOZZI & MATTHIAS STÜCHELI



2

ETH Studio BaselLuca PestalozziMatthias Stücheli

THE KOLKATA STUDIO

Professor Jacques HerzogProfessor Pierre de Meuron

Manuel HerzShadi RahbaranYing Zhou

©



PARK STREET



5

1_PREFACEA Way to Understand a CityCity as Conglomerate

2_CONTEXTLocation of Park StreetAspects of ConnectivitySocioeconomic Context

3_PARK STREET AS IT WASHistory of Park StreetImage of Park Street

4_PARK STREET AS FOUND

5_CONGLOMERATIONKolkata Characterized a ConglometateZoom Out / Zoom InInformal SettlementsReligion

6_REJUVENATIONRegeneration of the OldPossibilities of Rejuvenation

7_PERSPECTIVESAn Alternative Model?

12

14

22

30

34

44

52

63

94

107

136

154

176

179

184

CONTENTS



8



9

PREFACEA WAY TO UNDERSTAND A CITY

CITY AS CONGLOMERATE

1



12

How to get to understand a street? A street is morethan just a linear strip of houses. It can rather beread as a complex structure in social, spacial andhistorical aspects.

In cutting a house, Gordon Matta Clark, showedmore than just the hidden construction. He re-vealed perspectives that have not been seen be-fore - he changed the viewers perception.

he revealed perspectives thathave not been seen before

In order to get to know the true character of ParkStreet we have to slice this heritage street. Thesection along Park Street will reveal a gradientfrom the upper to the lower end, from a colonialheritage part to a much more neglected part inthe area of Park Circus. But what happens behindthe facades of Park Street? For these reasons wewill take cross sections to link it to a context.

Beyond that, a street is a wire in the dense net-work of a city. Park Street as a main-wire in theKolkata-network could then become a instrumentto learn more about Kolkata as a whole.

A WAY TO UNDERSTANDA CITY



13

Gordon Matta Clark, Splitting 32, 1975Collaged b/w photograph on cardboard



14

It has to be prexed that Kolkata is not a classi-cal segregated city. Opposite recent tendenciesto cities, which are embedded in globalizationprocesses and therefore drawn back to their owncongurations.

Yes there are extremes, fractions and contrasts- Park Street is probably one of the most segre-gated places in Kolkata - but still, level and size ofsegregation we talk about, make the differences.There are no Gated Communities like the ones inLos Angeles or Sao Paolo. Rather than a city of

Kolkata could be described asa city of both-and

either-or, Kolkata could be described as a city ofboth-and. Therefore Kolkata should be describedas a conglomerated city. “A mixture of various ele-ments, clustered together without assimilation.”[Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989.]

In this way of mixture the conglomerate could evenbe seen as a counter model to the open-closedstudy of Studio Basel on the Canary Islands.

CITY AS CONGLOMERATE conglomerate, n. The adj. used ab-sol. [Cf. mod.F. conglomérat.]

1. Geol. (= conglomerate rock.)A composite rock consisting ofrounded and waterworn fragmentsof previously existing rocks, unitedinto a compact mass by some kind

of cement; often called pudding-stone. (Cf. BRECCIA.)

1818 W. PHILLIPS Outl. Min. & Geol. (1818)145 When a sandstone contains rounded mass-es of considerable dimensions, it is termeda conglomerate. 1832 H. T. DE LA BECHEGeol. Man. 219 Conglomerates alternatingwith greenish sandstone and variously colouredmarls. 1880 HAUGHTON Phys. Geog. v. 242This shell conglomerate is largely burnt forlime.attrib. 1846 MCCULLOCH Acc. Brit. Empire(1854) I. 255 The conglomerate hills extendthrough Ross-shire.

b. transf.

1853 KANE Grinnell Exp. xxx. (1856) 259Thus, dried apples became..a conglomerate ofsliced chalcedony. 1856 Arct. Expl. I. xi. 116 Aconglomerate of gravel and ice.

2. g. A mixture of various mate-rials or elements, clustered togetherwithout assimilation.

1837 WHEWELL Hist. Induct. Sc. (1857) III.399 The English language is a conglomerate ofLatin words, bound together with a Saxon ce-ment. 1864 BURTON Scot Abr. I. i. 57 In thatimmense conglomerate of useful and uselessknowledge.

3. A large business group or in-dustrial corporation resulting fromthe merging of originally separate

and diverse commercial enterpris-es.

1967 Economist 11 Feb. 553/4 Textron Inc., aleading ‘conglomerate’its 28 divisions sell ev-erything from chickens to rocket engines. 1970Daily Tel. 12 Mar. 9/1 Now there is scarcely anup-to-date conglomerate without a publishingoperation embedded somewhere in its diversi-ed mass. 1970 Sci. Amer. Mar. 31/2 A zaibatsuis similar to a U.S. conglomerate, which is alsoa group of unrelated companies under sophisti-cated nancial management.

SOURCE: Oxford Dictionary, Second Edi-tion, 1989.



15

KOLKATAIS NOT ASEGREGATEDCITY

KOLKATAIS ACONGLOMERATEDCITY



18



19

2CONTEXTLOCATION OF PARK STREETASPECTS OF CONNECTIVITY

SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION OF LANDFUNCTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF LAND



22

Park Street is located quite central in Kolkata. It isgrowing out of the old colonial town towards eastand is surrounded by different districts. To theeast there is Salt Lake City, which was foremostbuilt in the early 60ies, and the new developingRajarhat. North-east the Kolkata internationalAirport and southbound the mainly residentialSouth Kolkata is situated.

LOCATION OF PARK STREET



AIRPORT

RAJARHAT

COLONIALTOWN

SALT LAKECITY

SOUTHKOLKATA

23



24



25

Park Street runs from Chowringhee Road in thewest to Park Circus Station in the east. It is about3.5 Kilometers long. The part between Chow-ringhee Road and Mullick Bazar has been one ofKolkata’s main attractions for years. It connectsdirectly to Park Circus on the east from whereother major roads such as the Eastern Metropoli-tan Bypass, Ballygunge Road and Gariahat Roadstarts and connects to important areas such asSouth Kolkata, Salt Lake City, Rajarat and the air-port.



26

A J C B

o s e

R o a d

C h o w

r i n g h e e

R o a d



27

Park Circus

Park Circus Station

Park Street



28



29

Figure Ground Plan

The gure ground plan of Park Street reveals avery heterogeneous structure. Many aspects ofPark Street and its history which will be subjectslater in this book, are already inscribed in the builtfabric.The big mansions, the slums and the buildings inbetween; the cemeteries, the parks and court-yards; the big streets and the narrow roads formtogether a very specic context which wof thisanalysis.



30

THE METRO SYSTEM

Understanding Kolkata’s public transport systemmay be an aspect of explaining the social declinefrom west to east.

Kolkata’s public transport system is based ona more or less orthogonal system. The “KolkataMetro Railway” could be described as the spine ofpublic transport. It is the north-south connectorbetween Dum-Dum and Tollygunge leading troughthe city on its western side. The annual passengervolume was estimated to be 630 millions (2001).The east-west distribution is based on auto rick-shaws and busses. The auto-rickshaws collectpeople on some important crossings and duringthe drive to the metro station . The charge is be-tween 6 and 9 Rupees at xed price and they takeup to six people.The Bus system works similar, but buses also dodrive longer distances. The charge is 2 to 4 ru-pees.

This public transport system compared with thesocioeconomic distribution of Kolkata’s popula-tion has a direct relation. The economically weak-er parts are generally more situated in the eastwhere connectivity is on a lower level.

Regarding this, Park Street with its east-west di-rection may be seen as a representational section

through Kolkata’s social-spatial distribution.

ASPECTS OF CONNECTIVITY



AIRPORT

RAJARHAT

COLONIALTOWN

SALT LAKECITY

SOUTHKOLKATA

31



32

ROAD SYSTEM

Similar to the public transport the road system isbased on a north-south and east-west orientatedgrid.

Together with the Eastern Metropolitan BypassPark Street is a very important connector betweenthe main business district BBD Bagh and the bigresidential zones of Salt Lake City, the developingarea of Rajarhat and the Airport.Over Park Circus big parts of South Kolkata areconnected to the city center.Because of serious trafc congestions in thenarrow roads people rather drive the long wayaround over the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass andPark Street, because there the trafc is owingat least. To absorb this commuting streams ParkStreet is a one way road from east to west in themorning changing to the other direction after 1p.m. In order to reduce trafc jams busses andauto-rikshaws are prohibited on Park Street.



RAJARHAT

COLONIALTOWN

SALT LAKECITY

SOUTHKOLKATA

AIRPORT

Eastern Metro-politan Bypass

EMB-Connector

33



34

SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT

Regarding different social aspects a west-east decline of socioeconomic status getsobvious by looking at different statistics.

a west-east decline ofsocioeconomic status

gets obviousGoing east the percentage of slum populationto total population is increasing and the rate ofemployed people (formal sector) is shrinking.Density is getting higher from west to east in thePark Street area, but the highest density rates arefound in the area of northern BBD Bagh having the

gradient in the other direction.

The distribution of land use shows a certain het-erogeneiety of functions. But in fact the functionsare mixed a lot more because informal use wasnot concidered..



ResidentialCommercialInstitutionalIndustrialOpen spaceWater

35

SOURCE | Kolkata Municipal Corporation, 2005

LAND USE



2322

21 24 26

25

40

48

51 50

4947

555352

46

6361

62

60

54

59

64

6569

7071

7273

83 84 85

86

68 67

66

107

106105

92

9190

9389

8788

82

81118

117

119132

130

131

129 120

121

116

97

9495

96

99

98

100

101

110

111

112113

102

103

104

109

108

114

115122123

124125

126

127

128

7478

77

76

75

80

134

133

135

137138

139136

140

141

79

4 5 43

42

20 1 8 1 716

11

1210

89

19

7

64

3

13

14

32

5

2

1

44

56 57

58

34

37

36 35

3029

31

33

Salt Lake CityHowrah

41 39 38

27

28

15

36

WARDS

SOURCE | Kolkata Municipal Corporation, 2005



37

SOURCE | Census of India, 2001



38

SOURCE | Census of I ndia, 2001



39

SOURCE | Census of India, 2001



40



41

3PARK STREETAS IT WAS

HISTORY OF PARK STREETIMAGE OF PARK STREET



1784 The Street to the Burial Grounds

100 000 Inhabitants

The rst settlements of the British took placein the area of Dalhousie Square. The BritishInstitutions were built there and the Europe-ans lived there. This part of the town, alsoknown as “White-Town”, was separated from

the other part, called “Black-Town”, whereIndians - who serve the British - settled.Park Street then a days was known as “Roadto the Burial Grounds”, leading to the new“South Park Street Cemetery” which openedin 1767.

44

HISTORY OF PARK STREET



1792The Street to the Deer Park

120 000 Inhabitants

The area around Dalhousie square becamedenser and the British started to settlesouth of Park Street. More Indians came totown in order to work for the British in theports and the manufactories.

The “Road to the Burial Grounds” was re-named to “Park Street”, deriving its namefrom a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey , ChiefJustice of the Supreme Court of Calcutta(1773-1789), that was located on this street .

45



Due to gaining importance of Kolkata bothparts of town - White Town and Black Town -grew fast. Important British people settle inthe area around Park Street which then be-came the main residential zone of the White

Town.Chowringee Road as a north-south connec-tor became a big colonial boulevard wherepeople used todrive up and down with theircoaches.Park Street developed further eastwards.

187081 INHABITANTS

1832The Colonial Residential Street

46



1856The Colonial Residential Street

415063 INHABITANTS

The City’s prosperous economy and it’s stra-tegic geographical location lead to enor-mous growth of population. The rst busteeswere built. Two years later the handover of

the city, from the East India Company to theBritish Crown took place.

The area around Park Street remained rela-tively lose settled with solitaire landhouseslocated on big properties.

47



2540000 INHABITANTS

Despite the shift of the capital of the Brit-ish Raj from Calcutta to Delhi, the city grewsteadily and still remained separated intoBritish White Town an Indian Black Town.

Park Street developed beyond Park Circusfurther east. In the early 20th century thebig mansions were built on the western partof Park Street, transforming the Street to aboulevard with western grandeur.

1931The Colonial Boulevard

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4572000 INHABITANTS

After Independence the distinction betweenblack and white town dissolved and the for-mer British part got overgrown by the Indiantown. Enormous streams of refugees fromEast Pakistan (partition in 1972) lead to se-rious housing problems.In the 50ies and 60ies Park Street was thehotspot of the city, being the environmentfor the elite.Nowadays Park Street, still is one of themost important tourist attractions, lost a lotof its glory. One of the main reasons is thatPark Street became a trafc thoroughfare.

2007The Indian Retail Street

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50



1980 - 20081950 - 19801900 - 19501850 - 19001800 - 1859before 1800

51

BUILDINGS BY AGE

The ages of the buildings are representative forthe growth of the city. The town grew from west toeast. Therefore you can recognize a gradient fromolder to younger. In the western part there arethe heritage buildings from the early 20th cen-tury, further east buildings are getting steadilyyounger.It has to be considered that a lot of buildings werereplaced or torn down.



52

“It represented a leisurely, gracious and unhurried - and in retrospect, anarticial and ephemeral -

way of life nurtured by the presence of the Europeans.

Tat died a timely death soon after they said goodbye. [..]

Sixty-four to sixty-nine were the heydays of Park Street.

If you were part of the crowd and not at rinca’s between 3.30 and 7.30 duringthe evening jam session, your only excuse was that you were either in hospital

with a broken leg or you were dead.”

Calcutta Telegraph, India, July 30, 2004.

“Te Park Street that my generation had seen in the Fifties up to the earlySeventies, was that culture in its nal bloom before it wilted as the city graduallyplunged into chaos.

Aided by the hallucinogen of nostalgia, we still look back in wonder.

Park Street resembled a boulevard in the best of European traditions, when, as aone-time aneur sums up: ̀ Beautiful Anglo-Indian women on one side. Beauti-

ful Armenian women on the other.”

Calcutta Telegraph, India, July 30, 2004.

IMAGE OF PARK STREET



53

The Asiatic Society, Park Street, 1830

St. Xavier’s College, Park Street, around 1930



54

PhotographingNot allowed

Chowringhee Square, 1945

Chowringhee Street, 1945



55

Park Street, 1945

Park Street, 1945



56

PhotographingNot allowed

Park Hotel, Upper Park Street, 2008

Upper Park Street, 2008



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Lower Park Street, 2008

Bridge No.4, Lower Park Street, 2008



58

The library of the Asiatic Society has a collectionof about 1,49,000 books printed in almost all themajor languages of the world. The earliest printedbooks in this library belong to the late 15th cen-tury. It has in its possession a large number ofbooks printed in India in the late 18th and early19th centuries.

THE INSTITUTIONS

St. Xavier’s College was started by the Father ofthe Society of Jesus in 1834. In 1846 ReverendCarew purchased a building that had been con-struct a few years previously for the Sans SouciTheatre. in 1859 the College was handed over toBelgian Jesuits. in 1915 the now visible schoolbuilding was constructed on the southern side ofthe compound. The College continued to functionout of the Sans Souci building till 1933 when thatbuilding was pulled down and replaced.

The Asiatic Society had its genesis in Sir WilliamJones discourse in 1784 on The Institution of aSociety for Enquiring into the History, civil an nat-ural, The Antiquities, Arts, Sciences and Litera-ture of Asia.’ Within the year the Society had beenformed with a geographical ambit spanning Asia,northern and eastern Africa and the Mediter-ranean world. The building at 1, Park Street wasdesigned by Captain Lock of the Bengal Engineersand completed in 1808.



59

Developed by Armenian jute merchant TM Thad-deus in 1910, Park Mansions was constructed asa rental property with mixed-usage comprisingboth residential and commercial segments. Thebuilding, spread over 5 bigha, had a central court-yard and a garden. The architecture is a mix of Vic-torian and Indo-Saracenic style, with a bulbousdome on the roof, a British interior with a touch ofIndian on the façade.

Queens Mansion was originally called GalstaunMansion, after the Armenian landholder, mer-chant and sportsman J.C. Galstaun. Its foundationwas laid in 1920, and it was built in three years ata cost of Rs 65 lakh. It was renamed in 1952 at thecoronation of the British sovereign. Today it is partof the estate of the LIC. After years of procrastina-tion, when it was practically falling to pieces, LICis getting it renovated, thereby giving the streetitself a new face.

THE MANSIONS

Karnani Mansion is a classic example of howdisputes between landlords and tenants cancondemn a mansion as large as this to perdition.Constructed in 1929-30, it was one of the classi-est apartment blocks in the city, till it began to beassociated with sleaze. Tenants turned ats intobrothels and factories. Squatters’ hovels occupythe terrace and the stairs are never cleaned. Oflate, the esh trade has stopped but the factoriesare still very functional.

NoPictures please



60

On retirement, Satyendranath Tagore lived forsome time in Park Street. His house was a meet-ing place for his friends and relatives.His house on Park Street was the centre of a liter-ary majlis (gathering). The deliberations were not-ed in a book which was not to be circulated out-side the family and it was not printed. Among thesubjects discussed were “Bengali language andthe Bengali character”, “The elements of poetry”,“Chivalry”, “Love in women and in men”.

Behind high walls is the mansion that belonged tothe Nawab of Murshidabad. It was erected in thelate 19th century. Behind the walls appears a vastlawn and the house with two wings and verandahsrunning from one end of the house to the other.The property has been in status quo for more thana century. The descendants of Nawab Nazir MirZafar Meerza, the rst puppet ruler of the British,used to live here. It has been taken over by squat-ters.

The South Park Street Cemetery was openedin 1767 to relieve the pressure on the old burialground in the heart of the city. Park Street wasthen known as road to the burial Ground, but waslater renamed after the deer park around Vansit-tart’s garden house. By the year 1785 the burialground had been extended on the northern side ofPark Street and by 1840 a vast new cemetery wasopened to the east of the Lower Circular Road.

HOUSES AND THE CEMETERY



61

The Park, Kolkata opened for business on Novem-ber 1, 1967 with 150 rooms belonging to the im-portant Apeejay Group, owning several buildingsin the western part of Park Street. The Park Hotel,is also famous for its in-house restaurants and itsnight clubs Tantra and Roxy.

Flurys the legendary tearoom on Park Street inKolkata was founded in 1927 by Mr.. and Mrs.Flurys. Presenting ne European traditional con-fections, it had soon become a popular meetingplace for all ages. It introduced the city and manygenerations to authentic Swiss and internationaldelicacies. It is a place of cheerful atmosphere.Flurys recently reopened with a fresh design thattries to recall the 1930s.

Park Street is Kolkata’s foremost dining districtwith noted restaurants and pubs such as Trinca’s,Mocambo, Peter Cat, Flurys, Bar B Q, Oasis, Olym-pia, Moulin Rouge.Kolkata’s nightlife revolves around Park Street’snightclubs, pubs and coffee houses. Also thereare landmark coffee shops like The Street andBarista’s. It is often known by names like “FoodStreet”.

RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS



62



64

T h e

A s i a t i c

S o c i e t y

P a r k

S t r e e t

F l y o v e r

F a m

i l y B o o k s t o r e

F a m o u s

K a t i R o l l S

h o p 3 0 R S / R o

l l

T h e o

l d A s i a t i c

S o c i e t y

H i n d u s h r i n e

C h o w r i n g h e e

R o a d

J a w a h a r l a l N e h r u

R o a d


R o a d

J a w a h a r l a l N e h r u

R o a d

B r i t i s h

A i r w a y s

A i r T e l S t o r e

W a r d

N o .

6 3

D e n s i t y

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

0 - 3 0

0 0 0

< 1 5 %

4 8 - 5 5 %

This elevation of Park Street from Chowringhee Road down to Park Circus Station, shows several specic

r e j u v e n a t i o n p r o j e c t

residentialinformal residentialcommercialofce spaceinstitutionalgreens

upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



65

A p e e j a y

B u

i l d i n g

H Q o

f A p e e j a y

S u r r e d r a G r o u p

P e i p

i n g

C h i n e s e

R e s t a u r a n t

P a r k

H o t e l 1 2 0 0 0 R s / n

i g h

t

S w

i m m

i n g

P o o l

T a n t r a

N i g h t c l u

b

R o x y

B a r 4 0 0 R s / C o c k

t a i l

T h e

S t r e e t c o f f e e s h o p

T r i n c a s

R e s t a u r a n t

A n a n

d i l a l P o d

d a r

S a r a n

i

R u s s e l S t r e e t

Q u e e n s

M a n s i o n

H M T S h o w r o o m

T h e

B a n

k o

f R a j a s t a n

P u n

j a b n a t i o n a l b a n

k

B a r i s t a s R s

1 2 0 / c o f f e e

O x f o r d

B o o k s t o r e

aspects of Kolkata. It is not just a gradient from rich to poor, from high employment rate to low employ-



66

M o u

l i n R o u g e

R e s t a u r a n t 3 5 0 R s / M e a l

K a t i R o l l S

h o p 3 2 R s / R o l

l

K w a l i t y

R e s t a u r a n t

A c c e s t o

C o u r t y a r d

P a t h t o

F r e e s c h o o

l S t r e e t

P e o p

l e l i v i n g

i n c o u r t y a r d

3 0 0 R S / m t h

B B Q R e s t a u r a n t

E n t r y

1 4 0 0 R S / M e a l

O a s i s


S t e p

h e n

C o u r t

F l u r y s c o n

f e c t i o n e r y 2 0 0 R S / C o

f f e & C a k e

M u s i c

W o r l d

S t o r e

A c c e s s t o

C o u r t y a r d

/

P a t h t o

R u s s e l l S t r e e t

Q u e e n s

M a n s i o n

M a g n o l i a

R e s t a u r a n t

ment rate, from low percentage of slum population to high percentage, from historic mansions to highrise

C A S E S T U D Y 1


u p p e r o o r s g r o u n d o o r

upper oorsground oor



67

F r e e

S c h o o l S t r e e t

S i r W i l l i a n

J a m e s

S t r e e t

M c

D o n a l d

’ s 1 2 0 R S / m e n u

B B Q R e s t a u r a n t

E n t r y

2

K a r n a n

i M a n s i o n 2 4 0 0 0 R s / m

t h 5 R o o m s

V o d a f o n e

S t o r e

M o c a m

b o


P a r k

M a n s i o n

S k y r o o m

R e s t a u r a n t

( r e o p e n

i n g

2 0 1 0 )

P e t e r

C a t ’ s

R e s t a u r a n t 3 4 0 R S / m e a

l

K e n t u c k y

F r i e d

C h i c k e n 2 0 0 R S / c h i c k e n

M a n s i o n

N o .

2 0

M u s l i m

S l u m

i n c o u r t y a r d 5 0 0 R s / m

t h

T a g o r e s H o u s e

to slum dwellings, from international brands to local sellers, from upper-class restaurants to street food




upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r

68

L e v i ’ s S t o r e 1 5 0 0 R s / J e a n

s

P a r k

M a n s i o n s

A c c e s s t o c o u r t y a r d

, p a r k

i n g

l o t

V i c t o r B r o s

A n t i q u

i t y S t o r e

P a r k

S t r e e t

P o s t

O f c e

U n

i t e d B a n

k o

f I n d i a

U n

i t e d B a n

k o

f I n d i a

H i n d u s h r i n e

L u c i t a

S n a c k

B a r 1 5 R s / S n a c k

M u s l i m

S l u m

i n c o u r t y a r d 3 5 0 R s / m

t h

T a g o r e s

H o u s e

stalls, from Hindu part of town to a Muslim ghetto, from a place where everybody meets to a place where

u p p e r o o r s g r o u n d o o r




69

C a m a c

S t r e e t

P a r k

C e n t r e

O f c e

S p a c e

2 4 0 m

2 R s

1 1 0 0 0 0 / m t h

M o t h e r

T h e r e s a

M e m o r i a l

u n a u t h o r i s e d s l u m s a l o n g

P a r k w a l l

P e t r o

l S t a t i o n R s

5 0

. 6 5 / l

P a r k

P l a z a

A l l e n P a r k g a t e d o p e n

4 . 3 0 A m - 9 . 0 0

A M

3 . 3

0 P M

- 7 . 3 0 P M

D e n s i t y

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

W a r d

N o .

6 3

0

- 3 0 0 0 0

< 1 5 %

4 8

- 5 5 %

3 0 0 0 0

- 6 0 0 0 0

3 1 - 4 5 %

4 1 - 4 7 %

W a r d

N o .

6 1

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

D e n s i t y

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

W a r d

N o .

6 3

0

- 3 0 0 0 0

< 1 5 %

4 8 - 5 5

%

Kolkatans fear to go, from a part which gets rejuvenated to a part which rst needs to be properly built,



70

M a r t i n

L u t h e r

K i n g

S a r a n

i

R a

A h m e d

K i d w a i R o a d

W e s t

B e n g a

l B o a r d o f

S e c o n

d a r y

E d u c a t i o n

S c a n

d v i k

B a n

k

A i r T e l S t o r e 1 R S / m i n

A l l e n P a r k g a t e d o p e n

4 . 3

0 A m - 9 .

0 0 A M

3 . 3 0 P M

- 7 . 3 0 P M

from a colonial part of town to a non historic part, from formerly “white town” to formerly “black town”. It is mor


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r u p p e r o o r s g r o u n d o o r




71

S u r v e y o f

I n d i a

S t .

X a v i e r ’ s

C o

l l e g e

P e t r o

l S t a t i o n

N a w a

b o

f M u r s h

i a b a d

H o u s e

S a r e e

S t o r e R s

2 8 0 / S a r e e

S a r e e

S t o r e

e about overlaps and a next to each other of oppositions , which leads to a highly mixed structure of so distinct



72

K o l k a t a

P o l i c e

S t a t i o n

A v a n

i G r o u p

B u

i l d i n g

M i l t o n

D a y

S c h o o

l

S a r e e

S t o r e

S t .

X a v i e r ’ s

C o

l l e g e

A r c h

b i s h o p ’ s

H o u s e

parts. In the courtyards of the best mansions on upper Park Street one nds informal settlements similar to


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



73

S a r e e

S t o r e

S a r e e

W h o

l e s a l e

C o n s u

l a t e o f

C z e c h

R e p u

b l i c

S a m s o n

i t e S t o r e

S e v e n t h ’ s

D a y

A d v e n t i s t

S e n

i o r

S e c o n

d a r y

S c h o o l

S e v e n t h ’ s

D a y

A d v e n t i s t

C h u r c h

O f c e o f t h e

D e p u t y

C o m m

. o f P o

l i c e

ousings near railtracks. People settle on the Kolkata’s expensive land and don’t get displaced. Two examples



74

P u n

j a b N a t i o n a

l B a n

k

B a c t o

C l i n i c a l l a b o r a t o r y

T e a S h o p 2 R s / C

h a i

C o n s u

l a t e o f

C z e c h

R e p u

b l i c

O r i e n t a

l B a n

k

B u s t e e

b e h

i n d t h e

h i g h r i s e s R s

3 5 0 / m t h

R a v i A u t o

H o u s e

K o o

h i n o r

B u

i l d i n g

A t e e t

S a r e e

W h o l e s a

l e

A t e e t

S a r e e

W h o l e s a

l e

N e w

M e d

i c a l C o m p

l e x & N u r s i n g

H o m e

T i t a g a r h P a p e r

M i l l O f c e

are the Karnani mansion and Tagore’s House. Also behind Kohinor building a bustee of around 70 huts is loc


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



75

S a r a o j i n

i N a

i d u

S a r a n

i

N e o

B a c t o

C l i n i c a l L a b o r a t o r i e s

A p e e j a y

S c h o o l

C o n s u

l a t e o f

S w

i t z e r l a n d

A l l a h a

b a d

B a n

k

P a r k i n g

l o t

A m e r i c a n

E x p r e s s

B a n

k

C o n s u

l a t e o f

N o r w a y

S o u t h

P a r k

S t r e e t

C e m e t e r y

S h r e e

L a k s h m

i S a r e e

W h o

l e s a l e

ated. This phenomena of sudden decline of socioeconomic and building standard occurs quite often when



76

A s s e m

b l y o f

G o

d C h u r c h

K i n g s

P a r k

S c h o o

l

V i j a y a B a n

k

P a n g h a t

S a r e e s

P a r k

S t r e e t

C e m e t e r y

P a y a n

d U s e

T o i l e t

F o o d

d i s t r i b u t i o n

f o r t h e p o o r R s

f r e e

leaving Park Street and entering narrow sideways. It is this spatial concentration of this opposites


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



77

A c h a r y a

J a g a

d i s h C h a n

d r a

B o s e

R o a

d

A c h a r y a

J a g a d i s h C h a n

d r a

B o s e

R o a d

I n s t i t u t e o f

N e u r o s c i e n c e s

( 2 0 1 0 )

L u c k n o w

R e s t a u r a n t

S a r e e

H o u s e

M u

l i c k B a z a r

R o t a r y

C l u b K o l k a t a

N o o r

M a

h a l

C i n e m a

W a r d

N o .

6 3

W a r d

N o .

6 4

H i n d u a r e a

S t r e e t

H a w

k e r s p r o h

i b i t e d

A u t o

R i c k s h a w s / B u s s e s p r o h

i b i t e d

r e j u v e n a t i o n p r o j e c t

M u s l i m

a r e a

S t r e e t

H a w

k e r s

A u t o

R i c k s h a w s / B u s s e s a l l o w e d

D e n s i t y

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

0

- 3 0 0 0 0

< 1 5 %

4 8 - 5 5

%

6 0 0 0 0

- 9 0 0 0 0

4 6 - 6 0

%

3 3 - 3 6

%

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a -

t i o n E m p

l o y m e n t

which leads to the conclusion that Kolkata is a highly conglomerated city, where only a few gated



78

P u n

j a b n a t i o n a l b a n

k

U n

i t e d b a n

k o

f I n d i a

S c o t t i s h

K i r k C e m e t e r y

( 2 n d r o w

)

S h i r a z M u s l i m

r e s t a u r a n t R s

1 6 0 / m e a

l

n

o b e e f m e a l s t h e r e f o r e a

l s o H i n d u g u e s t s

P a r k

S h o w

H o u s e

C i n e m a

s e v e r a l S

h o e s h o p s R s 1 8

0 / s h o e s

L a m

L a m R

e s t a u r a n t 8 0 R s / M e a l

M o s q u e

B u t c h e r

H a j i S a h e b s e l l i n g

B e e f

U s t a d

E n a y e t

K h a n

A v e n u e

areas with restricted accessibility are located. Courtyards are often opened to pass through to side streets. Wh


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



79

I s l a m

i c B o o

k s t o r e

I m p e r i a l M o n t e s s o r i S c h o o l

I n d i a P o s t

O f c e R s

0 . 5

/ l e t t e r

I n t e r n e t

P l a c e R s

1 8 / h

H o t e l R o y a l G a r d e n R s

1 4 5 0 / n i g h t

C h o w

d u r y

P h a r m a c y R s 4

/ P o n s t a n

U n

i t e d B a n

k o f

I n d i a

U n a u t h o r i s e d s l u m s

U n a u t h o r i s e d s l u m s

b e h i n d r s t r o w

C A S E S T U D Y 2

A l i M a n s i o n

en compared to other cities worldwide, Kolkata’s heterogeneity is very astonishing, regarding the global trend



80

C a

l c u t t a

P r e p a r a t o r y

C o l l e g e

C a r a n t e l a o p t i c a

l s t o r e

o p t i c a l s t o r e

O x f o r d o p t i c a l s t o r e

Y a s m

i n C o u r t

to a growing segregation of society. People usually like to live in a socioeconomic equal environment. What coul


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



81

P a r k

V i e w A p a r t m e n t

C a r t o u c h e s c h o o

l

M r i g e n

d r a l a

l M i t t e r R d

M o s q u e

M r i g e n

d r a l a

l M a n s i o n

K i n g

P a r k s c h o o l

9 0 0 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 0 0

3 1 - 4 5 %

3 3

- 3 6 %

3 0 0 0 0

- 6 0 0 0 0

3 1 - 4 5 %

4 1 - 4 7 %

W a r d

N o .

6 0

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

W a r d

N o .

6 1

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

E m p

l o y m e n t

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

d be the explanation of Kolkata’s heterogeneity? Is it the Indian/Bengali culture or religion that leads to peace-



82

P a r k

C i r c u s

M a i d a n

J u g a l ’ s

B e n g a l i s w e e t s

A r s a l a n

R e s t a u r a n t R s 1 2

0 / m e a l

I c e c r e a m

s t a n d R s

5 / I c e c r e a m

P a r k

C i r c u s

M a n s i o n

P a r k

C o u r t

T r a m

d e p o t

( b e h

i n d P a r k )

K i m b e r

N u r s i n g

H o m n e

9 0 0 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 0 0

3 1 - 4 5 %

3 3

- 3 6 %

6 0 0 0 0

- 9 0 0 0 0

4 6

- 6 0 %

3 3 - 3 6 %

W a r d

N o .

6 0

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

W a r d

N o .

6 4

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

ful coexistence ? - Difcult to believe, since the cast system and 300 years of colonial suppression see


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



83

P a r k

C i r c u s

P u m p

i n g

S t a t i o n

P u

b l i c T o i l e t

F r a n

k R o s s

P h a r m a c y R s 4 / P o n s t a n

B e g u m

R u

k i y a P a r k

S o u t h

B r e e z e

C l i n i c

I n d i r a G h a n

d i n a t i o n a

l o p e n u n

i v e r s i t y

m to have inscribed segregation in their society. A possible key to understand Kolkata’s heterogeneity,



84

B r i g h t

S t r e e t

T o p s i a

P o

l i c e S t a t i o n

C h a r c o a l G r i l l R s

3 0 0 / m e a

l

M u s l i m

G i r l s H o s t e l

H o t e l C a m a c

P l a z a R s 1 0

5 0 / n i g h t

I n d i a n N a t i o n a l L e a g u e ( M

u s l i m

P a r t y )

F G S c h o o l

B e n g a

l C o l l e g e

f o r E n g i n e e r i n g

may lay in the clash of Colonial power and the caste system. Already in early years of independence mo


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



85

D a r g a

R o a d

B u s t e e

C e n t r a l B a n

k

M o s q u e

1 9 4 6

E d u c a r e

H e a

l t h E d u c a t i o n

W a r d

N o .

6 4

W a r d

N o .

6 5

D e n s i t y

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

9 0 0 0 0 0

- 1 2 0 0 0 0

> 6 0 %

3 7 - 4 0 %

6 0 0 0 0

- 9 0 0 0 0

4 6 - 6 0

%

3 3 - 3 6

%

D e n s i t y

( p / k m 2 )

S l u m

p o p u

l a t i o n

E m p

l o y m e n t

ement people of all castes came together to ght against the British. Among other reasons, this lead to



86

D r .

B i r e s h G u

h a

S t r e e t

D i k h u s a

N u r s i n g

H o m e

M B N u r s i n g

H o m e

B u s t e e R s

3 0 0 / m t h

B u s t e e R s

2 8 0 / m t h

T i l j a l a

T i t a n i c m e d

i c a l s t o r e

weakening of the caste system. Which is no longer a big issue in today’s Kolkata. But the story of hetero


upper oors

u p p e r o o r s

ground oor

g r o u n d o o r



87

I n s t i t u t e o

f c h

i l d h e a l t h

1 9 5 6

u n a u t h o r i s e d r o a d s i d e s l u

m ( j h

u p r i )

d r a

i n a g e p

i p e

M o s q u e

geneity might also be totally different. But the fact of Kolkata as a conglomerated city is unimpeachable!

C A S E S T U D Y 3



ted in different parts of the city. But the mixture still exists within the different religious communities. 89

M o t h e r

T h e r e s a

M i s s i o n a r y

u n a u t h o r i s e d r o a

d s i d e s l u

m ( j h

u p r i )

E a s t e r

M e t r o p o l i t a n

B y p a s s

E a s t e r

M e t r o p o l i t a n

B y p a s s

S a l t

L a k e C i t y

S a

l t L a k e C i t y

R a j a r h a t

R a j a r h a t

A i r p o r t

A i r p o r t

T a n g r a

T a n g r a

B r i d g e

N o .

4



90



91

5CONGLOMERATIONKOLKATA CHARACTERIZED A CONGLOMERATE

ZOOM OUT / ZOOM ININFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

RELIGION



94



95

KOLKATA CHARACTERIZEDA CONGLOMERATE

n the introduction Kolkata was described as cityalmost like a conglomerate. To proof the fact ofthis mixture of various and contradictory ele-ments, approaches on several levels were made.It is necessary to analyze Park Street from differ-ent perspectives in order to start to understandits specicity and character.

NEXT PAGE:The graphic shows all buildings around ParkStreet aligned. Already the footprint of the build-ings in their order from west to east, gives a rstimpression on the heterogeneity of Park Street.



96



97



98

“The character of Kolkata is not typically Indian, it’s a mixed culture.”RESIDENT near PARK CIRCUS STATION



99

“We are Kolkata people. We’re different.”SECURITY near CAMAC STREET



Zoom Out

108

Kolkata - Park Street

Mumbai - Center



109

Los Angeles - CBD

Sao Paulo - Center



110

Sao Paulo

KolkataKolkata - South (Kalighat)

Mumbai - North (Saat Rasta Circle)



111

Los Angeles - South (near Long Beach)

Sao Paulo - North



112

Residential

Informal

Commercial

CASE STUDY

1

ZOOM IN



113

Governmental

Cultural / Educational

Status Quo



114

Hotel Room per Night

12000 Rs

Housing Fee per Month

100 Rs

Rent per Month

1100 Rs

School



116

Residential

Informal

Commercial

CASE STUDY

2



117

Governmental


Status Quo



118

Earnings per Day

60 Rs

Rent per Month

300 Rs

Beef Seller

Hotel Room per Night

1475 Rs



120

Residential

Informal

Commercial

CASE STUDY

3



121

Governmental


Status Quo



122

Rent per Month

800 Rs

Fare

9 Rs

Rent per Month

250 Rs

Rent per Month

100 Rs



123

Train Station

Eye Surgeon



& UPPARK CIRCUS TOCHOWRINGHEE

RIGHT LANE



BACKTOCHOWRINGHEE



136

The image shows informal settlements (coloredred) spread over the Park Street area. There is arise from west to east . Around Park Circus Stationare several neighborhoods with a high percentage

informal settlements arespread all over the city

of informal settlements. Even in the wester co-lonial part informal settlements can be located.Though they are much smaller and less dense.The everywhere presence is an evidence of thefact that Kolkata is a conglomerated city.

NEXT PAGE:Shows only the informal settlements. It picturesthe fact of everywhere presence.

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS



137



144

According to the 2001 Census, 1.49 million peo-ple lived in Calcutta’s slums, out of the total citypopulation of 4.58 million. That is about a third

1.49 million of 4.58 millionpeople lived in Kolkata’s slums

of the population. This is referring to the KolkataCorporation area rather than the larger metropoli-tan area. The population density in slums is esti-mated to be 2,812 persons per ha. A 1991 surveyfound that about 53 % of the slum dwellers wereBengali speaking, 27% Urdu speaking, and 19%Hindi-speaking.

CATEGORIES OF SLUMS

In Kolkata, there are two broad categories ofslums: those that are ofcially authorised arecalled bustees. There are also a large number ofsquatter settlements, which are not authorised.These squatter settlements have grown up bythe side of canals, large drains, garbage dumps,railway tracks and roads. The living conditions ofthe people living in these shanties are the worst.They do not have proper access to any basic ame-nities such as sanitation or water. There is alwaysa stench in these areas, with many people usu-ally being involved in rag picking, with garbage

dumped outside their houses. In other words,this type of settlement not only faces tremen-dous problems regarding basic facilities but alsocauses environmental pollution.

OFFICIAL DEFINITIONS OF SLUMS

According to the Slum Area (Improvement andClearance) Act of 1956, enacted by the Govern-ment of India, slums have been dened as thoseareas where buildings are in any respect untfor human habitation. Physically, slums consist



145

of clusters of huts comprising several roomsconstructed with temporary building materials,where each room is inhabited by a family shar-ing a common latrine, without arrangements forwater supply, drains, disposal of solid waste andgarbage within the slum boundaries. Apart fromthe degrading slum conditions, slums in Kolkata

almost total absence ofcommunity and recreational

facilities are also characterized by almost total absence ofcommunity and recreational facilities hindering

the mental development of the young.Registered slums, locally called bustees are rec-ognized by the CMC because of the title of theland, which was owned by local zamindars fromwhom it was taken on the basis of an agreement,after which houses were built on it. In some casesthe land including its structures (small housingunits) belonging to zamindars was let out. Thesesettlements were taken over by the CMC in 1980and let out directly to tenants. These types of set-tlements are called registered slums. But othersettlements have arisen by encroaching either ongovernment land or on roads, canals etc, and arecalled unregistered bustees.New denitions have been introduced for theterm “bustee”. As per the denition of the Cal-cutta Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, a busteewas dened as “the area containing land not lessthan seven hundred square metres in area oc-cupied by or for the purposes of any collection ofhuts or other structures used or intended to beused for human habitation. (The CMC Act, 1980under Section 2, Subsection 8 of the Act). Thusunder the denition, the words ’10 cottahs’ asspecied in the Calcutta Municipal Act 1899 havebeen changed to 700 m2, while no other signi-cant changes in the bustee denition have beenintroduced.

SOURCE: The City from Here - Urban Development and Slumcommunities in Kolkata, Mr. Venkateswar Ramaswamy.



146

“Money is important, to feed the family.”CRAFTSMAN near PARK STREET CEMETERY



147

“Some people in the area earn more than double.”RESIDENT near PARK CIRCUS



154

Hindu TempleMosqueChurch

A J C B

o s e

R o

a d

Park


R o a d



155

RELIGION

HindusMuslimChristianother

77.68 %20.27 %

0.88 %1.17 %

Regarding the subject of religion one has to statethat Kolkata is not a conglomerated city. Religionis acting as dividing factor. Hindus (77.68%) andMuslims (20.27%) live mostly separated in differ-ent quarters of the city. Prejudice forms the mu-tual image nowadays. But it has not always beenlike that, Muslim once were renowned inhabitantsspecializing in a number of crafts and techniques,inevitably necessary for the urban development.Including architectural designing masonry works,carpentry and several others.This changed with the riots of 1946 and 1964.Muslim people felt insecure and started to livewithin their own communities.

Muslim people are stronglydisadvantagedLooking at statistics one detects the fact thatMuslim people are strongly disadvantaged. Slumpopulation, illiteracy rate, unemployment is on ahigher level within the Muslim community.

A vast Muslim are is located in the lower part ofPark Street around Park Circus, starting east ofAJC Bose road. It is also the boarder of the old co-lonial town which is located in the west.

The last 40 years Kolkata was quite calm in termsof religious conicts, but as recently witnessed in

other Indian cities there is potential of escalatingreligious conicts. This may raise the question ofthe stability of this relative peace.

Circus

Park Circus Station

Park Street



160

MUSLIM BUSTEES

“According to the 1991 Census, Muslims consti-tuted 17.72 % of the city population. It is roughlyestimated that perhaps as much as 75% of theMuslims of Calcutta live in bastis. Because ofghettoisation and segregation, Muslim bastis arelargely away from the sight and concern of thenon-Muslims. We are a divided society. Prejudicein the better-off, majority community againstMuslims compounds the situation.

Yes, we have had relative peace in Calcutta andWest Bengal, compared to many other parts ofIndia. That is not something to take for granted.But the fact is that this has actually become anapology for the complete disempowerment, im-poverishment and immiserisation that has beenthe lot of Calcutta’s Muslims for a long time. AndI shall be speaking later about the price at whichsuch communal peace is purchased.

they have no choice but to stayamong their co-religionists

Muslims remain ghettoized because – they do notyet feel secure to live among Hindus. This ghet-toization began after the communal riots in theearly 1960s, To retain their self-dignity and com-munal identity they have no choice but to stay

among their co-religionists, howsoever degradedthis environment may be. And non-Muslims donot wish to have any Muslims around them.

[...] No political party selects a non-Muslim elec-toral candidate in a Muslim-majority constitu-ency, and neither is a Muslim candidate selectedto stand in a non-Muslim area. I fail to understandthis, though I can see what the consequences ofthis are.[...] If the bastis of Calcutta are its sin and shame,then the Muslim bastis present the very worstconditions, [...].



161

I am talking about places like Metiabruz, GardenReach, Kidderpur, Rajabazar, Beckbagan, ParkCircus, Topsia, Narkeldanga, Kalanga, Entally.Over half a million people live in such Muslimbastis. And there are also places like Bagan Bastiand Chowrah Basti in Shibpur, Pilkhana, Tikiaparain Howrah, and several Mussalman pottis in themunicipal towns. In the whole metropolitan area,perhaps 1 million Muslims live in bastis.

these citizens of our city havebeen struggling for

educational, social andeconomic integration

If one knew the life stories of the common dwellerin these localities one would say - for over 50 yearsthese citizens of our city have been struggling foreducational, social and economic integration withthe mainstream society. But the doors are closed.Worse, these citizens are made to feel in everyway that they belong in the refuse heap. The work-ing of the whole system simply amounts to that.

Such bastis also prompt reection on chronicpoverty, on inter-generational transmission ofpoverty, on poverty and cognitive developmentin children – all rooted in the complex of factorsfound in a basti environment, like in Priya Manna

Basti, in Howrah. How to break the back of suchchronic poverty and free our society from suchugliness and injustice – perhaps presents thegreatest of challenges to human society today.”

SOURCE | Mr. Venkateswar Ramaswamy: The City from Here:Urban Development and Slum communities in Kolkata, Kolkata.



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“This also recalls the points made in a study onHyderabad undertaken on behalf of the PlanningCommission in the 1980s by Ratna Naidu, abouturban decay leading to communal riots. After theriots in 1999 Ahmedabad, the Chief Minister ofGujarat said in an interview : “… because of theirgeography and location, Hindus and Muslims liveclose by. Any minor altercation over water supplyor sanitation immediately becomes communal.These areas are overcrowded and there is scopefor mischief-makers.”Slum environments are the cauldrons withinwhich communal riots are manufactured.”

SOURCE | Mr. Venkateswar Ramaswamy: The City from Here:Urban Development and Slum communities in Kolkata, Kolkata.

1964: Riots in Calcutta leave morethan 100 dead

More than 100 people have beenkilled following Hindu-Muslim ri-oting in the Indian city of Calcutta.Over 7,000 people have also been ar-rested and 438 injured in the clashes

which have spread to the surround-ing districts. Te Indian Government claims thatthe trouble in Calcutta has taken “ahuge toll of life.”

A 24 hour curfew has been extendedto ve areas of the city occupied bypolice officers following arson at-tacks and looting against Muslims.

Te armed forces and police havealso been given orders to “shoot tokill” by the government in any cases

where Hindus are seen to be attack-ing Muslims. Officials have expressedtheir determination to stamp out the

violence and troops have been takingtough action against trouble makers.Unfortunately the move backred

when three policeman died trying toprotect a group of Muslims and theirhomes when they opened re on ahuge mob. More than 110 people

were taken to hospital following theshootings and remen had to deal

with 200 cases of arson.Althoughthere have been several incidents ofstabbing and bomb throwing, mostof the riots have resulted in the loot-ing and burning of Muslim property.

wo rubber factories were set on realong with a number of shops and

dwellings. Buses and trams havebeen taken off the road and mostshops and markets have been shutdown.So far more than 70,000 Muslimshave ed their homes in the city, and55,000 are sleeping in the open un-der army protection. Relief organisa-tions are struggling to provide food,

water and sanitation to large groupsof refugees.

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/



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“It’s a mainly Muslim populated area around here...”SELLER at PARK CIRCUS STATION



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“I’m a born Christian. Not a made Christian.”GUARD at SCOTTISH KIRK CEMETERY.



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6REJUVENATIONOF PARK STREET

REGENERATION OF THE OLDPOSSIBILITIES OF REJUVENATION



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UNFOLDING THE URBAN DESIGN VISION

_Improve of transport infrastructuresRedesigning the transport system and activat-ing multiple linkages between the Bypass andthe core city is necessary to relieve the enormoustrafc from Bridge no.4.

_Creating the Park Street DistrictRegeneration mustn’t be restricted to the part ofPark Street joining Chowringhee and Park Circus.A vision of the Street coming alive as an activitycentre must also map the Side streets, in order to join up and create the Park Street District. Courtsof the mansions have to be opened up as well, tolink Park Street with the side streets.

_Conservation and Maintenance of BuildingsThe mansions and their courtyards dene thecolonial heritage of Park Street. The buildingsneed to be conserved, maintained and sensitivelyreused. The street has to be seen as a heritagestreet in a historic context.

_Reuse of VerandasThe verandas of Park Street are its unique featureand must be incorporated into a visually stimulat-ing urban design framework. They must be active-ly reused so as to form a lively street character.

_Design of LandscapeThe hard and soft landscape of Park Street needsto be effectively designed to stitch the urbancharacter of the street.

_Coordination of illumination and urban signage

STRATEGIC SHORT-TERM GOALS

They should be an initiation for the grater designvisions._Designing the Winter Carnival_Culture-Led Renewal_Regeneration Through Art_Revival Through Music_Integrating Landscaping Ideas



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Kolkata’s conglomerate has to be preserved. Thecharacter of the city is formed by the coexistenceof social, economical and historical contrasts,which make the city unique in its own way. De-velopment in the old town is crucial to preserveKolkatan character and culture.

The rejuvenation project is a right step to bringsubtile and sustainable revaluation. But the actionhas to be transferred to other areas which are notas central as Park Street. If development is stuckon certain areas new disregards will be generatedor existing disregards will be reinforced.

it is fundamental that theregeneration does not simplybecomes an instrument for

prot maximizationIt is fundamental that the regeneration does notsimply becomes an instrument for prot maxi-mization. A change to a western inuenced retailstreet, being home to big brands, would lead intoa wrong direction, in a direction of segregation.Exactly this segregation has to be avoided in or-der to stick to a conglomerated character.

POSSIBILITIES OFREJUVENATION



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PERSPECTIVES7



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SOURCES

Dr. Dhrubajyoti Banerjea (2008): European Cal-cutta, Images and Recollections of a ByegoneEra, New Delhi.

The London School of Economics and PoliticalScience (2008): Integrated City Making, DetailReport, Urban Age Programme, London.

Centre for Build Environment (2007): Newsletterof Centre for Build Environment, No. 21, Kolkata.

Dr. Nitai Kundu (2003): Understanding Slums,Case Studies for the Global Report on HumanSettlements.

Urmi Sengupta, University of Newcastle uponTyne (2006): Liberalization and the privatizationof public rental housing in Kolkata.

UN-Habitat (2003): Global Report on HumanSettlements 2003, The Challenge of Slums,Earthscan, London.

Mr. Venkateswar Ramaswamy: The City fromHere: Urban Development and Slum communitiesin Kolkata, Kolkata.

National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisa-tion (1996): Atlas of the City of Calcutta and itsEnvironment, Kolkata.

Monica Khosla Bhargava, Anirban Chatterjee, Su-priyo Nandy (2008): Rejuvenation of Park StreetApproach Paper.

Census of India, 2001

Oxford Dictionary (1989): Second Edition, 1989.



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REFERENCES

Newspapers

Calcutta Telegraph, India, July 30, 2004.http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Internet

www.censusindia.gov.inwww.wbgov.comhttp://www.calcuttaweb.com/http://news.bbc.co.uk/http://willy-bangkoktailor.blogspot.com/

Photographs

Matthias StücheliLuca PestalozziLIFE Magazine Onlinehttp://willy-bangkoktailor.blogspot.com/



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12 Park Street Web

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