Priority Area: Reinventing Frameworks for Urban Governance, Planning

This article illustrates the application of the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Approach for the first time in the Indian context of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The two cases of Gwalior and Orchha are chosen to demonstrate the malleability of the HUL approach since one is a city and the other a temple town

As the future of humanity hinges on the effective planning and management of resources, the conservation of historic settlements, viewed as a complex layering of historical, geological, and natural aspects, etc., has become a strategy to achieve a balance between urban growth and quality of life on a sustainable basis. The conservation of the historical core of a settlement should be based on the locally embedded and historical features that, though often forgotten or neglected, can still prove to be the local cultural identity anchors in the era of globalisation.

To include historic centres and the surroundings as a whole, favourable public policies need to be put in place derived from the existing legislation (including land-use maps, environmental degradation controls, etc.) to address the local state of affairs. This also needs to include funding and subsidy schemes, public participation, and educational activities.

To address urban conservation, UNESCO in 2011 released recommendations for the conservation of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), which laid stress on the fact that urban heritage, including its tangible and intangible components, constitutes a key resource in enhancing the liveability of urban areas and fosters economic development and social cohesion in a changing global environment. The HUL approach addresses policy, governance, and management concerns, involving a variety of stakeholders (including local, national, regional, international, public, and private actors in the urban development process). The HUL approach directly relates to the Sustainable Development Goal, Target 11.4, which highlights the importance of cultural and natural heritage for making safe and resilient cities and draws upon the New Urban Agenda (UN-Habitat), which underlines the need for integrated approaches to urban sustainability. HUL approach becomes a crucial tool to enhance the liveability of a settlement and is an approach that is not only inclusive of development but also infused with smart urban development tools and vision for the required urban infrastructure.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board requested that UNESCO New Delhi apply the HUL approach to the cities of Gwalior and Orchha. Dharatal was inducted as the technical expert agency for the project, which was launched in July 2021.

The project methodology involves the following steps: data collection, data analysis (historical, geographical, cultural, and socio-economic context), stakeholder engagement, along with the identification of infrastructure and developmental issues in the historic urban centre to facilitate the application of the approach in Gwalior and Orchha, and finally the formulation of recommendations and guidelines for local development authorities.

Gwalior

Gwalior is one of the major cities in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This Tier II city has been proposed to become one of the counter-magnets to the National Capital Region of Delhi. It has also been selected by the central government to implement the Smart City initiatives. It is historically significant as it was ruled by several northern Indian kingdoms and features many important cultural heritage assets that are currently underutilised and lack guidelines for holistic development. Presently, major infrastructure projects are planned, including a 12-kilometre elevated road atop what remains of the river passing through the heart of the city, the Swarnarekha, which could permanently displace its ecological value.

The main problem is accommodating the modern needs of the people of Gwalior in balance with the historic, cultural, and religious values embodied in the built environment. It is necessary to recognise that the HUL approach accommodates change and development, which are inevitable for any city or town, while mitigating their negative effects on significant built heritage.

The project examines how to accommodate the needs of Gwalior while respecting its historic environment, the application and adaptation of the HUL approach, and the gaps between theory and practise. Challenges and opportunities were identified for the urban heritage while determining values, attributes, and the applicability of the HUL approach in order to draw recommendations and guidelines for future development.

Key inferences from the data analysis of Gwalior

• Varying urban morphological footprints emulate the historical evolution of the city.
• The Swarnarekha riverfront has huge potential as a public space.
• The local population has a positive inclination towards the urban cultural heritage of Gwalior.

Challenges identified in Gwalior

• Inadequate transport and waste disposal infrastructure to support the growing urban population in the city.
• Environmental pressure in terms of waterlogging following rainfall due to a lack of softscapes to recharge depleting groundwater sources.
• Slumification of dense urban historic areas such as Hazira and Lashkar
  Lack of special area regulations to check development in dense urban settlements.
• The depleting ecological value of the Swarnarekha river is expected to further worsen with proposals such as the Elevated Road proposed over the river.
• Inadequate understanding of existing legal provisions by public representatives.
  
  A vital component that contributes to the effectiveness of the HUL approach is stakeholder engagement. The data analysis and preliminary recommendations were subject to public stakeholder and local community consultations in March 2022. The endorsement of the data analysis and the spreading of awareness about the objectives of the project were realised. The priorities of the local government and community, as well as their vision for Gwalior, were discussed with the technical team in order to fine-tune the recommendations and guidelines for the HUL of Gwalior.

Orchha

Orchha is an idyllic historic town with a compact population, established in the 16th century as the capital of a princely state in the Bundelkhand region. It is a prime pilgrimage centre and witnesses a seasonal influx of visitors around major festivals. It has recently been placed on the Tentative List for World Heritage. Today, Orchha is facing significant developmental pressures, including modernization of infrastructure and transportation networks, accommodating a growing demand for tourism activities, and environmental degradation. A number of large projects are being planned and constructed in the city centre, including a 7-metre-wide road through the historic walls, a bridge across the scenic river, the installation of an additional 2050 street lights, a new stadium and sports complex, and parking of 60,000 square metres.

A number of small solutions or recommendations within the framework of the HUL approach translate into big differences or impacts. One such solution could be to make a Heritage Impact Assessment statutory for all public infrastructure projects within the HUL of Orchha, along with the inclusion of a heritage expert on the review board of such projects. Orchha therefore presents an interesting case of a historic town for the contextual application of the 2011 UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach in South Asia.

A similar methodology as applied in the case of Gwalior was carried out for Orchha too.

Key inferences from the data analysis of Orchha

• The maintenance of the natural character of the landscape of Orchha is vital.
• The topography of Orchha plays a significant role in the planning principles adopted during its inception. Hence, it is evidently significant even for its HUL.
• There is a growing appetite for rural tourism. Supporting infrastructure for the same needs to be set up.
• The river, the fort, the Ram Raja temple, and Hardual Ki Baithak are intrinsically associated with the lives of the local population.

Challenges identified in Orchha

• Developmental pressure: Without taking into account their effects on the HUL, different local government departments have proposed large-scale public infrastructure projects.
• Inadequate transport and waste disposal systems to support the growing incoming tourism.
• Environmental pressure in terms of flooding of the Betwa river.
• Inadequate understanding of existing legal provisions by public representatives.