Most great cities of today originally started as small settlements on the banks of rivers. Ahmedabad, founded in year 1411 AD by emperor Ahmed... Show moreMost great cities of today originally started as small settlements on the banks of rivers. Ahmedabad, founded in year 1411 AD by emperor Ahmed Shah indeed has a claim for thriving in all aspects of life for the past six centuries. Established as a small military settlement on the dry and sandy north Gujarat plains on the bank of river Sabarmati, Ahmedabad today is fifth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan of India. Geographically the Sabarmati River divides the city of Ahmedabad into two segments. Within each side of the city there are two distinct images, urban west and historic east. It could be stated that the historic district of city must now hold its position as the center both geographically and economically considering the overall metropolitan area of Ahmedabad. With rapid urbanization, the historic district is overlapped by today’s fast paced life and urbanity resulting a steady loss of its heritage and greater than that, a sense of place. This thesis proposes a conservation and reconstruction model for the historic district of Ahmedabad addressing the most fundamental issues of economic viability and sustainability. The main challenge driving this thesis is how to retrofit the historic district so that it matches the urbanity of 21st century along with keeping its historic character intact. The initial process is to assemble background observations and research that will provide an understanding of the concepts required for retrofitting the historic district of Ahmedabad. It is hopeful that the ideas and architectural process can also be a framework to be applied on other historic cores that have been neglected and suppressed by today’s urbanity and especially in Asian countries. M.S. in Architecture, December 2012 Show less
