Role of Community Participation in The Regeneration of a Colony: Railway staff Colony (Kamrup, Assam)

Abstract

Abstract: In the recent period of fast economic development, population growth and demands, and changing lifestyles, most outdated regions in metropolitan centers have faced many difficulties in making the required adjustments and adaptations to current needs and changes. This paper looks at the role of community participation in urban regeneration projects and reviving run-down areas and how it can be used to help localities in economic as well as social renewal without changing the identity of the area. The urban regeneration of a Railway Staff Neighbourhood (N.F., B. Colony) in the district of Kamrup Metropolitan, Assam, North-Eastern India, is the subject of this research. The paper also aims at an urban reuse idea to develop a regenerative approach as a countermeasure to urban degradation, with a strategy that involves community engagement in the project. The research was based on numerous site visits and interviewing various stakeholder groups, particularly the local community, at all levels. The study examines a new experience in the neighbourhood in establishing an alternative use of the abandoned quarters based on addressing the community and the problems faced by them. Keywords: Community participation; Urban regeneration; Sustainable development; Railway neighbourhood