The Fort: Opportunities for an effective urban conservation strategy in Bombay

Abstract

A common scenario in Third World countries is that with the overriding social, economic and political implications being so complex and vast, the actual resolution to urban problems and issues is often lost and the planning process stalls at the problem identification stage. The key to the resolution of the urban decline affecting the central business district of Bombay, Fort, is in accepting and understanding its cultural and architectural significance to the city, its potential to continue as the financial centre with the influx of multinational offices being set up in the city, and to stop the degeneration of a district which already has large-scale formal and informal sector investment. The main argument of the paper is that time is ripe for an innovative conservation strategy. The proposed strategy begins with an action plan that would be essential should a program for conservation be accepted by the city's decision makers. It is a move away from the current piecemeal approach of identifying singular buildings for preservation, and pursues a more holistic approach to protect, regulate and retain the built, economic and social fabric of Fort. Encouraged by the Kanga Commission's initiatives, the proposed approach shows the steps towards a bold but manageable long-term solution.