Abstract
This study focuses on the different typologies of urban spaces present in the city and focuses on its history, socio-cultural characteristics, landscape layers and neighbouring community requirements to activate it. One such neglected minority community in Bhopal surrounding the former UCIL factory site, including 19 colonies in the radius of 2.5km that are not only financially and economically unstable but face the same fate of uncontrolled industrial growth, environmental contamination, toxic waste, struggle for corporate accountability, and peoples movements for justice are taken as an example for further study. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy and the resulting people’s battle have dramatically altered the neighbourhoods, networks, relationships, and identities of the survivors, most of whom are very poor. The study focuses on strengthening the community ties, by introducing environmental remediation which can simultaneously deal with the identified community issues and help remove the stigma associated with the site before activating it. This site is situated in one of the most densely populated wards, where there is 56% of less open space per standards of World Health Organisation (WHO). This locked up space could be utilised by the community for their upliftment and betterment, who are also the primary stakeholders after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. In the master plan draft of Bhopal 2031, one can see the projected urban expansion towards this area, which will make it a central node in Northern zone of Bhopal. The site, therefore, offers many latent possibilities that can be harnessed. The integration of Community Inclusiveness + Design + Environmental Remediation is necessary for a holistic approach in this example. This community in the city of Bhopal is facing immediate and long-term health conditions due to the toxic contamination of soil and groundwater by the former UCIL factory. 60% of the surrounding family generations are facing the consequences of exposed gas of 1984. For this community to participate and contribute in the progress of the city and to encourage healthy urban life, certain measures need to be taken. This study focuses on those measures incorporated with urban development. As the major population lies within the age group of 16 to 31 having no occupation as more than 60% of them are unskilled labourers with a literacy rate less than 80%, designing this abandoned locked up space will engage the community and offer them opportunities for employment, recreation, healing as well as help them to prosper economically. The prospects of this industrial brownfield and the community associated with it have been neglected for the past five decades. People migrated and settled around this neighbourhood in search for a better life and to be a part of city’s development but due to unfortunate events this community has been suffering in the past and still continues to do so. It is high time to include the community as well as the associated vacant land, to contribute towards ecological resilience and human well- being of the city of Bhopal This will encourage communities to engage and participate in the urban life, and prosper economically when this locked up land of 77 acres in the heart of old city of Bhopal comes to use. Such projects have the ability to inspire a new treatment for under appreciated properties, of which there are many. This also encourages site and city specific development rather than following a prototypes. Furthermore, this helps to restore the long lost identities of people and places, as well as re-envision city’s network of quality green spaces.
