It is true that our lives revolve around technology and as such, we don’t pay attention to our surroundings and our intimate bond with nature has faded. As a result of this lack of exposure to the urban fabric, it is as though we have found ourselves navigating a concrete jungle where finding open space is difficult. One such way you revealed to combat this blindness to the richness of the urban fabric, is the use of the riverfront.
Some observations: Referencing which lecture this post alludes to and expanding on the precedent you mentioned would be a useful addition. What intrigues me, however, is that the post seemingly insinuates that the river isn’t considered part of lifestyle, this certainly isn’t the case with the River Thames in my hometown of London. The Thames is one of the richest components of the city and symbolizes the people and culture, connecting the north and south banks while crossing over 33 bridges. The Thames’ estuaries support much of the population and wildlife species, making it one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. The tidal Thames estuary in particular, hosts 115 different species of fish and 92 species of birds (Hudson, 2022). Historically, the river has been an important route for trade and transport. By the 18th century, trading ships from different corners of the globe arrived, stocking a variety of goods like tea, silk and spices from the east, sugar from the Caribbean, timber from Norway and iron ore from Sweden (Barrow, 2013).
Though the river had become a dirty waterway after WW2 resulting in a loss of attraction to tourists with little to see beyond bomb-damaged buildings, it has in recent years, received attention to clean the river as homes and offices have been built to celebrate their proximity. Poems have been written, painters have been inspired and filmmakers have gifted them major roles. From Battersea Power Station to Greenwich peninsula, to Somerset House and both Tate galleries, the river connects years of history, heritage an creativity into a single entity.
Around 24 million people visit the South Bank every year and five of London’s most popular attractions reside along the banks. Additionally, cultural venues have emerged on the south bank and from east to west, there are many opportunities to connect London’s communities. Its festivals and events draw locals together for instance the new year’s eve fireworks or Illuminated River, lighting up the bridges and altering the way we see the river at night. Though there is much to offer, there is still opportunity to fulfil the river’s potential. Cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin celebrate their rivers as important landmarks. Many school children have never witnessed the beauty of the Thames and it is through the Mayor’s cultural vision can we deliver.
Overall, the post is informative and it is very much true that riverfronts have untapped potential that cities must make use of, whether it be for commercial or recreational purposes.
References
Barrow, M., (2013). Facts about the River Thames London. [online] Available at: http://projectbritain.com/london/thames.htm.
Hudson, O., (2022). The State of London’s River Thames: A Look at the 2021 Report. [online] Available at: https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1457.
It is true that our lives revolve around technology and as such, we don’t pay attention to our surroundings and our intimate bond with nature has faded. As a result of this lack of exposure to the urban fabric, it is as though we have found ourselves navigating a concrete jungle where finding open space is difficult. One such way you revealed to combat this blindness to the richness of the urban fabric, is the use of the riverfront.
Some observations: Referencing which lecture this post alludes to and expanding on the precedent you mentioned would be a useful addition. What intrigues me, however, is that the post seemingly insinuates that the river isn’t considered part of lifestyle, this certainly isn’t the case with the River Thames in my hometown of London. The Thames is one of the richest components of the city and symbolizes the people and culture, connecting the north and south banks while crossing over 33 bridges. The Thames’ estuaries support much of the population and wildlife species, making it one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. The tidal Thames estuary in particular, hosts 115 different species of fish and 92 species of birds (Hudson, 2022). Historically, the river has been an important route for trade and transport. By the 18th century, trading ships from different corners of the globe arrived, stocking a variety of goods like tea, silk and spices from the east, sugar from the Caribbean, timber from Norway and iron ore from Sweden (Barrow, 2013).
Though the river had become a dirty waterway after WW2 resulting in a loss of attraction to tourists with little to see beyond bomb-damaged buildings, it has in recent years, received attention to clean the river as homes and offices have been built to celebrate their proximity. Poems have been written, painters have been inspired and filmmakers have gifted them major roles. From Battersea Power Station to Greenwich peninsula, to Somerset House and both Tate galleries, the river connects years of history, heritage an creativity into a single entity.
Around 24 million people visit the South Bank every year and five of London’s most popular attractions reside along the banks. Additionally, cultural venues have emerged on the south bank and from east to west, there are many opportunities to connect London’s communities. Its festivals and events draw locals together for instance the new year’s eve fireworks or Illuminated River, lighting up the bridges and altering the way we see the river at night. Though there is much to offer, there is still opportunity to fulfil the river’s potential. Cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin celebrate their rivers as important landmarks. Many school children have never witnessed the beauty of the Thames and it is through the Mayor’s cultural vision can we deliver.
Overall, the post is informative and it is very much true that riverfronts have untapped potential that cities must make use of, whether it be for commercial or recreational purposes.
References
Barrow, M., (2013). Facts about the River Thames London. [online] Available at: http://projectbritain.com/london/thames.htm.
Hudson, O., (2022). The State of London’s River Thames: A Look at the 2021 Report. [online] Available at: https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1457.
Hey Dhruvin,
First of all, congrats on this post. I find it interesting for someone who is confronting the city and its identity, in the form of a holy river Sabarmati for the very first time. I like how he started the blog with a brief overview of the issue and then move forward with an introduction to the city riverfront development project. India itself is a culturally and heritably rich nation, I would appreciate it if he writes more about the identity of Ahmedabad city, in terms of social and cultural background. The blog mostly talks about the use of the riverfront. But if we are discussing the riverfront there are many other factors that shouldn’t be overlooked. This fleetingly includes how we provide social upliftment of the site, environmental improvement, and sustainable development [1].
His vision for the Sabarmati riverfront is lying more toward a healthy lifestyle, which includes the use of provision of public space, and space for yoga and running. I strongly believe that if we want to connect the 11.2 km [2] belt of the Sabarmati River, it is essential to design such anchors as exhibition centers, event grounds, laundry campus, and riverfront market to hold the diverse population in one place.
The next point he mentions is the alternative way of transportation. Which are waterways. Nowadays due to land shortage, planners are working on designs which has a foundation on water. And to overcome this problem, I feel segregating the traffic to waterways is a good key. The main advantage of a riverfront city is that the town itself has a natural way of transportation. And not only the traffic but also the settlement which may take place in a river to lower the habitation strain on the land. But does this require a lot of studies like safeguarding the city from flood, river water retention, and recharge.
For the last note, it is a great share, and thanks for putting an effort to write about this wonderful city and, its identity in the form of the Sabarmati riverfront project.
References:
[1]. https://sabarmatiriverfront.com/
[2]. https://sabarmatiriverfront.com/river-promenade/
To begin with, the blog is pretty simplified and easy to understand as it is written in points. It gives the reader an introduction about what a riverfront is, the uses of the riverfront and how it is contributing to the city. I couldn’t agree more on the fact that the riverfront is an element of an urban form which can contribute towards a healthy lifestyle of the people living in that city, as there could be jogging tracks, open and accessible green pockets and urban furniture introduced in the design which could foster towards the health and development of the people.
In this blog, you have given a case study of the Sabarmati River front which is close to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad which has deep rooted history of Gandhi. Being an Architect and Urban Designer, I think along with appreciating a good design and looking at it as a case study we should also look at it critically. I have visited the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and it is undoubtedly one of the best examples of a Riverfront Design. It is designed on a very long stretch and provides space for people to socialize and have a leisure time. It also adds to the socio-economic factors of the city. Having said that, I also feel that an urban insert project should be looked at and dealt with respect to all the Urban aspects like usability, the socio-economic aspects, heritage, culture, location and climate response. At this hour where climate change has become a very important issue, I feel every design has to have the climate considerations as well. Along with the design of the urban insert, even the materiality of the entire built form has to be considered too. My observation during my visit to the riverfront was that the entire stretch is entirely made of concrete. Gujarat being a state with hot climate which has a peak temperature of 45 degrees in summers, for this particular project some different alternatives for materials which could be local, sustainable and climate responsive could have been used. Similarly, projects like these which prove to be one of the most important urban inserts with respect to the cultural and heritage context should also incorporate a green infrastructure. To sum it all up, Riverfront projects are indeed a great urban asset for any city, and this blog gives a very clear and brief idea about it.