Ramit Raunak

4669-2

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”  —Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities Nothing about cities in the twenty-first century is insignificant; stakes are always high in pinning down what cities are. Through this portfolio, an attempt has been made to showcase the divide between East and West of Ahmedabad. The religious polarization within the city has also been addressed in the first chapter when during interviews in the precinct it was communicated that after the Naroda Patiya Massacre, one of the worst communal violence, Muslims left the entire area. It was witnessed that the divide which is across all cities due to the disparity in income is embedded even in 1 square kilometre of area. Social challenges like mode of vehicle preferred for travelling does not depend only on income and distance but gender also has an impact. Likewise, the nature of jobs was found to be influenced by gender as well. The dependency ratio in households for low-income group was less because to sustain their livelihood, most of the family member work. However, in high-income group, the dependency ratio is higher as only one individual is able to sustain the family’s livelihood. From the previous page ‘Ahmedabad at a glance’, it can be easily analysed that the income divide between people living across the river is steep. Though both these side of Sabarmati is governed by the same Urban Local Body, governance and public amenities can be questioned immensely. Basic services like supply of water vary. While Thaltej receives water for two hours twice a day, Saijpur receives it for one hour in a day. Mixing of sewage water in drinking water is a common complaint in Saijpur which has not been acknowledged and settled by the ULB. 5% of local roads in precinct 13 which comes under AMC are still unpaved. However such instances are rare in the western part of the city. Lastly, it can be concluded that the East of Ahmedabad is shrouded by the West and the economic divide is evident not just across the river but also at the micro level of one square kilometre.