Niveda Ramesh

UP4002

Ahmedabad is located in one of the highly industrialised and urbanised parts of Gujarat State. Urban development in Ahmedabad has been driven by several planning frameworks over the years, and struggles to protect its urban and neighborhood ‘character’ in the process. The character of a path and the experience of a journey through it is widely defined by the scale of the buildings and the dynamic of the public spaces it is surrounded by. Ghodasar and Maninagar are located in the South-East of Ahmedabad, Ghodasar originally settled in the 1950s and Maninagar being a more recent development over the last 10 years. Within the 1 km.sq area of study, Ghodasar has traditional dwelling settlements, well developed public spaces and leafy residential streets. In contrast to this, Maninagar exhibits bustling commercial activity, mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings and a high level of encroachment on the streets. Through various themes like ‘built densities’, ‘public spaces’, ‘walkability’ and interviews with residents, this study tries to analyze the urban spatial character of these areas and how it has impacted the social identity and quality of life in the area.