CT.LakshmananAssociate Professor School of Architecture & Interior DesignSRM University

URBAN RENEWAL

• Urban renewal is a deliberately planned and overall effort to change the urban environment

by adopting comprehensive and large-scale adjustment of existing city areas

for serving the present and future needs of the city inhabitants.

GLOSSARY• Slums

Slums may be broadly defined as an area with untidy and ill ventilated residences without proper sanitation and water supply. In slum and blighted areas we can find “submerged humanity” and social disorganization. Poor mostly inhabit these areas.

Blight• Any area or a part of urban or rural in deterioration is called “Blighted area

irrespective of its degree of deterioration”

• ObsolescenceIt can be defined as an associate of blights and slums, since the basic nature is same for all. An area which is unfit for the present use either due to the change in the pattern of living or due to cultural or economic changes is called “obsolescent area”

• Central AreaGenerally oldest parts of the city will be the central area. Since from where the city starts growing to meet the increasing population and to provide fashionable and luxurious type of buildings coupled with the residences of the poorest city dwellers.

• CBDThis term CBD or Central Business District is used to denote the important Central commercial Zone where the commercial function is the predominant function and others are mostly negligible. This is the most accessible area of the town. This is the most populous area in the daytime. This areas predominant function is commercial (retail and wholesale)

TYPES OF URBAN RENEWAL

Three aspects constitute the urban renewal. They are – Redevelopment (clearing and reuse of land)– Rehabilitation (repairing or remodeling)– Conservation

• NEED FOR URBAN RENEWAL

Urban renewal programme is essential to remove the congestion of traffic, to demolish the useless building, or buildings which cannot be used for any purposes such as commercial or residential etc.

The reasons for the need of urban renewal can be divided into three:Physical obsolescence – blight and deteriorationEconomic lossesSocial imbalances

BenefitsThere is a wide range of benefits to be derived from urban renewal. Generally they are classified under 3 groups as follows:

• Physical benefits• Social benefits• Economic benefits

Physical benefits

These are the benefits that can be seen and experienced and include

• Provision for urgently needed facilities in the urban area• Traffic betterments in the form of rearrangement of an

obsolete street system; increasing traffic carrying capacity of streets by widening or channelising them

• Enhancement of utilities by replacing worn-out or obsolete water lines and sewage facilities and installing drainage facilities to eliminate flooding in low lying areas

Social benefits

• These benefits cannot be easily evaluated or measured and yet may have more impact than physical ones.

• Broader social benefits include new schools and recreation facilities, a community center building with programmes for the poor and aged, a health clinic, or a job-training programme.

• Probably the most impressive social advancement renewal offers is the elimination of substandard housing

Economic benefits

• If renewed area is used for commercial purposes, or even for residential (for rent) the returns from them (in terms of economic benefits) are more in addition to physical and social benefits.

• The renewed area may fetch more money than the income, which we can get, from the un-renewed buildings.

• The chances of accidents (fire accidents) are comparatively very less.

URBAN RENEWAL PROGRAMMES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATIONOne of the fundamental objectives of the workable programme for urban renewal is the development of a comprehensive general plan for the community as a whole and the following seven elements should be followed for a programmed to be fulfilled satisfactorily.

• Codes and Ordinances• Comprehensive community plan• Neighbourhood analysis• Administrative organization• Financing• Housing for displaced families• Citizen’s Participation

Codes and Ordinances

Adequate Codes and ordinances vigorously enforced are important means of preventing the occurrence and spread of slums and blight

The following two principal types of regulations are essential for every community.

• Standards for Construction: Assuring structural strength, reasonable safety from fire and proper plumbing, electrical installations.

• Standards for Housing: Prescribe minimum conditions under which a building or parts of it may be occupied as a dwelling.

Comprehensive community plan• The purpose of community planning is to anticipate the

physical environment that will best serve the needs of the people living and working in an urban area, and then to make plans for achieving this environment.

• It is continuing process of developing a comprehensive programme to guide urban growth and renewal.

• There are six minimum planning requirements, which are backbone of any programme.

• The Land use planTo Project future community land needs, showing by location and extent, areas to be used for residential, commercial, industrial and public purposes etc.

• The thoroughfare planProvides a system of major streets, existing and proposed, distinguishing between limited accesses, primary, secondary thoroughfares.

• The community facilities planShows location and type of present and proposed schools, recreation areas, and other significant public facilities

• The public Improvement programmeIdentifying and recommending priorities for future public improvements needed to meet objectives established in other plan elements

• The zoning ordinance and mapEstablish regulations and zone limits, which govern the use of land and the location, height, use and land coverage of buildings.

• The subdivision regulationsProvide standards for land development by requiring adequate lot sizes and arrangement, utilities and street improvements, guide development to comfort with the comprehensive plan.

• Neighbourhood analysisidentification of intensity of blight and logical patterns of neighbourhood for purposes of developing a basis for planning of healthy neighbourhood of decent houses and suitable living environment

• Administrative organizationObjective is firmly to establish administrative responsibility and capacity for enforcement of codes and ordinances and for carrying out renewal programmes and projects.

• FinancingAn effective workable programme can save a community infinitely more than it costs.As the programme gets underway, most communities will find need to initiate or increase appropriations for the following types of activities.– Enforcement of codes– Technical assistance for comprehensive planning and

neighbourhood analysis.– Administration of zoning and sub-division regulations– Overall co-ordination of the programme when this is a

full or part-time assignment.

• Housing for displaced familiesAs a community goes into action on its workable programme enforcing codes, eliminating slums and blight, constructing public improvement. Some families will be displaced from housing they now occupy. Many of the families will need substantial assistance in finding suitable relocation housing. Many communities will find the existing local housing will not meet relocation needs

• Citizen’s ParticipationPeople’s participation in development is both necessary and desirable not because participation is good and it is the right of people to participate in a democratic system, but because-It gives recognition to people as human beings.