An Urban Design analysis of

Kolkata
Prarthna Roy
Semester 09, Year 5
311216251061
  Kolkata (erst. Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal. Located on
the bank of the Hooghly river. It is approximately 80 km from the
western border of Bangladesh.
 It is the 7th most populous city of India; with 14.1 million people
(city + suburbs) as of the 2011 census.
 It is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of
About the city East India. The Port of Kolkata I s India’s sole major riverine port.
(General +  Initially consisted of three villages: Kalikata, Sutanuti, and
Govindapur.
history)  It was founded by Job Charnock in 1690 and came under East India
Company rule from 1793.
 Was the capital of British India (under the East India Company
then under the British Crown) until the capital was shifted to New
Delhi in 1911 due to geographical disadvantages & growing
nationalism in the region.
 In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William,
located on the East bank of the Hooghly river to protect their
trading factory in the area.
 In the early 19th century, Richard Wellesley, then Governor General
between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the
development of the city & its public architecture.
 By 1850s, Calcutta had 2 areas: White Town for the British, centred
around Chowringhee and Dalhousie square, and Black Town for
the locals located in North Calcutta.
 The city underwent natural disasters, famines, war & political
strikes and riots over the centuries.
 It is spread out on the banks of the river on a North-South axis,
mostly expanding south and eastwards.
Evolution of
Calcutta/Kolka
ta

Calcutta - 1690 Calcutta - 1757

Calcutta - 1852 Calcutta - 1900
Calcutta - 1980 Calcutta - 2016
  The city lies in the Kolkata
Metropolitan Area spread over
an area of 1886.67 km2, of
which the area of the city is 205
km2. It has a maximum
elevation of 9m from the sea
level.
 Th urban agglomeration
Morphology of encompasses parts of
surrounding districts like North
the city 24 Parganas, South 24
Parganas, Howrah, and Nadia.
 It is divided into North, Central,
South and East Kolkata. There
are upcoming townships:
Bidhannagar/Salt Lake City in
the SE and Rajarhat/New Town
in the eastern end.
 Kolkata city lies in the
Bengal basin of The Indo-
Gangetic plains, its soil is
primarily alluvial. It lies on
seismic zone III.
 It has a tropical wet & dry
climate, with a very high
damage risk from wind and
cyclones.
 It gets rainfall from the
South West monsoon, with
annual rainfall of 1850mm.
Landuse of
Kolkata city &
district

Kolkata Metropolitan Area land use depiction of 2016

Current land use map for Kolkata Municipal Area
  Kolkata is known for literary, artistic & revolutionary heritage; it is considered as
the birthplace of modern Indian literary & artistic thought.
 The presence of “paras” or neighborhoods possess a strong sense of community.
Each para has its own community club and/or a playing field. Residents engage in
“addas” or leisurely chats, sometimes turning into a freestyle intellectual
conversation.
 Commercial & local folk theatre or “jatras” are very popular here. Tollygunge is the
regional cinema hub and hence gives the name TOLLYWOOD to mainstream
Culture of the Bengali cinema.
 Local food: fish curry, rice, roshogolla, Sandesh, mishit doi, kati rolls, etc.
city Traditional wear: saris, salwar kameez for women & dhoti-kurta for men
 Luminaries from across various fields include Swami Vivekananda, Raja Ram
Mohun Roy, Satyajit Ray, Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa, etc.
 Most popular sports in Kolkata are cricket and football. Notable stadiums in the
city are Salt Lake Stadium, Eden Gardens stadium, and the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
 Festivals celebrated here are Durga puja, Kali puja, Lakshmi puja, Vishwakarma
puja, Bengali New Year, Maha Shivratri, Rabindranath Jayanti, Christmas, Eid along
with other major religious & cultural festivals. There is also the annual Kolkata
Book Fair held between January and February.
  The population of the city is over 4.4 million people, with a
population density of 24252 people per km2. The sex ratio is 899
females/1000 males. The literacy rate is 87.14%.
 The major languages spoken are Bengali, Hindi, English and Urdu.

Demography  The constituent ethnicities of the city are Bengali hindus, muslims,
Christians, Marwaris, Biharis, Pathans, Nepalis, Assamese, Anglo-
of the city Indians, Parsis, and more.
 As of 2003, about 1/3rd of the population lived in 3500 unregistered
slums and 2011 registered/authorized slums which are divided into
bastes and udbastu, which are leased to Bangladeshi refugees.
 The city’s crime rate as of 2010 was 117.3/100,000 people.
  The Kolkata Municipal
Corporation oversees & manages
the civic infrastructure of the city,
divided into 16 boroughs of 144
wards.
 Kolkata’s administrative agencies
have areas of jurisdiction that do
Services & not coincide. Listed in ascending
order by area, they are: Kolkata
infrastructure district, the Kolkata Police Area
and the Kolkata Municipal
of the city Corporation Area (Kolkata City),
and the Kolkata Metropolitan
Area overseen by the Kolkata
Metropolitan Development
Authority (KMDA).
 The Kolkata Port Trust, an agency
of the central government,
manages the city’s river port.
 POWER SUPPLY: The city gets its power supply from thermal power plants run by
the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation. The total electric consumption in the
district has now gone up from 6424 million KWH in 2006-07, to 8135 million KWH
in 2010-11. The West Bengal State Electricity Board supplies it in the suburbs.
 WATER SUPPLY: According to KMC officials, say that in 2013 water demand from
KMC was 290 million gallons per day and on an average, it supplied 300 mgd. The
city is serviced by a 5,000 km network of pipes. As per KMC, it has 5 water
treatment plants at Palta, Watgunge, Jorabagan, Dhapa and Garden Reach. There
are reports that officially 15% of Kolkata's core water supply comes from ground
water, in reality 25–30% of water used in households is ground water.
 DRAINAGE: Kolkata district was traditionally drained by two channels and various
minor water ways. Human efforts tried to supplement the natural system. William
Tolly tried to develop an eastward drainage-cum-communication channel by
excavating the almost dead bed of the Adi Ganga. The 27 km long Tolly's Nullah
was completed in 1777. The Lake Channel was cut through the Salt Lake later on.
 Since 1742 the Bidyadhari served as an outlet for the drainage of the city, but with
deterioration of the Jamuna, Bidyadhari lost much of its fresh water flow. Dr.
Birendranath Dey renovated and revived the Bidyadhari in 1943. Kolkata was
pioneer in introducing the underground drainage system in 1878. There are 88 km
of man-entry big sewers and 92 km of non-man entry brick sewers.
 To promote the recycling of garbage and sewer water, agriculture
is encouraged on the dumping grounds. Parts of the city lack
proper sewerage, leading to unsanitary methods of waste
disposal.
 Fire services are handled by the West Bengal Fire Service, a state
agency. As of 2012, the city had 16 fire stations.
 As of 2011, the health care system in Kolkata consists of 48
government hospitals, mostly under the Department of Health &
Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and 366 private
medical establishments; these establishments provide the city
with 27,687 hospital beds. For every 10,000 people in the city,
there are 61.7 hospital beds, which is higher than the national
average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.
  The transport system of Kolkata is a mix of modern mass rapid
transport and the old transport modalities like the rickshaws.
Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways,
and also by air. Most traffic to North-East India routes via Kolkata.
Public transport is provided by the Kolkata suburban railways, the
Kolkata Metro, trams and buses. The different modes of transport
are as follows:
 RAILWAYS: Kolkata is well- connected to the rest of India by
Transportation extensive railway network of the Indian railways. Two divisions of
the Indian railways- the Eastern railways and South Eastern
railways are headquartered in the city. The two major stations of
the city are at Howarh and Sealdah. A third terminal called Kolkata
has recently been launched in early 2006. The electrified suburban
rail network of the SER and ER is extensive and stretches far into
the neighboring districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24
Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly etc.
 The suburban rail network connects the city's distant suburbs.
 METRO RAIL: Kolkata was
the first city in South Asia to
have an underground railway
system that started
operating from 1984. For an
overpopulated and
congested metropolis like
Kolkata, the train or metro
offers the ideal solution to
decongest the city. It can
transport vast multitudes
over long distances at peak
hours at minimum cost.

Current Kolkata Metro route map

 TRAMS: Kolkata is the only
Indian city to have a tram
network. Trams are under the
administration of the Calcutta
Tramways Company, a
government of West Bengal
undertaking, popularly known
as CTC. The environmental –
friendliness and the old charm
of the trams attract many
people. With the tracks now
running in the centre of the
heavy traffic roads,
commuters are encountering
difficulties in getting to the
trams’ stop through the traffic
and as a result, less number of
people are able to use the
tram easily.
 AIRPORT: The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport
at Dum Dum is the only airport in the city, operating both
domestic and international flights.
 PORT & WATER TRANSPORT: Kolkata has a major riverine port
and together with the Haldia dock system, the Kolkata Port Trust
has been amongst top performers in the country. Also the twin
cities of Kolkata and Howrah are connected by local water ferries
through extensive Ghats like Fairlie Ghat, Howrah Ghat, Shibpur
Ghat, Princep Ghat, Cossipore Ghat etc.
 The port also hosts passenger services to Port Blair, capital of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands; freighter service to ports
throughout India and around the world is operated by the
Shipping Corporation of India.
 ROADWAYS: A network of expressways like Kona Expressway which is
partially complete, Belghoria Expressway which is under construction,
widening of southern stretch of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and
construction of the Second Vivekananda Bridge will hopefully ease the
traffic congestion.
 Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu are two bridges connecting
Kolkata with Howrah over the Ganges. Vivekananda Setu is the third
bridge over the river. The fourth one and the newest one is Nivedita
Setu.
 Due to its diverse and abundant public transportation, privately owned
vehicles are not as common in Kolkata as in other major Indian cities.
The city has witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered
vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven
years. As of 2004, after adjusting for population density, the city's "road
space" was only 6% compared to 23% in Delhi and 17% in Mumbai.
 The Kolkata–Delhi and Kolkata–Chennai prongs of the Golden
Quadrilateral, and National Highway 12 start from the city.
 Kolkata has an extensive network of government run and privately
run busses. There are multiple bus-running organizations, a
private organization and multiple government services like CSTC
(Calcutta State Transport Corporation), CTC (Calcutta Tramway
Corporation), WBSTC (West Bengal Surface Transport
Corporation) etc.
 There are also various types of privately run buses. The privately-
owned buses are of two types. The regular ones and the mini-
buses. The regular buses are coloured light-blue and yellow and
the mini-buses are of brown and yellow colour. Recently air
conditioned buses have been introduces by WBSTC.
 The metered-cabs are mostly of the
brand “Ambassador”. Recently air
conditioned cabs and maroon cabs have
been introduced. The all yellow ones
have a Bengal permit and the black-
yellow ones have a Kolkata city permit.
There is also air conditioned Radio Taxi
service in Kolkata with the name ‘Kolkata
Cab’.
 Hand-pulled and cycle rickshaws and
auto-rickshaws are commonplace in the
city. Rickshaws are on the list of probable
abolishment on humanitarian grounds.
Auto- rickshaws have become a very
common mode of transport for short
distances. They are usually not metered.
There are several routes and the autos of
a particular route ply between two
distinct places of that route only.
 Besides all this mode of transport, like in
other Indian cities, walking is very
common. Privately owned cars, though
less in number and usage compared to
other large cities in India, are growing by
leaps and bounds and are slowly
becoming the transport of choice for a
large number of people.
 Kolkata encapsulates the essence of the ‘mega-city’ transport problem
in developing countries. Kolkata has a motor vehicle population of over
600,000 with low but rapidly rising levels of car ownership (at least 20%
per annum) which operates under conditions most likely to maximize air
pollution.
 The fuel used is poor quality, predominately leaded and often
adulterated. Vehicles are poorly maintained (most emitting black
smoke). Air quality is as bad as anywhere in the world. Suspended
Particulate Matter (SPM) pollution (mainly from diesel engine and auto-
rickshaws) frequently exceeds 1000 ug/ cubic meter when the WHO
standard which should not exceeded is 70 ug/ m3
 Traffic congestion is severe and there are no traffic management
systems such as bus lanes.
 Road traffic accidents are increasingly threatening the lives of its
residents. The pattern of transport development in Kolkata vividly
illustrates the major international faultlines between rhetoric and reality
between the public espousal of sustainable development objectives and
the daily negation of those objectives in plans on the ground.
  Kolkata is home to many historic buildings and structures that
have been declared as "heritage structures". The Victoria
Memorial, Raja Ram Mohan Palace, Fort William, Belur Math and
Writers Building are some of the most significant heritage
buildings in the city. Many structures adorn the classic Indo-
Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architectural motifs.

Urban  Today, Kolkata is a bustling metropolis having underground

metro, high rise buildings, vibrant nightlife and large corporate
character offices. However, the city still masterfully maintains its status of
being the cultural capital of India, with numerous mementoes of
the city’s colonial past scattered across the length and breadth of
the city.
 The urban settlement of Kolkata can be defined into definite
regions, distinguished according to the history, socio-economic
culture & architectural character.
 NORTH KOLKATA: Mostly residential, neighbourhoods of elite
Bengalis, craftsmen, artisans, and traders.
 STREET PATTERN: Streets can be categorised into 3 types: roads,
lanes and by-lanes. Division on the basis of the road width and also
on the mind of activities happening.

 PUBLIC SPACE: Least number of open spaces. Parks are used for
recreational purposes by the locals. Street corners and roadside tea
stalls are mostly used as public spaces.
 CENTRAL KOLKATA: The erstwhile British colony, now houses
the business & commercial district, along with buildings of
historical importance.
 STREET PATTERN: Main roads are wide carriage ways and are laid
straight, which act as vistas. Even the lanes in these areas where mostly
the Europeans have settled are wide enough for vehicular movements.

 PUBLIC SPACE: Designed public open spaces. The open space of the
Great Tank creates an ambience of the area. Biggest open space of the
city, the Maidan.
 The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been
called the "lungs of Kolkata" and accommodates sporting events and
public meetings. The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are
located at the southern end of the Maidan.
 SOUTH KOLKATA: Houses the newer developments of the city,
the neighbourhoods of upper middle class Bengalis.
 STREET PATTERN: Streets can be categorised into 3 types: roads,
lanes and by-lanes. Division on the basis of the road width and also
on the mind of activities happening.

 PUBLIC SPACE: Few number of open spaces. A huge open space in

Rabindra Sarovar. Roadside tea stalls & street corners are actively
oriented.
 Today, with the rapid increase in population, human settlements have
been extending continuously over the marshes and the low-lying
areas, in a sporadic manner. This has been causing a tremendous
problem in infrastructure construction programmes of the metropolis
generally and its drainage system particularly.
 The phenomenon of ‘urban sprawl’ with all its characteristics can be
clearly seen in the metropolitan fringe areas. While high prices and
exorbitant rents in the core encourage migration from the core to the
periphery, there is attraction of small homestead plots to suit every
pocket. Thus, the metropolitan fringe provides a suitable place for the
vast numbers of urban poor who are gradually pushed out of the old
and established urban core of Kolkata.
 It would be evident that Kolkata today, is not merely, what its own
municipal administrative jurisdiction indicates. The beginning might
have been on a modest scale of a poly nuclear type of development,
but has now merged into a gigantic sprawl giving rise to a conurbation
causing a spatial explosion beyond control, hence justifying itself with
the structure of a multiple nuclei model of city development.
  The period of British Rule saw wealthy Bengali families
(especially zamindar estates) employing European firms to design
houses and palaces.
 The Indo-Saracenic movement was strongly prevalent in the
region. While most rural estates featured an elegant country
house, the cities of Calcutta (Kolkata), Dacca
Local characters (Dhaka), Panam and Chittagong had widespread 19th & early 20th
Unique features & landmarks century urban architecture, comparable to London, Sydney or
Auckland due to the British influence. Art Deco influences began in
Calcutta in the 1930s.
 The cityscapes of modern Bengali cities are dominated by
midsized skycrapers and often called concrete jungles.
Architecture services form a significant part of urban economies in
the region, with acclaimed architects such as Rafiq Azam.
Park Street in the British era Park Street in the modern era

Esplanade Commercial area of Esplanade

 Jessore Road streetscape College Street (Boi Para)

Shyambazaar at nighttime A scene of Old Calcutta Aerial view of Kolkata

Old houses in Kalighat Old Indo-western houses in Ballygunge

Old house in Sonargaon

  Urban Kolkata is home to  There are also some 667
numerous plants and species of plants as follows:
animals: 96 medicinal plants
20 species of mammals
 161 species of herbs
107 kinds of birds
205 species of shrubs
1 amphibian species
229 flowering species
8 local varieties of fish
68 climbers
Local ecology 64 butterfly species
35 species of flies
10 species of ants
13 species of insects
2 species of snails
35 spider species
 Kolkata is fortunate to be home to the world’s largest organic
‘sewage treatment plant’, the wetlands. Unobserved by the rest of
the world, sun-fed algae and the bacteria in the sewage perform
this wondrous function.
 According to The Hindu, a conservative estimate of this great
service being performed quietly would be: the capacity to treat
750 million litres of wastewater per day. In monetary terms it
would be over $25 billion (₹162,500 crore) annually.
 These wetlands are also home to a wide variety of aquatic life,
vegetation, and hundreds of species of birds. Moreover, after
nature’s organic treatment, the sewage that drains into the
wetlands results in 55,000 tonnes of vegetables and paddy and
10,000 tonnes of fish annually, giving a community of 100,000
people a livelihood. In effect, the wastewater works as a costless
fertilizer to produce cheap food for what Ghosh called an
“ecologically subsidised” city.
 Because these invaluable benefits cannot be calculated, they are
often brushed aside in the calculations of developers. No textbook
of development economics in India or elsewhere talks about “the
developer’s model of development”, the one that is actually the
dominant understanding of development at work across 21st
century India.
 In 2005, the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found
ecological degradation to be more prominent within wetlands
than any other ecosystem on Earth.
 Conceptually, East Kolkata Wetland (EKW) was declared by the
IUCN as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar
Convention in 2002 because of its immense ecological values and
wise uses. Consequently, the designation of this wetland as a
Ramsar site marks the commitment of the Government of India to
undertake measures for ensuring its wise use.
 The Indian Museum Marble Palace Jorasanko Thakur Bari
Kolkata’s
unique
features &
Writer’s Building Birla Science City
landmarks

The National Library Victoria Memorial

The Maidan Alipore Zoological Gardens Dakshineshwar Kali Temple

Kalighat Temple St. Paul’s Cathedral New Market

 Eden Gardens Stadium Salt Lake Stadium Rabindra Sarovar

Howrah Station Princep Ghat (with New Howrah Bridge) Old Howrah Bridge
Thank you.
(Fun fact time.)