Conservation and Change: Questions for Conservation Education in Urban India

In India the contemporary city is largely defined by its kinetic condition, that is its movement and the place-making of its residents in the form of festivals, rituals, impromptu bazaars, and events. The kinetic city has largely replaced the static city (its physical architecture) as the primary and most dynamic aspect of urban India. In light of this, conservation students and professionals who work and study in India must look to the kinetic city for their cues when assessing significance and developing conservation plans or interventions. Architectural conservation programmes need to broaden their scope of concerns to reach beyond the material fabric to include the expertise of urban planning and the motivation and vision of local community groups. It will only be through the integration of these diverse actors that architectural conservation will bridge the objects of the past with the motion of the present and the direction of the future. If conservation of the built heritage in India is to be relevant (useful) it will need to embrace the kinetic city and accommodate the dance of its residents.