Equity in Heritage Conservation ― The Case of Ahmedabad, India

Recognised by the UN’s Sustainable Development goal as a measure to make cities inclusive, safe and resilient, conservation of natural and cultural heritage has become an increasingly important issue across the globe. The equity principle of sustainable development necessitates that citizens hold the right to participate in the cultural economy of a place; requiring that inhabitants and other stakeholders are consulted on processes of continuity or transformation. However, aspirations of cultural exchange do not translate in practice.

Equity in Heritage Conservation takes the UNESCO World Heritage City of Ahmedabad, India, as the foundational investigation into the realities of cultural heritage conservation and management. It contextualises the question of heritage by comparing places, projects and initiatives from other cities around the world to identify issues, processes and improvements. It discusses the understanding of heritage in relation to the sustainable development of living historic cities, the viability of specific measures, ethics of engagement and recommendations for governance through illustrated chapters.

This book will appeal to a range of scholars interested in cultural heritage conservation and management, sustainable development, urban and regional planning and architecture.

Jigna Desai is an Associate Professor and is the Program Chair for Masters in Conservation and Regeneration at the Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University, India. Presently, her area of study is to arrive at frameworks, tools and methods, through which theoretical ideas of sustainability and conservation of living historic environments can be translated into practice, while addressing the challenges of (co)production of space and commodification of heritage. This area of interest was triggered through her involvement with preparing the World Heritage Nomination Dossier for the Historic City of Ahmedabad where she has closely observed the transformations within the historic city. She is also a director at a small, award-winning practice – JMA Design Co – that she co-founded with Mehul Bhatt in 1999. She has worked extensively on architecture projects and conservation research in different parts of India and carried out advocacy for community-based conservation in partnership with national and international institutions. She is an Associate Member of the International Scientific Committee for Historic Towns and Villages, International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and is an active member of ICOMOS, India. Jigna has been teaching since 2002 at various institutions in India before joining CEPT University in a full-time capacity in 2009. She brings to the institute her experience in working with traditional urban environments and framing how traditional architecture may be understood, studied and transformed.