FuturArc September October 2017

Future Development Exhibition Centre Sewage Treatment Plant
Riverfront Park, Khanpur Tilak Baug Riverfront Market Future Development Laundry Campus
Future Development Future Development Pumping Station Proposed Pirana
Sports Ground
Nehru Bridge
V. S. Hospital
Sanskar Kendra
Sardar Bridge
Vasna Barrage
Boating Station
B. J. Park
Proposed Pedestrian Bridge
Events Ground
Zip-Lining Facility
Proposed Neighbourhood Park
Pumping Station
Riverfront West Driveaway
Ellis Bridge
Flower Garden
Tagore Hall
Proposed Paldi Sports Complex
Dr Ambedkar Bridge
Paldi Urban Forest
The Sabarmati Riverfront Development
by Anshuman Roy
On 15 th August 2012, the 66 th Independence Day of the Republic of India, the
Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was declared open amidst great
celebration. The ceremony was presided over by the prime minister of India (then
chief minister of Gujarat) Shri. Narendra Modi. As a project that had been confined
to the blueprints of architects and planners for decades, the revitalisation of the
riverfront would represent a major achievement for the state of Gujarat. Over the
years, the Sabarmati riverfront had been plagued by the flow of untreated sewage
through its waters, the indiscriminate pumping of industrial waste and unmitigated
slum proliferation. The river was rendered inaccessible and saturated, prone to
frequent flooding, with no infrastructure in place to tackle the problem. Though
a number of proposals over the years sought to revitalise the ailing riverfront
precinct, it was only in 1997 that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)
formed the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (SRFDCL) for the
express redevelopment of a waterfront stretch of over 11 kilometres, a designated
priority project funded by the government of India.
The Sabarmati Riverfront Development (SRFD) project, estimated to cost US$190
million, overcame numerous roadblocks on its journey to fruition, in large part due
to concerns regarding water levels and flooding. Opposition from activists involved
with slum rehabilitation was another issue that made a number of headlines during
the initial phases of this project. At the master planning stage, this was therefore
a matter that merited urgent redressal. To accommodate the affected sections in
the overall proposal, provisions were made not just for housing and rehabilitation,
but also for a reorganisation of the existing informal markets and laundry facilities
for the washing community, therein opening up new opportunities along the river
for the displaced populace. The pre-construction stages of the project also involved
detailed hydrological surveys and feasibility studies, which would all directly
influence the strategising, massing and spatial organisation of the design.
1 Master plan
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