ABSTRACT
Historic neighbourhoods lend a definitive cultural identity to a city, and despite having undergone physical and social transformations, pivot its local and regional economy. In a country which today is aggressively embracing the ‘smart city’ idea as the key driver of its future urban development, how is its ‘non-monumental built heritage’ and ‘everyday urbanism’ viewed and valued? This chapter addresses the preservation and urban continuity of Kolkata’s historic Chinatown. Invigorated through community- based urban strategies initiated under The Cha Project, this work further establishes the formal, aesthetic, and associational values embedded within the neighbourhood and held closely by the community. A detailed cultural survey and architectural documentation of the settlement, its socio- cultural and economic activities, informs the heritage-oriented urban regeneration for the Chinese community.
