ABSTRACT
A neighbourhood-level public place – chowk – was transformed into a memorial for Kavi Dalpatram, a renowned poet of the city, by erecting a larger-than-life statue of him, an inspiration from European heritage places. This was done with the intention of bringing awareness about the city’s history to the residents of the city and is now also where the Heritage Walk starts. Chowks are essentially surrounded by residences with some domestic shops and are used by the residents; mostly women for their day-to-day interactions and for their festivities. Collective celebrations of festivals, family events, social meetings, etc., happen in a chowk. Most of these chowks have, over a period of time, seen change in ownerships of houses and now witness continuous vehicular movement. In some of these chowks an adjacent derelict house acts as a catalyst to give some space for the residents to interact as the street space is taken over by vehicles and parking. This chapter studies the process of transforming the Kavi Dalpatram Chowk and its subsequent occupation to understand how design of such places, when intended for visitation, affect the place attachment and the day-to-day aspirations. Two other chowks that were transformed through residents’ involvement are also studied to get insights about on-ground concerns of a World Heritage Site.
