A transition from aged buildings finding their graves to young buildings finding their place, Redevelopment is a term floating on the masses of the numerous saturated cities to let go of the past and live a modern life. The buildings grow higher and higher only to feel the spirit of skies in a concrete block 100m above the ground, leaving the essence of earth miles below. Is the idea of prioritizing luxury living over sustainable living advantageous? Or luxury can be sustainable?
With the growing cities and trends, Redevelopment, the increasing trend in recent years, brings a chance to perceive the surroundings differently. A process that involves renovating and repurposing the existing buildings and meeting the needs of the changed times. Positively, it can be a better investment to use the land more efficiently while providing a blank paper to start over again with innovative ideas to maximize social gathering that brings together different communities and promote sustainable development.
The Demolition
Over hundreds of years, buildings have expressed themselves differently, where some lie in the blanket of traditional ideologies while others have grown in the contemporary lifestyle of living. These buildings have helped form the characters of the cities to make them unique and distinct. Built from natural materials, they have provided a sustainable life to humans for a very long period. They have grown and aged and are on the brink of collapsing to their destruction. Do they need to be preserved to maintain their character or redeveloped to a safe living? Some buildings deserve to be conserved as an expression of the past, whereas for most buildings, redevelopment is a promising choice for a better living.
The Re-building
Revitalization is a need of today, not only for the collapsing structures but also for the increasing population, with added benefits that change the perspective of a viewer. From maximum land-use efficiency to economic growth, it widens the range of development of cities. With minimum land availability in the fully acquired cities, re-purposing existing buildings and renewing underutilized areas address the issues of urban sprawl and increasing density. It changes the map of the cities, with modern high-rise buildings and public spaces that combine complex architectural forms and Urban redevelopment.
A New Perspective
The interaction between humans and the living environment plays a significant role in maintaining the eco-friendly balance. Considering the example of Mumbai, reconstruction offers higher FSI and more habitable areas to the societies leading to the construction of taller buildings with various amenities that are supposed to “boost” community gatherings. The growth of modern high-rise buildings affects not only the climatic conditions but also disrupts the environmental balance of the living. Compared with the past, this vertical growth has lost its meaning in showcasing the idea of sustainability and socialization, where people have locked themselves in the envelopes of their rooms with no common grounds for interaction.
A modern city with taller buildings defines the present, where people have made luxury their source of communication. The change in the standard of living should be parallel to the achievement of an environmental balance that does not stop the growth of the world. With improving technologies and mechanisms, modern buildings should prioritize the community and environment over the economy. Transforming the underutilized areas into aesthetic and functional spaces contributes to the well-being of the Urban development and society development. The amalgamation of expressing socialization through interactive spaces, sustainability through nature, and lavishness through space shall become the new idea of Redevelopment.
Reference list:
www.linkedin.com. (n.d.). Redevelopment Checklist, Issues, Malpractices, Concerns. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/redevelopment-checklist-issues-malpractices-concerns-harshad-shah/ [Accessed 3 Mar. 2024].
Wild, M. (2017). Weighing the Economic Benefits vs. Environmental Impacts of New Buildings. [online] www.triplepundit.com. Available at: https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2017/weighing-economic-benefits-vs-environmental-impacts-new-buildings/14641. [Accessed 3 Mar. 2024].
99acres.com. (2020). 99acres.com. [online] Available at: https://www.99acres.com/articles/important-things-to-know-about-property-redevelopment.html. [Accessed 3 Mar. 2024].
Editorial, Q. (2023). How redevelopment ruined Mumbai’s housing and marred the landscape – Question of Cities. [online] questionofcities.org. Available at: https://questionofcities.org/how-redevelopment-ruined-mumbais-housing-and-marred-the-landscape/.
Research Paper:
Giyasov, B. and Giyasova, I. (2018). The Impact of High-Rise Buildings on the Living Environment. E3S Web of Conferences, [online] 33, p.01045. doi:https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20183301045.
