Reviving Underutilised Urban Spaces in Indian Cities Through Architecture: A Review

Abstract

Underutilised urban spaces in Indian cities—including river edges, heritage landscapes, historic commercial streets and residual areas beneath elevated infrastructure—are often treated as isolated design problems. This paper re-examines them as public, ecological and institutional assets whose regeneration must be assessed alongside questions of access, livelihood, heritage and long-term stewardship. The study undertakes a qualitative comparative review of four implemented Indian projects: the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Sunder Nursery in Delhi, the Chandni Chowk redevelopment in Old Delhi and One Green Mile in Mumbai. The cases were selected for typological contrast, public-space orientation, operational status and availability of project documentation. A six-criterion matrix evaluates the retention of existing fabric or infrastructure, ecological performance, heritage sensitivity, accessibility and public-realm quality, community inclusion, and governance and maintenance. The comparison shows that adaptive layering and place-specific public-realm design are transferable strategies, but the evidence base is uneven: project documents commonly record physical interventions, while independent post-occupancy, distributional and displacement evidence is much less available. The paper contributes a context-sensitive typology–evidence–governance framework for Indian urban regeneration. It argues that a project should be considered successful only when design quality is matched by measurable environmental performance, meaningful participation, livelihood protection, transparent delivery arrangements and funded maintenance.