Peer Reviewed

Title: Setting Straight the Priorities: A Conservation Report from [Speaking of Places]

Journal Issue: Places, 18(3)

Author: Fels, Patricia

Publication Date: 2006

Publication Info: Places

Permalink: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0m09p7pm

Acknowledgements: This article was originally produced in Places Journal. To subscribe, visit www.places-journal.org. For reprint information, contact [email protected].

Keywords: places, placemaking, architecture, environment, landscape, urban design, public realm, planning, design, speaking, setting, straight, priorities, conservation, Kerala, report, Patricia Fels

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eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Setting Straight the Priorities: A Conservation Report from Kerala

Patricia Fels

For thousands of years, urban civili- ditions, and designs that reflect social ascendancy after the great flood of zation has flourished on the Indian and religious patterns. 1341 silted up the historic port of subcontinent. In modern, indepen- The state of Kerala stretches along nearby Kodungalloor. The arrival of dent , the fate of historic monu- the Malabar Coast, in southwestern Vasco da Gama at the end of the fif- ments (temples, mosques, palaces, India. Isolated for millennia from the teenth century began a long period of and forts) varies: some buildings are rest of India by the dense forests and European domination. Fort Cochin, protected; some have become heavily mountain peaks of the Western Ghats, at the tip of the peninsula, became a visited icons; others have been left to the people along the coastline peace- colonial outpost, the first European decay. Completely off the heritage fully interacted with traders from the settlement in India, and one of the radar, the Indian vernacular (housing, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. few with a history of Portuguese, shops and warehouses) remains The exotic spices that grow there have Dutch and English presence. Mean- unrecognized and ignored, left to long been objects of desire around while, the adjacent, older settlement slowly deteriorate or be demol- the globe. They were freely traded to of remained home to ished. Frequently massed in historic Arabs, Jews, , and Muslims, the ruling maharaja and site of the enclaves, these structures display an North Indians, Chinese, and Southeast port. Here, the storage, shipping and artisan skill with local materials, an Asians—until the Portuguese arrived trading of regional products (from appropriate response to climatic con- seeking control over the trade. spices to rices) took place. A unique Midway up the coast, Cochin vernacular architecture developed, (recently renamed ) is a jewel reflecting the local environment, the Above: A wholesale man sits in his shop on Bazar Road. of this trading culture. It gained trade, and the traders.

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The Cochin Peninsula Today Cochin were not torn down; but labeled “marginal” (i.e., poor) by the The state of Kerala is well known neither were they maintained. Now, government, have in fact been “mar- in development circles for its high with an expanding tourist industry ginalized.” Instead of examining inno- rates of literacy, life expectancy, and and soaring property values, local vative ways to reinvigorate the urban live birth—comparable to those of government has taken the first steps settlement or help the spice trade developed nations. The people of toward recognizing this rich patri- metamorphose into a twenty-first- Kerala may have low incomes, but mony. The city tourism office has century activity, local officials con- they uniformly experience a quality declared the colonial center (Fort tinue to turn obsessively to tourism. of life unique in India. After Indian Cochin) a heritage zone, and a As a result, historical buildings are independence, a radicalized Kerala Center for Heritage, Environment visualized as museums or tourist state government instigated broad and Development has been estab- destinations, while residents remain land reforms along with social man- lished. Yet, despite a series of studies unaware of their uniqueness, or poten- dates that brought health care and on the importance of Cochin/Mat- tial for reuse. Meanwhile, many areas schooling to all residents of the state. tancherry heritage, legislative action still have no water service or sewer, However, the Cochin penin- has not been forthcoming. No state or sula slipped into a daydream as the local guidelines for a historic district mainland area of became have been enacted, and no legal status Above: Map of the greater Kochi area. The Cohin/ a modern city and a new port was has been given to historic buildings. Mattancherry Peninsula is to the left. The modern built on an adjacent island. Lack Part of the problem is that the Mat- city of Ernakulam is to the right. The new port is of demand meant the buildings of tancherry area and its inhabitants, in-between.

Places 18.3 67 and open drains carry a foul mixture rain trees, occupies the center of this tea merchants, Jewish businessmen, of refuse. The inventive spirit of post- old colonial area, and is in continual the Dutch governor who compiled independence is no longer discernible. use today by local youth for Hortus Malabaricus, and many more. and soccer matches. Around this space The Fort Cochin area is connected Elements of Urban Form are a series of historic bungalows and to Mattancherry by Bazar Road. At its In terms of layout, the Cochin the oldest European church in India. southern terminus is another impor- Peninsula has two principal foci linked Private individuals have renovated tant building complex that includes by a commercial spine. The Fort some of the bungalows (many turned the maharaja’s palace (now called the Cochin neighborhood, site of the into tourist guesthouses or hotels). Dutch palace) and a . original Portuguese fort, is bounded The adjacent streets are lined with Immediately adjacent is Jewtown, once on three sides by the sea. A large rowhouses. Both the bungalows and home to Middle Eastern traders. Here, parade ground, surrounded by huge the rowhouses in this area show signs godowns (Asian vernacular for ware- of Dutch, Portuguese, English and houses) stretch along the waterfront, Above: A Catholic Church on Bazar Road shares the Keralan influence. These buildings while shophouses line the lanes leading neighborhood with Hindu temples, a , and were once home to major players to a sixteenth-century synagogue. many mosques. in the history of Cochin: coffee and Today, Jewtown has become an

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antique center where aged godowns ware stores and numerous wholesalers Godowns and Courtyards: are packed with old furniture, build- of goods occupy small ground-floor An Urban Typology ing parts (including granite columns, shops. On roads leading inland, ethnic Narrow and long, Bazar Road was wood carved gable ends, and doors), communities with connections to local once a bustling regional marketplace. religious artifacts (Hindu, Jewish and trade maintain unique historic enclaves, In its heyday, its two-story buildings, Christian), and a dizzying array of such as the agraharam of Tamil Brah- with decorated windows, patterned lamps, statues, photographs, jewelry mins (an internal street off the temple eaves, and carved doors, must have and household containers. Few build- with rowhousing). Even today, thirteen presented a formidable, unified facade. ings remain in use for the spice trade, different linguistic groups can be found In general, the impressive Mat- and it is almost a shock to see a ware- in Cochin. And within a one-kilometer tancherry godowns run perpendicular house full of ginger. radius can be found Hindu and Jain to the street. Grand doors lead from However, moving north toward Fort temples, a Catholic church, a Syrian Cochin, the activities of the city’s older Christian shrine, a Jewish synagogue, Above: The shophouses of Jewtown once housed trading days continue. Rice, ginger, and at least four Muslim mosques. This Middle Eastern traders, but now its streets are rubber, cashews and spices are moved is the heart of Mattancherry—a center primarily for tourists. The building at the end of the in and out of large godowns. Hard- pulsing with diversity. street is the sixteenth-century synagogue.

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Bazar Road to expansive courtyards A Vision for the Future compounds, and godown courtyards surrounded by structures that extend The history of the spice trade and can all work together to create density to the water’s edge. Designed for the power of the architectural spaces and livability. storing goods in a hot climate with in Cochin provide potent images. In It is a fact that the spice trade is no two monsoon seasons, these wharf particular, the Parade Ground and longer a dominant force in Cochin. buildings have steep wood-framed surrounding colonial gardens contrast And Fort Cochin and Jewtown gable roofs covered with clay tiles. dramatically with the linear, dense Bazar are, and will likely remain, tourist Their thick, stuccoed, brick walls are Road streetfront. These historic patterns centers—hopefully with graciously punctuated by air vents in a medley of a trading culture are major cultural restored buildings, not cheap imita- of styles. resources begging for protection. tions. But Bazar Road offers a coun- These vernacular buildings offer Unfortunately, some state planners terpoint, a chance to maintain a vital countless opportunities for adaptive have labeled Bazar Road “obsolete” commercial center. With improved reuse. New electrical services, plumb- because of its narrow width. This infrastructure, new businesses could ing, and cable could be installed judgment might be valid if one were move to the godowns there. Print- within them, and their walls could only concerned with commercial ing operations, digital technology, be replastered. A set of guidelines, access by truck. But before writing the software designers, call centers—all neither complex nor intimidating to area off, planners should seek alterna- current fixtures of global commerce— local owners, could include informa- tives; in particular, the tendency to could reinhabit vacated spaces. tion on proper window and door think that “new” cities must all have In addition, the pepper exchange treatments, the technology of brick wide roadways needs to be more and other still-active segments of the and plaster walls, timber and tile closely examined, especially in a city spice trade could be encouraged to roofs, and concrete floors. Private founded on water transport. remain. The use of medicinal plants restoration work could be paired with Cochin is blessed with an extensive and spices is gaining popularity, and civic utility improvements, especially network of navigable waterways (the the flower oils/scent trade remains new water, sewer and electricity lines. famous Kerala backwaters). Until strong. Much trading today in these The combination of a linear quite recently, all goods were moved commodities is done electronically, streetfront with the deep godown by boats plying these waterways. and with improved infrastructure this courtyard forms a marvelous urban A recent study found that moving activity could continue. typology. Viewed from the water, freight by water is more fuel efficient, Indians want to modernize, but only the massing of the godowns presents economical, and environmentally a few realize the potential role of old a unique panorama, in which basic friendly than moving it by road—for structures such as those of the Cochin rectangular shapes gain complexity example, using one-sixth the energy Peninsula within the modern context. from their juxtaposition and from consumed by auto freight. Indeed, problems regarding housing, the attendant intersections of their In Mattancherry a revitalized employment, sanitation and infra- large gabled roofs. In terms of use, system of barges could be combined structure may all be better resolved the layout of buildings and courtyards with a schedule of off-peak truck by reinvigorating older parts of cities also provides the invaluable urban deliveries. For residents and visitors, than building entirely new ones. amenity of protected open space with ferry and bus terminals at each end of Housing can be rehabilitated, waterfront access. Bazar Road could provide a founda- sanitation systems installed, and small The Bazar Road ensemble is an tion for regional transport. Bicycles, businesses encouraged to move in. excellent example of a townscape auto rickshaws, and small electric Development funds could be better touched by daily activity and the buses could then move employees, spent funding public transit in exist- styles of many diverse lands. Over residents, merchants and customers ing areas than building new roads over time, this kaleidoscope developed around the neighborhood. into an identifiable whole through the Cochin has the opportunity to lead process of people working together. the way in reexamining the workable Opposite: Tamil Brahmins created agraharam Merchants from the Middle East, patterns of a pedestrian city. Street- settlements where rowhouses line the street leading , and Europe adopted and front shops and markets, narrow lanes, to the temple. The sidewalk is decorated with kolams adapted the local vernacular. green spaces, water transport, walled (traditional chalk designs).

Places 18.3 71 open ground. Making use of its fine improving the relevance of the con- centers: preservationists focus on old building stock, Kochi, a metropol- servation movement could be crucial individual buildings (monuments); itan area of 1.5 million people, could for Indian cities. The global city of the government officials (including plan- maximize its urban resources, contain- future need not be uniform; it could be ners) look to their paper schemes, ing sprawl and protecting nearby agri- specific to place, reflecting differences many of which include no survey cultural land. of site, culture, and human networks. of extant buildings; and developers Following a trend seen in much follow the glossy trends of superficial Conservation and the “New” City of Asia, construction of skyscrapers, modernism, demolishing old build- Why are Indians, who are otherwise apartment blocks, and wide roadways ings at a rapid pace. socially conservative and reluctant to has splintered many older, still viable Concern for the collectively built break with tradition, so complicit in urban settings. Instead of seeing con- and owned city of the last four centu- the erasure of their native patterns of servation as a guide for maintaining ries has dissolved. Speaking about the city building? Historic preservation the integrity of the existing urban Indian city in general, one professor has a limited following in India, and fabric, preservationists, govern- noted how “the historic city has been interest in vernacular conservation is ment officials, and developers appear ignored or at best represented as a even more circumscribed. However, oblivious to the value of older urban blob in the city master plan.” And so,

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in Kerala, old towns are being trans- cities. When renovating vernacular formed by bleak, concrete-framed ensembles, the strict tenets applied buildings punctuated by glitzy shop- to monuments (in India, almost an ping centers. entombment) should be relaxed. The tools of historic preservation New procedures are needed whose were largely developed by Europeans. primary purpose is to return build- But the effort in India will need a dif- ings to a useful role in the twenty- ferent focus. Western experts come first-century city. from a different climate, build with In India there is a desperate need different materials, and have much to provide low-cost housing, shops wealthier home economies. Their and schools. Conservation could play conservation plans deal with arcane an important role. While it is impor- matters of “which period should be tant to understand proportion and restored,” and “what uses are appro- appropriate materials, it is imperative priate.” Such experts often seek to to remember that purity has never Western styles and attitudes do set what (in the West) are reasonable been part of India’s layered, eclectic not have to be imported unchanged standards for a “proper” restoration. urban landscape. To lose integral for Indian cities to become dominant But the sheer quantity of buildings in parts of the city fabric because owners players in the world economy. The India requiring assistance indicates cannot afford, or do not understand, passage to global status will be more the need for a different approach, one historic preservation is a great tragedy humane for everyone if revitalization involving a simpler set of standards for India. Owners, residents and com- efforts are encouraged that maintain and a strong partnership with local munity activists need to see conser- the scale and pattern of neighbor- property owners. vation as a tool for upgrading their hoods like Mattancherry. City dwell- Cochin does not have a Taj neighborhoods, not displacing them. ers need to have something familiar. Mahal—it has a townscape. Local This will only be possible when real Architects need to use the existing vernacular building is known for projects are instigated and completed. patterns as both restraint and inspi- quality of execution, simplicity of The media today constantly extols ration. In the rush forward, Indian form, and functionality. Even the the wonders of a new home, but conservationists, developers, and gov- famous maharajah’s palace is just rarely expounds the beauty of older ernment officials must remember to an expanded version of the basic “vernacular” designs. Likewise, sus- bring everyone along. Kerala house. When trying to save tainability advocates rarely celebrate a nineteenth-century structure with the natural cooling techniques of All Photos are by the author. a deteriorating roof, it is essential to traditional buildings or the ingenious stress the importance of providing a use of local materials. Neither sexy new “in-kind” roof. The authorities enough for future-oriented youth don’t need to study the “options”; or affordable enough for the masses, money spent studying and consulting preservation has cut itself off from could pay for two new roofs. Proj- reality. As a result, few are restoring ects are needed that are affordable in or expanding old buildings. Even rupees—not euros. When the same maintenance is rare; a pattern of con- seriousness is devoted to saving a sistent neglect reigns, from govern- nineteenth-century warehouse as a ment facilities to two-room homes. fourteenth-century temple, it is no The Indian architectural commu- surprise that people feel historic pres- nity is today looking for that which ervation is too costly. is distinctively Indian. But much Above: The impressive Mattancherry godown reflects It is time for an Indian version of current design is clearly Western its initial use: a storehouse for the wealth of goods that conservation—one that is flexible inspired, creating a new form of came through Cochin. and innovative and responds to the imperialism, as damaging to regional Opposite: The canals of Cochin provide protected natural chaos and energy of Indian cultural assets as colonialism. moorage for transport & fishing vessels.

Places 18.3 73