%0 Conference Paper
%A Bari, Abdul
%B ICOMOS 19th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium "Heritage and Democracy"
%C New Delhi, India
%D 2018
%F icomos:1944
%K sustainability
%K development
%K stakeholder
%K planning
%K historic buildings
%K India
%K decline
%K development
%K urban
%K cultural heritage
%T Development in the Heritage City, Case Studies from Historic Delhi
%U http://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/1944/
%X In globalization context and the promotion of world cities as main drivers of economic growth  for 21st century nation-states, the urban issues of historic Indian city-cores are relegated to mere ‘heritage  zones’ in City Development and Master Plans. As a result, sustainable conservation and regeneration  efforts are constrained under blanket bye-laws and regulations which have little relevance to the makeup  and historical urbanism of these ‘zones’. Multiplicity of institutions/ agencies, possibilities opened up by  new building technologies/ engineering services and a break in the architectural/ planning continuity have  all contributed immensely to the physical and perceived economic decline of historic built environments.  The focus of this paper is to acknowledge the dynamics of real world contemporary urbanism in such  environments as opposed to the promotion of an imagined disconnected ideal of urban conservation. Two  project case studies, one representing an archetypal context from Lutyens’ New Delhi and another doing  the same for Shahjahanabad, Delhi; incidentally the two ‘cities’ that form the nomination of Delhi as a  World Heritage City to UNESCO; illustrate these dynamics through their respective histories, processes  and eventual outcomes. Through an analysis of professional engagement in these projects, the paper seeks  to put forth a perspective from the field on how democratic planning processes are negotiated in the  everyday urbanism of built environments under the ‘heritage’ tag. Keeping in perspective Goal 11  (Sustainable Cities and Communities) of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda, a more  relevant approach to ensure a sustainable future for the past may be arrived at through retrospection at  various levels of engagement.