Architecture: Future in Cities Declaration of Calcutta

Whereas, some cities throughout the world are facing ecological disaster and many face this in the next century with gradual and sometimes rapid destruction of agricultural cover, forestry, greenery and waterbodies as well as destruction of historic quarters, culture and tradition of cities in the name of modernity and there is increasing pollution of air, noise, water and land and the economic boom has brought the ecological doom.

Where in the third world where rural development has lower priority than urban development, new architecture and habitat development did not improve the quality of life in the cities with increasing number of squatters and pavement dwellers in the cities of the affluent countries and the crime, insecurity of women and children in some of the European and American cities are much more than those in many third world cities.

Whereas, a city is the sum total of all its parts and all inhabitants but urban development with architecture and sectorial engineering are isolated phenomenon and there are six issues in urban transformations like people, resource, space, mobility, technology and ecology. Which are not integrated in any plan for the city or its surrounding region. Over the centuries architecture of the kings and the Government, of the religion and trade has led to the individual creations with an exploitive technology. If the 20th Century architecture is dominated by technology of construction and building materials, the 21st century architecture should be guided by the ecology and environment, modern and post modern architecture have often destroyed the historic fabric of the old cities. Today cities have become commodities instead of communities. The liberalisation and globalisation of economy has opened up new opportunities as well as new dangers to environment.

Whereas, the habitat process is often misunderstood and in the third world, millions build their own homes by themselves with shack and waste materials and environment improvement programmes, healthy cities programmes and other international and national programmes are often uncoordinated and built environment is often neglected, instead of providing architectural services to the poor, even innovative habitat design has becomes close ended product and not a process of participatory development and urban tenancy and social dimension including gender issues are not reflected in these projects.

Whereas, during the last few years many concepts of ecological cities and green architecture have been generated and there are attempts to use local building materials, non conventional energy, recycling of waste with concept of reuse, recycle and repair and the urban agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture with associated development can become part of new urban development and the 21st century architecture will be moving towards community architecture and the new vocabulary will be oriented towards sustainability.

Where we resolve this day the 19th November, 1995 as the concluding session of the International Workshop on Architecture: Future in Cities, organised by the Centre for Built Environment, Calcutta.

that the future of city regions depend on sustaining human beings in their natural management and conservation of natural resources and the involvement of citizens over investment decisions accepting responsibility for the future of the urban environment. The communities should be given increased responsibilities to act on issues related to the improvement of other habitat that the search for clean and nonpolluting new source of energy should be speeded up in order to create a healthy and sustainable urban environment for all urban inhabitants, not depending on the affordability alone.

• that the culture and tradition of the cities should be protected, preserved and enhanced.

• that urban transformations due to people, resource, mobility, space, technology and ecology are to be studied in a totality and future architecture will be a result of these.

• that education, training and professional practice as well as administrative management will be reoriented to this with evolution of participatory design process and the Government, academic institutions, non-government organisation and private sector should participate jointly.

• that neither the habitat nor the cities can be isolated from the villages and indigenous development. The Governments should be urged to increase funds allocated to initiatives assisting the poorest sector of the urban population.

• that new construction programmes are to be evaluated with reuse, repair, restore and recycle programmes and particular attention is given to the participants of tenants in discussion on urban development.

• that city farming, aqua-horticulture and associated developments will have priority over urban construction systems.

• that ecology and environmental factors will guide the future developments in architecture and habitat and ecopolis will be the new settlement pattern with new modes of sustainability and.

We commit ourselves in our respective capacities and context to promote the above resolutions at local, national and international levels and we recommend that the Calcutta Declaration be incorporated in the preparatory process of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements - HABITAT II to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, 3-14 June 1996 and the World congress of Architects to be held in Barcelona, July, 1996.

Adopted at the concluding session of the International Workshop on Architecture and the Futures in Cities, Calcutta, November 17-19, 1995 organised by the Centre for Built Environment.

For further information, please contact Prof. Santosh Ghosh of Centre for Built Environment, 2/5 Sarat Bose Road, Calcutta, 700-020 India, Tel: (91-33) 745-424/476-1495 Fax: (91-33) 943-333/954-321.

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