Change must be allowed, however ensuring cultural continuity

Kathmandu

There is an evocative image of Le Corbusier’s hand gesturing towards his new plan for Paris ‘La Ville Radieuse.’ The iconic architect had this image first included in his 1933 publication which clearly referred to the ‘The creation of Adam’ painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. This indicated the status of architects and planners as gods who were creating a new world.

The concept of the Le Corbusier which is explained in the publication ‘The Radiant City: Elements of a Doctrine of Urbanism to be used as the basis of our Machine-Age Civilisation’ was to raze the entire medieval city to the ground. He observed Paris and commented, “The office, workshop and houses are heaped pell-mell on top of one another: din, smells, noise, a bubbling poison brew. How does one live? How does one laugh?” He believed that the city had to embrace the Machine-Age and proposed the city centres to be comprised of 60-story towers neatly placed within a park interconnected by an efficient orthogonal grid of highways. We can now definitely say that this creation of the Great Master luckily never happened, for we would have lost Paris to this grand idea.

A year after Le Corbusier’s radiant city publication the Great Nepal Bihar earthquake destroyed larger part of the Kathmandu. The approach to the reconstruction by the authoritarian Rana regime clearly prioritised the capital city Kathmandu. The monuments of most parts of the valley were haphazardly restored with temporary provisions of cubical domed structures to protect the main sanctum of collapsed temples. In Kathmandu, the Rana regime however decided to be more creative by introducing urban inserts.

This concept of building wide avenues, square and parks into medieval city fabric to beautify but also to improve sanitation was implemented in Paris between 1853 and 1870 by Georges-Eugène Haussmann. In similar manner, the destruction caused by the earthquake was an opportunity for the Rana regime to insert new roads, buildings and parks between the palace at Hanuman Dhoka and the parade ground at Tundikhel. These included Juddha Sadak, Sukhra Path, the new Sabha Griha (now Bishal Bazar), Bhugol Park with the earthquake memorial and the redevelopment of the Pako area. The roads were lined with three storey whitewashed buildings which stood out from the earthen hues of the medieval town. For the Rana regime, this was clearly a political statement showing power and progress.

Nepal is now in the throes of rehabilitation from last year’s earthquake, which has had deep physical and psychological impact. The communities feel vulnerable to the possibilities of further destruction as they are constantly reminded by continued aftershocks. This has become the fertile ground to prophesise and proselytise. It is the right time to ensure that lessons are learnt but the circumstances should not be misused to destroy the cultural fabric of the local community.

There seem to be many projects being formulated based on grand ideas in an endeavour to create new cities. The divine hands of architects and planners are again waving over the plans of urban transformations. The contemporary Great Masters of Kathmandu however don’t have the comprehensive vision of Le Corbusier which though not acceptable did have a theoretical justification. Then again, they do not seem to have a deep-rooted understanding of an empathy towards the traditional urban systems either. The urban regeneration projects are so outrageous that it is hard to believe these are serious proposals.

The destruction of our historic cities through the introduction of alien concepts of reconstruction is not acceptable. The identity of the city must be maintained in respect to its structure, aesthetic character as well as its functions and living heritage. Change must be allowed, however ensuring cultural continuity.

(The author is an architect and can be contacted through paharnepal@hotmail.com)