Planning beyond a generation
There seems to be lack of discussions on cultural considerations and sustainability
Hundreds of settlements were damaged by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. Very little has been done to rehabilitate these settlements. With the establishment of the National Reconstruction Authority, which is in the process of hiring hundreds of engineers, it can be assumed that things will quickly accelerate with major construction projects being prioritised. Considering the singular focus on shelter of many international agencies, there seems to be lack of discussions on cultural considerations and sustainability. The authorities seemed to have missed the critical timing to begin providing shelter to the affected population, especially for those who required it to survive the harsh winter climate. There were reports of people dying of exposure to the cold. In response, there will be a delayed rush towards reconstruction. This response must incorporate the required consideration of cultural continuity and planning beyond a generation.
There are more than 50 traditional settlements within the valley and most of them are affected by the earthquake. The list of prominent settlements that were badly damaged would begin with Bhaktapur. There have been studies done on the vulnerability of Bhaktapur to liquefaction and the ancient city has always been the one most affected by earthquakes within the valley. Since large parts of the older quarters have been totally destroyed, reconstruction will have a deep impact on the urban character. Other badly damaged settlements within the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property are the village of Changu Narayan as well as the cluster of houses around Swayambhu Mahachaitya. The 17 houses on the Swayambhu hillock used to be where the priests lived, though now they are mainly used for commercial purposes. This rather distinctive ensemble of buildings will need to be specially treated keeping in mind the lack of stability of slopes of the hillock.
An important question that has arisen in respect to the badly damaged sites that are on the World Heritage tentative list is whether they can ever be considered for inscription. Have the settlements of Sankhu and Kokhana forever lost their potential Outstanding Universal Value? What about in Nuwakot where along the ridge between the Palace Complex and the Bhairab Temple the cluster of 25 houses was destroyed. How should these settlements be rebuilt in consideration of possible future World Heritage inscription? It will not be possible to conserve living settlements as if they were dead monuments, which means an appropriate approach is required that takes into account the changing needs of the community but also ensures cultural continuity.
The rehabilitation of particularly historic but also traditional settlements would require a specially defined process of documentation, negotiation, planning and implementation. The process would begin with negotiations among community members to determine a long-term rehabilitation vision. It is essential that the pre-disaster state of the settlement is taken as the basis for planning. Improvements are introduced to the original plan ensuring that the structure and character of main settlement and surrounding context are maintained. This means that all public and semi-public spaces are retained and monuments are restored to their original form.
Once formal aspects of settlement are secured, the critical step is to enable appropriate rehabilitation of the informal parts, the dwellings. This rough division between formal and informal aspects of the settlement has been addressed by many visionaries such as for example by Hassan Fathy when planning New Gourna in Ancient Thebes in Egypt. Large-scale dwelling designs, providing standardised catalogues of ideal houses which include the concept of house-pooling will destroy the character and soul of the settlement. The rehabilitation of informal private areas of the settlement would need to be negotiated within the community to respect the overall identity of the settlement but ensure diversity and individual needs.
(The author is an architect and can be contacted through paharnepal@hotmail.com)
