A fine balance: Heritage, nightlife go hand in hand
Promoting a nightlife culture, developing cultural hot spots and heritage circuits, enhancing Shahjahanabad as a cultural enterprise hub, and regenerating the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone are some of the key features of the draft Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2041, the blueprint for the city’s development in the next two decades.
Recognising the tangible and intangible heritage assets of the city, the draft, which was put in the public domain for suggestions on Wednesday, proposes the formulation of strategies that utilise the city’s strong cultural capital to boost the economy and foster unique cultural and public spaces.
Developing night circuits
The thrust on the rejuvenation of the city’s nightlife seeks to promote a culture where people can step out for entertainment and leisure during late hours. To achieve this, the master plan envisages the development of nightlife circuits (NCS) — streets or areas that serve as cultural precincts, as areas with a concentration of heritage assets, or as areas with a vibrant nightlife.
Laying emphasis on the need to have an active nightlife, the draft states: “Night time economies (NTE) and active nightlife are important for improving safety, reducing congestion by staggering activities, utilising spaces for different activities optimally, and improving productivity for formal as well as informal economic activities.”
Manpreet Singh, treasurer of the National Restaurants Association of India, who also owns Zen restaurant in Connaught Place, welcomed the nightlife push. “Being an international city and the Capital of India, Delhi hosts tourists from across the globe. We need vibrant nightlife. We need people to come here and have a good time and not restrict themselves to monument visits during the day alone,” said Singh.
Heritage zones and cultural precincts
On the heritage front, the plan identifies three types of heritage or cultural clusters in the city, and proposes strategies for the development of these areas. These include heritage zones such as the Walled City of Shahjahanabad and Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone (LBZ), cultural precincts, and archaeological parks. It envisages conservation and adaptive reuse of heritage assets, and pushes for the development of cultural hot spots, public waterfronts, heritage and culture circuits, plazas, and archaeological parks.
Anil Pershad, 77, one of the owners of Chandni Chowk’s iconic Chunnamal Haveli, said that the proposal would go a long way, if implemented properly. “They are trying to look into ways through which conservation of heritage buildings can yield some money for owners. If the implementation is done in a straightforward manner, it will be good. There should be no grey areas,” said Pershad.
Outlining the Walled City as the historical core and business centre of the city, rich in both tangible and intangible heritage, the draft proposes a multi-agency coordinated initiative for the revitalisation of Shahjahanabad.
Sanjay Bhargava, president, Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said that the emphasis on nightlife was needed. “Delhi by the night is something that we have been propagating for years. Special night tours that take people around the city at night and end at the Walled City can be a great boost,” Bhargava said.