DISSERTATION 2021 PRESENTATION

PATTERNS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN
MORPHOLOGY IN GEORGE TOWN, CHENNAI.

A DISSERTATION REPORT

Submitted by
V Divya

311217251016
In partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the award of the degree
Of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE
ANNA UNIVERSITY

MARG INSTITUTE OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
SWARNABHOOMI

Velur Village, Cheyyur Post
Kanchipuram District
Tamil Nadu - 603302

APPENDIX 2

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this Dissertation forming part of course work AR8015,
Dissertation, VIII semester, B.Arch., entitled “ PATTERNS AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY IN GEORGE TOWN,
CHENNAI ” Submitted by Ms. DIVYA V , Roll No. 311217251016 to the
department of Architecture, MARG Institute of Design and Architecture
Swarnabhoomi, Anna University, Chennai in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of Bachelor Degree in Architecture is a bonafide
record of work carried by him / her under my supervision. Certified further
that to the best of my knowledge the work reported herein does not form part
of any other thesis.

DATE: EXTERNAL EXAMINER 2
DATE:
SIGNATURE OF THE SUPERVISOR:
NAME:
DESIGNATION:

EXTERNAL EXAMINER 1
DATE:

HOD, MIDAS PRINCIPAL, MIDAS
DATE: DATE:

PATTERNS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN
MORPHOLOGY IN GEORGE TOWN, CHENNAI.

ABSTRACT:

Urban Morphology is an applied science that studies about how the
pattern of urban space was made by history and also learned about the
development of a city. George Town is one of the oldest settlements in
Chennai, developed during the 17th century and is located in the
northern part of the city which has unique characteristics.This paper
aims to identify the pattern and unique characteristics of the urban
morphology in the George Town, Chennai. The methodology used in this
study is a qualitative descriptive with diachronic reading and typo-
morphology with figure-ground analysis. Getting the pattern and
characteristics of those mentioned areas, the detail aspects such as and road
and pathways ,land use activities and open Space were used as an indicator.
George Town being the CBD of Chennai , this paper aims at analyzing how
CBD (Central Business District) forming the heart of any city for its growth
and survival. As the city grows CBD also grow, but how long this growth can
happen and what will be the influencing factors that support in the growth and
development of this area.

Keywords: morphology, pattern, characteristics, CBD, figure - ground analysis.

I

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With this regard, I take the opportunity to thank my college, parents, friends and
all well wishers for helping me directly or indirectly to complete my thesis. In
special regards I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisors, and
my colleagues for helping me in every possible way. I would also be thankful for
his continuous support and encouragement.

CHAPTER NO. APPENDIX 3 PAGE NO.
I
TABLE OF CONTENTS II

TITLE III
ABSTRACT
LIST OF TABLE 1
LIST OF FIGURES 4
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4
5
1. INTRODUCTION 6
7
1.1 AIM OF THE RESEARCH
8
1.2 OBJECTIVE 11

1.3 THEORY
1.4 RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY
1.5 REASONS FOR SELECTING

THE STUDY AREA

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE
STREETS OF GEORGE TOWN

2.2 PLANNING OF GEORGE TOWN

3. DISCUSSIONS AND FINDINGS 13
13
3.1 ANALYSIS 1 - Identification Land Use and Open 14
Space Activities by Using Typo Morphology and 18
Figure-Ground Analysis Techniques
20
3.1.1 Density Pattern of George Town 23
3.1.2 INFERENCE FROM ABOVE
3.1.3 Findings from the analysis of the documented 24
32
are given bellow

3.2 ANALYSIS 2 - Road and block pattern - Typo morphology
3.2.1 CASE STUDY : Kasi Chetty Street - study on roads
and pathways
3.2.2 INFERENCE IDENTIFIED FROM CASE STUDY

3.3 GROWTH OF GEORGE TOWN - DISTURBING THE
URBAN LIFE OVER AGES

3.4 INFERENCE FROM ABOVE DISCUSSIONS

4. CONCLUSION 33
5. REFERENCES 43

LIST OF TABLES 6
1 TABLE 1.4.1 : RESEARCH METHODS TO BE USED

2 TABLE 3.3.1 : POPULATION GROWTH IN GEORGE TOWN 25

3 TABLE 3.3.2 COMPARISON OF POPULATION GROWTH

IN GEORGE TOWN WITH OLD NEIGHBORHOODS OF

CHENNAI 26

4 TABLE 3.3.3 : CURRENT PROBLEMS: GEORGE TOWN 28

LIST OF FIGURES 2
1 Fig 1.1 Plan of Fort St George and the city of Madras in 1726
2 Fig 1.2 Hand-coloured photograph of Black Town taken in 3
10
c.1851 by Frederick Fiebig. 18
3 Fig 2.1.1 Morphology of George Town over evolution 19
4 Fig 2.2.1 Major Roads of Chennai 20
5 Fig 3.1.1.1 Built and open space analysis map 21
6 Fig 3.1.2.1 Existing land use in Chennai city 2006 23
6 Fig 3.1.2.2 Land Use Map of George Town
7 Fig 3.1.2.3 Height of the Building, George Town. 27
8 Fig 3.2.1.1 Street Elevations Showing the Height 28

Variations in Kasi Chetty street.
9 Fig 3.2.1.2 Comparison of Width of Road and Buildings Height

11 Fig 3.2.1.3 Comparison of Roads and Pathways 29

12 Fig 3.3.1 Land value data analyzed in the study area 33
13 Fig 3.3.3.1 George Town Area 35
14 Fig 3.3.3.2 South Mint road 35
15 Fig 3.3.3.3 Edapalayam street 36
16 Fig 3.3.3.4 Thambu Chetty street 36
17 Fig 3.3.3.5 Annapillai Street 37
18 Fig 3.3.3.6 Sowcarpet 37
19 Fig 3.3.3.7 Kondithope 38
20 Fig 3.3.3.8 Mint street , Sowcarpet 38

1. INTRODUCTION :

The development of a city is closely related to the function of time, and this
reminds us of the past that is history which has an essential role in the formation
of the morphology of the city (Mumford, 1967).George Town is one of the oldest
settlements in Chennai, developed during the 17th century and is located in the
northern part of the city. It is near the Fort Saint George, Chennai. It is also
known as Muthialpet and Parry's corner. It is an historical area of Chennai city
from where its expansion began in the 1640s. It extends from the Bay of Bengal
in the east to Park town on the west. The Fort St. George is on the south, to
Royapuram in the north. The Fort St. George houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly and the Secretariat. The total extent of George Town area is 4.5 sq.
km., with a very high population density of 46,058 persons per sq. km. as per
2011 Census.

During the colonial period, the area in and around Muthialpet was renamed as
"George Town" by the British in 1911, in honour of King George V when he was
crowned as the Emperor of India. George Town is one of the names used for
Muthialpet. It has the landmark 'Parry building', after which the locality is called
'Parry's Corner'. The area is also called Broadway, named after a main
thoroughfare in Muthialpet.

1

The first settlement of the city of Madras began here, near the fort. Fort St
George began in 1640 as a fortified warehouse for the English East India
Company. It was built by Francis Day. The township of native people that began
to grow up around it was called the Black Town by the British. As the city grew,
this area became the base for development and construction activities, meeting
the needs of people for their livelihood and rulers' administrative comforts. With
the construction of one of India's major ports in the area, Madras became an
important naval base for the British.

Fig 1.1 Plan of Fort St George and the city of Madras in 1726.
By the early 18th century, growing population and commercial activities resulted
in expansion to neighbouring areas. In 1733, the weaving community started to

2

settle down in Chintadripet and Collepetta near Tiruvottiyur, since abundant
open space was available for weaving. The community of washermen in the Mint
area then moved towards the west, forming the present Washermanpet. Potters
from this area moved outside the Fort on the north side and formed a new colony
named Kosapet. With the construction of a bridge in 1710 to connect Egmore,
people started moving towards the present Moore Market area.

Fig 1.2 Hand-coloured photograph of Black Town taken in c.1851 by
Frederick Fiebig.

The growth and development of George town are directly proportional to the
physical changes in the city, socio - cultural, economic and political
developments including it. The development of this city was also accompanied
by an increase in population which resulted in changes in the pattern of the shape
and morphological characteristics of the city. Judging from the morphological
and characteristic aspects of the city, it has exclusive functions ranging from the
livelihoods of the average population, the existence of job specifications,
population density, permanent settlements, as well as heterogeneous citizens'
characteristics and complex social relations.

3

1.1 AIM OF THE RESEARCH :

This paper aims to identify the pattern and unique characteristics of the urban
morphology in the George Town, Chennai.

1.2 OBJECTIVE :

 Getting the pattern and characteristics of those mentioned areas, the detail
aspects such as, road and pathways, land use activities and open spaces were
used as an indicator.

 The result of the studies shows how there is a change in the urban planning
of George Town , CBD of Chennai city.

 How the people living there get acquainted to the lifestyle of the area , how
the settlements affects the future of growing urbanization .

 Such an understanding plays a significant role in exploring how the
capacities of growth pattern can be developed in consistency with the
incremental upgrading of codes regarding public open space, access network,
construction, and functional mix.

4

THEORY / RESEARCH METHODS

1.3 Theory

Korpf (2002) states that urban morphology is one of the characteristics of urban
forms, namely urban structures that are distinguished by roads/blocks, the shape
of the mass of buildings that change from time to time or can also be said as
urban history. While Rossi (1982) says, morphology is an urban artifact.
Whereas Whitehand (1977) mention the study of the history of a city is an
essential basis for conducting a study of the morphology of a city, wherein there
are urban physical characters which are changes that occur from time to time
which is then applied to urban design.Morphology is often used on an urban and
regional scale. Urban morphology is a spatial existence from the characteristics
of the city which consists of an analysis of the shape of the city and the factors
that influence it (Yunus, 2000). According to Zahnd (1999), analyzing the
morphology of a city can be done using figure/ground analysis. Figure/ground
theories are understood from urban planning as a textural relationship between
building mass and open space.

5

1.4 Research Methodology :

By using qualitative methods, the research technique is carried out by analyzing
data archives sourced from the city map of Chennai ,observing and evaluating
detailed aspects which include, road and pathways, land use activities, open
spaces. All of them are intended to identify the pattern and characteristics of the
George town which produces a unique system of places.

Target Analysis of Analysis techniques

Identifying the pattern and Detail Analysis Identification: Diachronic reading and

morphological  Road and pathways typology morphology with
characteristics of George town  Land use activities figure-ground
 Open Space

TABLE 1.4.1 : RESEARCH METHODS TO BE USED

6

1.5 REASONS FOR SELECTING THE STUDY AREA :
 The intensity of urban problem is high in the study area George Town, since

the area been developing from the earliest stages of the city formation.
 George Town is the one of the earliest settlement developed by the British

and is oldest Central Business District (CBD) of the city which retains most
of its traditional character and mindset of people.
 On daily basis a large number of floating population visit the study area for
their occupation and miscellaneous activities.Being urban area with
economic importance ,what would be the influential factors that affect the
growth pattern of George town in terms of urban morphology.

7

2. LITERATURE STUDY :

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STREETS OF GEORGE TOWN :

A historical neighborhood of Chennai, the area that became the base for
development of commercial activities, the core from where the city grew thereby
meeting the needs of people for their livelihoods and it also gave the rulers an
administrative edge in the form of the George Town (present CBD), and also
used to be known as the ‘Black Town’ during the colonial period.

To access the resources of Southeast Asia they needed a base on the east coast,
especially on the Coromandel Coast, where a thriving textile industry flourished
under the patronage of the Nizam of Golconda, which was also famous for its
diamonds, especially the kohi-i-noor diamond, which sat on the crown of the
British Emperor.

One of India’s major ports, was constructed at Chennai. Madras High Court
buildings and the first light house tower with architectural beauty came up in the
area where an old Hindu temple existed. This temple of Sri Chennakesava
Perumal and Chennamalleswara Swamy was demolished and later shifted to the
present location near Mint Street on Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, which
is very popular amongst Hindus as the Pattanam Koil. Residents of George Town

8

in earlier days were mainly the Telugu community with a sizeable population of
the Tamils. In George Town many streets are named after Telugu people like
Govindappa Naick, Angappa Naick, Adiyappa Naick, Narayana Mudali, Kasi
Chetty, Rasappa Chetty, Varada Muthiappan, Thatha Muthiappan, Kondi Chetty,
Linghi Chetty, Thambu Chetty, etc.

Men who were doing business in corals lived together in coral Merchant Street
and people from Armenia doing business with the English were living in
Armenian Street, which still exists. A church called Armenian Church was also
constructed in the same area. As the town was developing manifold, people from
all over India settled in large numbers doing business in all fields, especially
from northern India around 1970s, today this area is recognized as Sowcarpet.

9

Fig 2.1.1 MORPHOLOGY OF GEORGE TOWN OVER EVOLUTION
10

2.2 PLANNING OF GEORGE TOWN:

Road map of Chennai city shows clearly that all the major arterial roads
are emerging from George Town, which makes it clear that this place has a good
connectivity to other parts of the city . George Town also has Chennai Port at the
southeastern end, through which import and export activities are happening in
the entire world. Southern Railway’s South Zone Headquarters and a major
railway station (Chennai Central Station) is in the western end of the George
Town through which all goods travel to other parts of the country. There is also a
suburban train line called Beach Station, which is in the eastern end, connecting
the whole of Chennai city. This place also serves as regional headquarters for
many banks like IOB, HDFC, and SBI exhibiting its commercial dominance over
the city. These were some of the major reasons why George Town has emerged
as the CBD in the beginning.

The entire George Town covers approximately 4.0 sq km of area. Town was
fortified during British rule. The layout is planned in check board style or grid
iron. The same pattern is being adopted for further development of the entire area.
New streets are being laid out as intersections between two roads running either
parallel or perpendicular to the neighboring streets. This strong layout gives
access to any interior street without much difficulty. One can enter any street
through the other streets and rarely end up with a cul-de-sac, whose street almost
looks like corridors. Evolution of the street pattern through the years is shown in
picture below.

11

NSC Bose road being a transit artery acts as a spine for business hub. This road
forms the entry to the George Town from the southern part of the city. George
Town not only stands for business but also has buildings with iconic recognition
for its great structural and heritage value. These are legendary buildings like
Madras High Court Complex which has many noteworthy structures, like
YMCA Building, PARRYS Building, etc. Apart from these, the Chennai Port
within the reach plays a vital role in the development of the city. The Port being
one of the largest in the country serves efficient trade purposes and gives a great
scope of attracting businesses within its province. This is one of the major
reasons for the beginning of wholesale markets in various categories in George
Town.

Fig 2.2.1 Major Roads of Chennai

12

3. DISCUSSIONS AND FINDINGS

3.1 ANALYSIS 1 - Identification Land Use and Open Space Activities by
Using Typo Morphology and Figure-Ground Analysis Techniques

3.1.1 Density Pattern of George Town :
George Town is also famous for its crowded and densely packed structures,
where a lot of activities happen throughout the day. Picture here, also shows
clearly that this area lacks open spaces and green spaces and how dangerous the
location becomes when any fire accidents or disaster happen. There is no scope
for the people to move out to any safer locations even in the case of natural
calamities.

Fig 3.1.1.1 Built and open space analysis map

13

3.1.2 INFERENCE FROM ABOVE :

In the above mapping of figure and ground analysis, the primary urban landscape
components have been organized such as plots, streets, constructed spaces and
open spaces into solids and voids. From the analysis , it is inferred that each
district has variations with open space and built up area resulting dynamic
average between the spaces .

Fig 3.1.2.1 Existing land use in Chennai city 2006
Source : Second Master Plan for CMA 2026

14

Figure 3.1.2.1   shows  land  use  given  as part the Second Master Plan (2006),
prepared by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) which is
the nodal agency to regulate the development in the city. It can also be observed
that almost all the areas are under mixed residential development zone. So, a
land use map is done freshly (Fig. 3.1.2.2 ) in a detailed manner to near accuracy
to expose the real character of the town. In the preparation of this land use map,
for the purpose of this study the criteria adopted are:

Fig 3.1.2.2 Land Use Map of George Town

15

Unit: Unit is an individual building whose boundaries are defined with a clear
plot boundary.

Commercial (Blue): The unit that incorporates shops. If there is small extent of
residential use within the building (around 10 percent of total floor area), the
building will still be considered as commercial as its major character (more than
60 percent) is commercial. Units which are used as warehouses also come under
this category.

Mixed residential (Orange): A unit would be considered as mixed residential
if more than 40 percent of the area has residential activities and remaining as
commercial.

Residential (Yellow): A unit which is used only for residential purposes is
regarded as residential.

Others: Buildings where no shopping and residential activities exist, and these
are used for other purposes like religion related activities or unused spaces;
service buildings such as association offices, etc.; and commercial spaces which
are not used for trade related activities like hospitals, and hotels come under this
category.

16

Fig 3.1.2.3 Height of the Building, George Town.
17

Figure 3.1.2.3 shows, great variations in heights but the range is not vast.
Though the building height varies from one storey to 8 storey, the average height
is only between 3 to 5 stories. More than 80 percent of the buildings fall under
this category.The buildings are placed next to next, therefore there is no proper
ventilation and lighting. All such structures go for cut out and sit outs in it to get
the ventilation and light in the required amount. T he streets are so narrow so that
light which enter into the street also get deflected and cant be able to reach the
lower most floor.

3.1.3 Findings from the analysis of the documented are given bellow :

• NSC Bose road acts as a spine running from east to west and serves as southern
boundary to the entire George Town.

• There are several roads emerging from NSC Bose road towards northern parts
of the town. In fact the character and life of the area lies in these streets. Each of
these streets is specialized in particular business or sale. For example, one street
for crockery, another for jewelry, others for stationary, flowers, cereals, plastics,
grocery products, electrical, textiles, banks, etc.

• In each street products or specialization may vary but they all show unity in
their character and also share similar problems. The major problems faced by the
streets are overcrowding, high density, lack of business focus, and insufficient
infrastructure.

18

• These streets show a change in land use in their stretch, at the point of
emerging; from the southern side they are completely commercial. As they move
towards north, they are transformed into complete residential streets. In this
transformation, majority of the streets in central part has become mixed
residential.
This is due to the influence of NSC Bose road, which makes transportation easy
for the markets. Interestingly these trade and commerce activity roads are
emerging from the NSC Bose road only towards the northern end and not to the
southern side as the place in the southern side contains many old institutional
buildings like the Madras High Court, Bus Terminus, etc.

19

3.2 ANALYSIS 2 - ROAD AND BLOCK PATTERN : TYPO
MORPHOLOGY

3.2.1 CASE STUDY : Kasi Chetty Street - study on roads and pathways :

Kasi Chetty Street and its area of influence are taken for the detailed study, as it
is a one of the important business streets of the region. The area of the site taken
for the detailed study measures less than 0.5 sq km.This particular business street
is not emerging from NSC Bose road and it is accessed through streets which
emerge from NSC Bose Road. To enter Kasi Chetty Street, one has to come from
west (through Govindappa Street) or from East (Narayan Mudali Street). As the
burden of Kasi Chetty’s traffic is shared by these two roads, the entry to these
roads is very much crowded.The basic visual and statistical data is collected for
better understanding of the detailed study area. The site consists of around 120
individual units. This street can differ from other streets in its orientation. While
other business streets start from NSC Bose road and it influences the linear
stretch of buildings, this particular street is configured in T Shape with almost
same name. Flange part of the street is called Kasi Chetty Street and web part
named as Kasi Chetty Lane. The street is well known for its plastic products
especially domestic items. Furthermore, it is also the business nuclei for
imported perfumes and cosmetics.

20

Commercial and mixed residential uses occupy the entire site giving a small
room for miscellaneous typologies among which dilapidated and heritage
buildings are widely seen. We observe the building heights as 3-5 storey units
spreading throughout the site (Fig. 3.2.1.1 and Fig. 3.2.1.2.)

Fig 3.2.1.1 Street Elevations Showing the Height Variations in Kasi Chetty
street.

The street width is too small when compared with the heights of the buildings,
which clearly shows that many of the buildings here are in violation with the
Second Master Plan of Chennai city. This denotes the site is a fractal part of the
whole George Town. This street is vibrant not only for its shops and its items,
but also has hawkers (road side flower sellers) who sell flowers during the
morning hours before the opening of the shops on both sides of the road every
day. While most of the people who purchase here is retail shop holders getting
goods to their shops, which are located all over the city. Interviewing them
revealed that the wholesale shops located in Kasi Chetty Street have good circle
of contacts and networks in the city which gets them permanent buyers.

21

Fig 3.2.1.2 Comparison of Width of Road and Buildings Height

According to the whole sale customers, Kasi Chetty Street has more typology of
shops and has all what they need and that brings them here. But they are very
much unsatisfied with the problems of overcrowding, lack of parking facilities,
etc. which they face during shopping. Shop distribution is further categorized for
better understanding. The streets of this area are planned to see particular
products and there happens to be street wise business. But a little of other
typologies are also seen throughout the region in negligible numbers. Small
streets width and closely packed buildings with higher floor areas next to next as
continuous buildings has led to more business, more money, growth in economy,
etc. But at the same time more traffic, more crowding and a lot of other problems
like safety of the public and goods, etc. The characteristics of the buildings here
are such that shops are located on both sides with a central corridor. This makes
the corridors as important as street. These corridors are nearly 1.0 meter wide.
These corridors give a clear path for pedestrians to linger in the area. We find
more shops exposed to corridors than the streets.

22

Fig 3.2.1.3 Comparison of Roads and Pathways

3.2.2 INFERENCE IDENTIFIED FROM CASE STUDY

We can also see from Fig. 3.2.1.3 that corridors which give access to the shops
are interconnected in some places, thus the movement across streets can also
happen within them. It could also be noted that the percentage of space occupied
by the corridors with respect to their length is 3 times lesser than the length of
roads, which clearly establishes that the corridors are the lifeline of this region
with respect to the transportation of goods and people. The corridors are too
small in width and they run all over the region, and it will definitely confuse any
person who enters this region for first time. People are parking on the roads and
On the roads, one could find that 53 percent of road space is being used only for
parking and only the remaining 47 percent of space is used for people and
vehicles movement.

23

3.3 GROWTH OF GEORGE TOWN - DISTURBING THE URBAN LIFE
OVER AGES :

The functional activity of George Town area has changed gradually, hence it has
resulted in a transformation in the facet from residential to intermixed
commercial activity and has thus invited various forms of urban issues. As there
was no rigid Development Regulations (DR) in those days to streamline the
development activities taking place in George Town area, the very absence of
them has led to improper development.

George Town remained as the Central Business District (CBD) of the city till the
early 20th century due to increase in the modes of access, for instance, rail and
road transport, which led to change in the mobility patterns in terms to
commuting and movement of suburban and rural dwellers. Over the years,
however, the CBD status of George Town has gradually expanded towards the
southern parts of the city.

The first and the second Master Plans formulated by Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority (CMDA) for the city have added impetus for the
development of George Town area. Different forms of development have taken
place due to the implementation of the Master Plans. It includes the relocation of
the wholesale activities such as vegetables, fruits, flowers markets and the City
Bus Terminus to Koyambedu, a place 10 km away to the west, from the present
George Town. In addition, the Iron and Steel Market was shifted to Sathangadu
and the Truck Terminal to Madhavaram, resulting decongestant in the George
Town area.

24

The Table 3.3.1 shows the demographic profile of the area. In 2011 the area had
a population of 239,503 with a high density of 46,058 persons per sq. km. From
the year 1991 to 2001 there was a decrease in the population, due to the
introduction of new development policies for Chennai. Thus more growth was
found towards the southern part of the city due to information technology boom.
In 2011 there was again growth 23 in the population at a growth rate of 11 per
cent, which is higher among the growth rate of the old neighbourhood areas in
the city (Table 3.3.2).

Table 3.3.1 Population growth in George Town

Year Total Population Density Number of

(in thousands) (Population / sq. Households

km.)

1991 217,874 41,899 39,460

2001 215,306 41,405 40,692

2011 239,503 46,058 51,352

Source: Census (2011)

25

Table 3.3.2 Comparison of population growth in George Town with old

neighborhoods of Chennai

Planning 1991 2001 2011 Growth Rate

Division (in per cent)

1991- 2001-

01 11

George Town 2,17,874 2,15,306 2,39,503 -1.1 11

Chindadripet 62,302 77,886 57,189 25 -27

Egmore 1,72,116 1,88,098 1,60,891 9.2 -14

Purasawakkam 3,12,173 3,33,797 3,41,434 62

Triplicane 3,33,838 3,43,955 3,22,277 3 -6

Source: Census (2011)

The land value too is skyrocketing to about 165,000 Rupees per sq. m. in major
parts of the study area. The Chennai Second Master plan have also reclassified
many of the residential areas as Mixed residential, which triggers more new
commercial developments. Hence, serious land utilization pressure for
development and redevelopment is experienced in George Town.

26

Fig 3.3.1 Land value data analyzed in the study area

Moreover the density of population in George Town is already found to be
almost twice that of Chennai. Thus In spite of massive efforts taken for
decongestant, George Town area experiences various urban 24 problems (Table
3.3.3).

27

TABLE 3.3.3 : Current Problems: George Town

NO. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION IMAGE DESCRIPTION

1. The high density of buildings
developed over the years, did not
give opportunity for parks and
playgrounds, hence a huge lack
of recreational facilities is found
in the area. Only 0.14 per cent of
the total area is available as parks
and playgrounds.
Fig 3.3.3.1 George Town Area
Source: Google Earth (2021)

2. Narrow roads - Totally 479 Fig 3.3.3.2 South Mint road
streets are found in George
Town, out of which 449 streets
have less than 10 m road width
and nearly 130 streets less than 5
m.

28

3. Corporation report states that less Fig 3.3.3.3 Edapalayam street
than 1 per cent of the buildings
are legally built in the Sowcarpet
area in George Town (Deccan
Chronicle 2016). It was found
that in the entire area more than
90 per cent of the buildings had
no front setbacks and had no
more than the allowed height
with 100 per cent plot coverage.

4. Parking violations - Most of the
streets are encroached by on street
parking thus reducing the
street width.

Fig 3.3.3.4 Thambu Chetty street

29

5. On-street loading and unloading

Fig 3.3.3.5 Annapillai Street

6. Unsafe emergency evacuation
during hazardous events like fire
because of continuous buildings
with narrow lanes.

Fig 3.3.3.6 Sowcarpet

30

7. Improper infrastructural facilities -
solid waste disposal, open electric
lines and transformers, water
supply distribution due to narrow
lanes and so on.

Fig 3.3.3.7 Kondithope

8. Pedestrian-vehicle conflicts in all
streets due to the traffic congestion
created by the highly dense
wholesale and retail commercial
activities.
Fig 3.3.3.8 Mint street , Sowcarpet

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3.4 INFERENCE FROM ABOVE DISCUSSIONS :
After studying various parts of the area, it is found that the intensity of urban
problem is high in George Town, since the area been developing from the
earliest stages of the city formation. Over the evolution of the area, the existing
land used as a built-up area has become wider while green open spaces have
become lesser.At present, the ratio between the mass of buildings and open space
has changed where the mass of buildings has dominated urban patterns now, and
fewer open spaces.

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4. CONCLUSION :

So the results of the study can be concluded that the George Town area been
developing from the earliest stages of the city formation. It is the one of the
earliest settlement developed by the British and is the oldest Central Business
District (CBD) of the city which retains most of its traditional character and
mindset of people. On daily basis a large number of floating population visit the
study area for their occupation and miscellaneous activities. The evolution of the
George Town was influenced by the fact that the area that became the base for
development of commercial activities, the core from where the city grew thereby
meeting the needs of people for their livelihoods. The wholesale shops located in
Kasi Chetty Street have good circle of contacts and networks in the city which
gets them permanent buyers.

However, retail customers claim that there is a lack of facilities and discomfort
distracts people away from this area. According to the whole sale customers,
Kasi Chetty Street has more typology of shops and has all what they need and
that brings them here. But they are very much unsatisfied with the problems of
overcrowding, lack of parking facilities, etc. which they face during shopping.

Shop distribution is further categorized for better understanding. The streets of
this area are planned to see particular products and there happens to be street
wise business. But a little of other typologies are also seen throughout the region
in negligible numbers. Here in Kasi Chetty Street, the majority products are

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cosmetics, toys, perfumes and imported goods. All the shops follow similar
timings and there is no dynamic change in area’s functionality.

Influence of North Indians (Mar-wadis) can be seen clearly in this region since
only in 1970s Mar-wadis started to settle here with few shops and slowly they
progressed in their business exhibiting their dominance by 1990s. During that
period we could see an increase in the number of shops from 500 to around
3,500. This drastic increase in the number of shops and the settlement of the
shopkeepers in the same area required lot of space. This accelerated the growth
of multi-storied and unauthorized construction in this locality.

Small streets width and closely packed buildings with higher floor areas next to
next as continuous buildings has led to more business, more money, growth in
economy, etc. But at the same time more traffic, more crowding and a lot of
other problems like safety of the public and goods, etc. The characteristics of the
buildings here are such that shops are located on both sides with a central
corridor.

Solutions can be worked out by taking the following into account as any urban
renewal proposal has its own legal, logical and psychological problems.

 During regeneration, there should be minimal structural damage and
disturbance to fabric and character of the space;

 There are no bigger open spaces available to provide new designs;

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 Existing structures should not be disturbed, and the disturbance has to be
minimal as this place is the lifeline for the wholesale market and provides
bread and butter for many people who are working here;

 Heritage of this area has to be retained as it is one of the listed heritage sites
of UNESCO; and

 While analyzing the above issues, and based on the study, the design
solutions has to focus towards better shopping experience like providing
ample parking spaces, considering the safety aspects, etc.

People are parking on the roads and to change this feature we require a separate
parking space, which is not available. On the roads, one could find that 53
percent of road space is being used only for parking and only the remaining
47percent of space is used for people and vehicles movement. So, the trend on
parking in the streets will continue and it will be easy to provide separate
pedestrian corridors for the movement of people. As per the collected statistics,
people are using more pedestrian corridors than the roads for their movement.

Grid iron pattern of the town, narrow streets used for parking, and corridors’
being used as passageways are the common features of this area. So, the solution
can be worked out with less intervention to the lifestyle of the people working
here. Solutions focus on creating better pedestrian movement by connecting the
corridors and emphasizing them in the same grid iron pattern of the town as this
space is also part of the whole George Town. Advantage with the grid iron

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pattern is that it can reach the new users also without any confusion in direction
of movement.

Connecting the corridors can be worked out as a major solution, and minor
changes have also been made to support the design in better way such as adding
toilets and firefighting equipment within the site accessible to public. These
connections are worked out by keeping the restriction of minimalistic damage
to the character of the site, and as it is a continuous building area, damaging one
structure might affect the others. So the connections are done only on the ground
floor level, and building on other floors will remain the same. Open space that is
exiting in one part of the site can be designed as a public node that incorporates
the character of small size square, which will be provided with public toilets.

All the streets in George Town can be redesigned in such a way that at least
safety of the people is better taken care of, and exclusive spaces for the
movement of people and goods can be provided. It can be also proposed that
designated parking spaces can be created, and a little positive change can be
brought to the shopping experience of people with minimal interventions to the
character of the Town.

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REFERENCES :

1.https://issuu.com/madhulikaa.as/docs/semester_ix_architectural_design

2.https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/253353/7/07_chapter2.pdf

3.https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/entropy/entropy-19-
00163/article_deploy/entropy-19-00163.pdf

4.https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/9573/51/09_chapter%201.p
df

5. http://www.itpi.org.in/uploads/journalfiles/jan_mar-2015.pdf

6. https://www.slideshare.net/farhanafarhath/george-town-as-a-core-city

ARTICLES AND BOOKS :

1.How to Revive Chennai’s CBD – Case Study of
Kasi Chetty Street. Institute of Town Planners, India Journal 12 x 1, January -
March 2015.

2. Kropf, K. (2002). District Design Guide. Stratford-on-Avon. Stratford-on-
Avon , District Council, United Kingdom.

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3. Rossi, A. (1982), The Architecture of the City, The MIT Press, Cambridge.
4. Whitehand, J. W. R. (1977), The basis for an historic-geographical theory of
urban form, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, NS2,400-16.
5. Yunus, Hadi Sabari. (2000), Struktur Tata Ruang Kota, Penerbit Pustaka
Pelajar,Yogyakarta.
6. Zahnd, Markus (1999), Perancangan Kota Secara Terpadu, Kanisius,
Yogyakarta.

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