‘Cultural Turn’ in Old Delhi – post Metro

Abstract

Post-liberalization, India has invested heavily in urban mass rapid transportation systems (MRTS aka Metro). Currently, metro systems are operational in 10 cities and under construction or planning in another 22. The impact of mass transportation infrastructure on the local economy is well-researched in the context of North American and European cities. Literature categorizes these impacts as micro (related to land/property values), meso (related to agglomeration of economic activities), and macro (related to overall economic growth). This paper examines the impact of the metro on Old Delhi (the historic walled city of Delhi) from a cultural economy perspective. Delhi Metro has one of the most extensive networks in the world spread across Delhi as well as neighbouring cities. Seven metro stations are located within the old city or in close vicinity. The impact of the metro on Old Delhi is unique as it is a living settlement with repositories of cultural products/spaces and work/production-based communities that have evolved and assimilated several layers of history. Analysis of responses received from traders and residents during field research, interviews, commuter surveys and spatial documentation conducted for this study point to a turn in the economy of Old Delhi, similar to many post-industrial cities. The paper argues that with improved intra-urban accessibility economic activity is undergoing a transformation from wholesale to retail and that cultural products and ‘experiences’ are getting re-invented and diversified to serve the increased volume and variety of consumers. However, fuelled by this thrust on commerce, residential properties are becoming commercial, built heritage is being lost and at places, structural changes are taking place in the morphology of the historical fabric. In conclusion, the paper discusses the milieu of contextual conditions (social, economic, and policy) that are working in conjunction with improved accessibility induced by the metro to usher in the ‘Cultural Turn’ in Old Delhi.