- The Future of the Past in sprawling Cities    374 kb by    Prothi Khanna, Nupur | nupurprothi@gmail.com    Short Outline The presentation is based on the significance of natural and cultural heritage in building sustainable cities with the case study of Bangalore, commonly refered to as the ''Silicon Valley'' of India. Abstract The future of the past in sprawling cities The paper discusses the sub themes under 5.2 and 5.3 The paper aims to address the trend of sprawling urbanization and its impact on the historic fabric of many a city in the Indian context. From a cultural and natural heritage perspective this research is aimed to discuss possible alternatives to the current trends of urban development. The Case study being considered for this purpose is the city of Bangalore in Southern India which has found its way on the global map as a result of Information Technology based industry. The example of Bangalore is especially suitable here as the city historically gained significance due to its natural terrain and unique climate. Therefore, its status as a city of tanks and embankments and subsequently as a botanical node in the Colonial British era have resulted in a rich weave of ecology as well as history. To these layers comprising of ancient Hindu temples, then Islamic gardens, 19th and 20th century British settlements is added the newest dimension of the ‘Silicon valley of India”. This most recent christening is the result of large scale expansion of IT and IT Enabled sectors in the city. This industry has resulted in a rapid and unorganized expansion of an erstwhile compact city with little if any consideration to the natural or cultural context departing from previous historic trends. Having been associated with urban conservation, I intend to use case studies of cities in other countries where conservation, in all its facets, has been considered central to the idea of urbanism, this paper will offer a way forward for Bangalore in order to stem any further loss of the natural language of the terrain and historicity. This will also offer a way forward for most Indian mid level towns and larger cities to inherently incorporate the natural and cultural wealth of the past in laying the foundation for a sustainable future. Keywords cultural heritage, sustainability Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2008: Urban Growth without Sprawl   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper