- Evaluation of evolving strategies for new zones of creative opportunity in a metropolis   click here to open paper content282 kb
by    Sen, Joy | joysen@arp.iitkgp.ernet.in ; joysen610@yahoo.co.in   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
The paper evaluates two case studies - 1) a Free Export Processing Zone and 2) an advanced Electronic Zone in metropolitan Kolkata (Calcutta) and their role in raising living standards and regenerating a good ‘quality of life’.
Abstract
Evaluation of evolving strategies for new zones of creative opportunities in a metropolis
Case study: (1) Falta Export Processing Zone and (2) Advanced Electronics Zone, Kolkata (Calcutta) Metropolitan Region (KMR)

The evolution of metropolitan strategies can be derived from three phases:
a) At 1947 (the year of India’s independence) KMR was the leading node of economic opportunities and cultural development. Its primacy was due to the highest concentration of administrative and commercial-industrialization functionaries of British dominion in India.
b) The following decades (1951-91) were a phase of decay for many reasons Shifting national priorities to other regions, obsolescence of the existing manufacturing base, lack of policies of investments emphasizing modernization and marketing are to mention a few.
c) Since 1991, new national trade liberalization policies came in to augment new opportunities of revitalization. Since then, two creative zones have practically evolved:
1. The formation of a Free Export Processing Zone (EPZ) at Falta port - just south of the metropolitan boundary. This is a regional node of ‘green industrial belts’ having diversified production opportunities facilitated by international trade linkages
2. The creation of a new growth pole at Salt Lake zone - contiguous to the metropolitan core and the City airport. It has modern industrial plots, proposed Cyber parks, green belts to promote advanced Electronics and service sector opportunities
The paper proposes to evaluate the long-term impacts of the two zones by raising two questions and attempt answering them:
1. One, do these new spaces of creative economy reduce the disparity between the developed core and relatively underdeveloped economy of the periphery?
2. Two, will they generate positive cultural changes to revive the glory of India’s cultural capital city?


Keywords: Free Trade Zone, Green industrial belts, cultural revival, metropolitan glory
Keywords
Keywords: Free Trade Zone, Green industrial belts, cultural revival, metropolitan glory
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2005: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy
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