- Morphological Approach towards socio-spatial Design of creative Cities    704 kb by    Sarkar, Arunava | module_b@yahoo.com    Short Outline The paper researches successful models of socio-spatial design in traditional Indian and western creative cities. It achieves a model of regenerating post industrial cities by harnessing traditional knowledge to suit modern culture industries. Abstract A MORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH TOWARDS CREATIVE CITY: Brief outline: The city as a socio-economic and political construct enjoys a dynamic relationship to its socio economic matrix (resource base). Specific strategies adopted by cities to exploit its resource leads to a structuring of space into a morphological imprint. The current enquiry is into successful models of socio-spatial design of spaces in traditional Indian and western cities which have fostered participation and creativity in mankind. Abstract: The research draws inspiration from contemporary theory on creativity and cultural capital and analyses case studies through an empirical framework The objective is to establish the pre conditions of a creative city in terms of a Socio economic matrix- Softscape Morphological structure- Hardscape The inferences of the research would cumulate in design knowledge for spatial organization which can be the container of creative talent. Demonstration: The research informs the strategic regeneration of Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata, the cultural capital of India. Howrah, unlike Kolkata, is a deindustrialized, post-industrial town, characterized by degeneration and high unemployment. Recently Howrah has been earmarked for regeneration by the state government. The urban regeneration programme harnesses the traditional knowledge resources of the community to rejuvenate the local industrial skills as a creative resource. The process of regeneration is achieved by building upon social capital to feed innovative culture industries (Source: Sasaki, The Role of Culture in Urban Regeneration). The planning of the creative clusters is based upon traditional creative neighbourhood systems, tailored to compete in the age of globalization. Various hardscape and softscape strategies have been adapted to suit site conditions. The research achieves a theoretical model of restructuring post industrial derelict areas based on the creative city concept. Keywords Phoenix Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2005: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper