Reflecting on the river: rapid urbanisation and representations of Indian cultural heritage.

许多城市都是在河流上或河流周围发展起来的，因为河流是交通、贸易和渔业的重要组成部分。河流在人们的日常生活中也发挥着重要作用，这是由他们的文化习俗所支撑的，例如印度的传统和葬礼仪式。人们以不同的方式感知、表现和使用河流，这些方式可能与城市决策者（如设计师、规划师和管理者）讲述河流“故事”的方式相一致，也可能不一致。随着城市的日益城市化，对河流的看法和叙述可能会随着时间的推移而有所不同。然而，我们并不完全了解世界各地城市的快速城市化如何改变人们与河流的文化联系。该项目旨在迈出解决这一知识差距的第一步，以加深对印度城市化居民对河流文化作用的理解。通过合作，英国和印度的研究人员制定了以下项目目标：-探索人们对城市河流随着时间的推移而变化的不同观点和“故事”; -探索和记录过去和今天如何使用河流;- 将从业人员聚集在一起，来自不同领域的学者和政策制定者，研究河流及其文化意义（如作为文化习俗的场所）;- 制定数据收集和分析方法，以捕捉多个视角和“故事”，关于城市河流作为不断变化的遗产景观。阿赫梅达巴德已被合作研究小组选定为一个城市进行更仔细的研究。它正在经历激烈的城市化，被描述为印度的特大城市之一。对于这次考试，该项目将涉及（当地）写作，绘画，诗歌，神话，戏剧和档案材料的审查有关“河流的意义”在印度城市化。随后将采访负责教学，研究和解释城市文化遗产的学者和专业从业人员。研究团队将开始揭开这条河周围的多重“故事”，以供稍后进一步研究。研究团队将举办两个工作坊，让从业者、学者和用户团体代表分享他们对这条河的实践、诠释、经验和记忆，以帮助拼凑出更全面的河流作为城市文化遗产的观点。研讨会将涉及艺术家谁将产生图纸/可视化和戏剧组谁将解释不断变化的河流，根据不同的研讨会参与者的观点。这些调查结果将共同构成在阿赫梅达巴德举行的一次高规格传播会议的基础，该会议的对象是学术界、专业人士和应邀发言者。还将在谢菲尔德举行第二次会议，传播调查结果，并将欧洲和印度代表聚集在一起。会议将提供关键的辩论1）随着时间的推移，河流如何改变为文化遗产，以及2）研究方法的有效性和相关性。会议之后将正式确定研究网络成员，他们将继续在未来的研究项目上合作。这个跨部门研究网络将由一个由印度学术和非学术项目合作伙伴组成的咨询小组指导，他们将帮助建立研究网络，并将公共和私营部门以及慈善机构和社区团体的利益相关者聚集在一起。这将支持团队努力开发收集和分析数据的创新和有用的方法，并在现在和未来实现学者和非学者之间的知识共享。

Many cities have developed on and around rivers as they are important elements, e.g. for transport, trade and fishing. Rivers also play a significant part in people's everyday lives, underpinned by their cultural practices, for example traditions and rituals such as funeral rites in India. People perceive, represent and use rivers in different ways which may or may not correspond with the way in which city-level decision-makers (e.g. designers, planners and managers) tell the 'story' of the river as part of its city identity. There are multiple perspectives and narratives of rivers which may differ over time as cities become increasingly urbanised. However we do not fully understand how rapid urbanisation of cities around the world is changing the cultural connections that people have with the river. This project aims to take the first step to address this gap in knowledge to deepen understanding of the cultural role of the river for residents in urbanizing India. Working in collaboration, the UK and Indian investigators have developed the following project objectives: - To explore the different perspectives and 'stories' that people have of changing urban rivers over time; - To explore and record how rivers have been used in the past and is used today; - To bring together practitioners, academics and policymakers from different sectors to examine rivers and their cultural meanings (e.g. as a setting for cultural practices) in rapidly urbanizing settings;- To develop data collection and analysis methods to capture the multiple perspectives and 'stories' of/about urban rivers as changing heritage landscapes.Ahmedabad has been selected by the collaborative research team as a city for closer examination. It is undergoing intense urbanisation and described as one of the India's megacities. For this examination, the project will involve a review of (local) writing, painting, poetry, mythology, plays and archival materials about 'meanings of the river' in urbanising India. This will be followed by interviews with academics and professional practitioners who are responsible for teaching, researching and interpreting cultural heritage in the city. This will begin to uncover the multiple 'stories' around the river for further examination later on. The research team will hold two workshops for practitioners, academics and user group representatives to share their practices, interpretations, experiences and memories of the river to help piece together a more holistic view of the river as urban cultural heritage. The workshops will involve artists who will produce drawings/visualisations and a theatre group who will interpret the changing river, based on the perspectives of the different workshop participants. Together, these findings will form the basis of a high-profile dissemination conference in Ahmedabad aimed at academics, professionals and invited speakers. There will also be a second conference in Sheffield to disseminate findings and bring European and Indian delegates together. The conferences will provide critical debate on 1) how the river has changed as cultural heritage over time, and 2) how valid and relevant is the research methodology. The conferences will be followed by a formalisation of the research network members who will continue to collaborate on future research projects. This cross-sector research network will be steered by an Advisory Group made up of academic and non-academic Indian project partners, who will help build up the research network and bring together stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as charities and community groups. This will support the team in their efforts to develop innovative and useful ways of collecting and analyzing data and bring about knowledge sharing, now and in the future, between academics and non-academics.