Community-led Heritage Regeneration in India
About us
The project, funded by the AHRC/ICHR Newton Bhabha Fund, was carried out as an action-research project by two University partners, Oxford Brookes University in the UK and the School of Planning and Architecture Delhi in India, in collaboration with local NGO, Center for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE).
Through a six-month collaborative research project, we investigated opportunities for community-centred regeneration around Agra’s forgotten historic Mughal era gardens, through regeneration initiatives involving local communities in ‘edge’ and forgotten areas, with the overarching research question: ‘Can communities take a leading role in using heritage as a means of regeneration?’.
Research impact
The project involved the participation of postgraduate students through a live project as co-researchers. Public sector authorities and local communities provided direct input in the process, with sector experts providing guidance and feedback through a series of peer review workshops.