Kollam relishes its glorious past

Kollam: An exhibition to realise the dream of developing a better Kollam by preserving its legacy is being  held at the 8-point art café here. Titled ‘Unveiling Kollam,’ the show aims at inculcating civic pride in the  citizens and  proposes new alternatives of sustainable development. The initiative proposes projects to develop Kollam based on the studies conducted by various urban design and architectural experts in association with the Kollam corporation  and ensuring the involvement of the citizens.

The sketches in the exhibition have been showcased in two parts, with the first part of 30 panels showing the historical timeline of Kollam. The second part consists of selected projects with live presentations that speak about the development of Kollam based on its strengths. The findings were  made by the students of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, School of Planning and Architecture Delhi, and College of Engineering, Trivandrum.

“The strength of Kollam lies in its traditional industries but due to the changing economies and globalisation, the full potential of  its  heritage is not being realised. For the city to find a place in the global scenario, there is  need to lay a strong base by utilising  the strengths of Kollam which include the cultural heritage of the city,” Dr. Manoj Kini, architect, urban designer and faculty in charge of the masters programme in Urban Design at CET, Trivandrum, told DC. The study conducted based on SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) looks at the need for a reversion of the  assets of the city, thereby creating awareness and voicing a plea to preserve what is left of the inheritance by the current generation, he added.