Preserving Cultural Communities in a Changing Urban South

The cities of the Global South are rapidly transforming from traditional buildings to skyscrapers. In the low-rise neighborhoods, local markets have been replaced by high-rise apartments & shopping malls. These dynamics raised a crucial question for planners: how can development exist while preserving the cultural heritage?

Globally, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, extensive changes in urban areas influenced craft industries through many factors, including their identity. They are embedded with historical rituals, culture, and a deep connection to a place. However, many of these Intangible cultural heritages struggle to survive due to displacement, market implications, land pressure, and vulnerability driven by globalization.

In the Global South, traditional craft industries have a long-rooted history dating back centuries through local knowledge, skill, religion, and trade. These clusters include glassmaking in Murano, Italy, metalwork in Jaipur, India, Rattan weaving in Bali, Indonesia, textile weaving in Varansi, India, and silver & gold crafts of Sri Lanka, reflecting diverse cultures.

Craft industries faced significant challenges to thrive with the economic liberalization, infrastructure expansion, and tourism. These cultural heritages have been marginalized by the persistent changes. Without proper spatial planning and policies, intervention social context of craft artisans is a diminishing threat to their creative identity.

Despite these challenges, many of the artisans continue to operate family workshops and online marketing, allowing traditional skills to be used with digital platforms, targeting tourists. They too fighting with market substitutes, promoting the traditional cultures which is fading away day by day. Many cultural awareness programs conducted by the intervention of the public sector are vital as the social system of those intangible cultural heritage opt for is losing its recognition. Yet, there is a broader tension across the Global South: survival and preservation.

From a planning perspective, the identity of craft communities is an implication of community sustainability and cultural heritage. therefore, polices need to maintain a balance between development and cultural preservation. Yet, development generally focuses on infrastructure, housing, and commercial aspects, while culture is ignored in development frameworks.

Some of the planning initiatives that focused on cultural preservation have been commendable. For instance, in Jaipur, India, craft clusters were identified, leading to zoning protection. In Hoi, Vietnam, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings is supported for artisans alongside tourism. These examples show the planning and conservation of culture evolving. However, strengthening celebration between planning authorities and the craft community is vital in sustainable planning.

Lesson Learning

Craft communities play a vital role in economic development, and It is need to identify craft economies as a part of local development since they are part of the urban system. Instead of the displacement of craft artisans the concepts like adaptive reuse can be applied, allowing shared workshops and community-led development, which ultimately protects those cultural zones. Fostering craft participation is a key to directly engaging them in the decision-making process. Traditional markets can be bridged with digital platforms like Digital mapping, online markets, and storytelling platforms. Encouragement of youth in traditional heritage would, as a modern profession, sustain both culture and economy.

A Future Rooted in Heritage

The evolving cities have an impact on traditional cultures like craft industries as their threatening to survive since the development is focused on infrastructure, housing, and the commercial sector, etc. The sustainability of craft communities depends on effective planning of local areas, how they value them, and incorporate them with development while preserving their cultural heritage value. The stories of traditional crafts remind us that urban progress does not have to erase the past. For planners, the challenge is not merely to design cities that grow, but to shape cities that remember.