Ahmedabad is preparing to formally expand its heritage protection net beyond the walled city, after recent demolitions exposed gaps in the municipal corporation’s legal authority to safeguard historically significant structures. The civic body is now advancing a plan to grant official heritage building protection status to more than 400 properties outside the old city, a move that could reshape how the city balances redevelopment and conservation.
The urgency follows the loss of prominent institutional buildings in the Gujarat College precinct and attempted demolitions at other historically significant campuses. Municipal officials acknowledge that while interventions were made in certain cases, the absence of statutory backing limited the corporation’s ability to consistently prevent demolition. Under the new proposal, structures identified in a 2014 survey conducted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) will be formally notified under local heritage regulations. That survey documented 861 historically significant buildings outside the walled city, with 382 graded based on architectural and cultural value. Civic planners now intend to notify over 400 of these under strengthened heritage building protection provisions.
Once notified, these buildings would be subject to restrictions on demolition and major alteration. Officials say the corporation would also be empowered to facilitate adaptive reuse and restoration. Property owners may be offered Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), allowing them to monetise unused development potential elsewhere a tool increasingly used in Indian cities to reconcile conservation with real estate economics. Urban development experts argue that heritage building protection is not merely about nostalgia. Retaining historic campuses, palaces and institutional structures contributes to embodied carbon savings by avoiding demolition-related emissions. Adaptive reuse, they note, is often more climate-resilient than new construction, particularly when paired with energy retrofits.
Beyond environmental considerations, planners highlight the economic role of heritage precincts in shaping urban identity. Since Ahmedabad received the UNESCO World Heritage City designation in 2017, conservation attention has largely focused on the historic core. Buildings in areas such as Fatehwadi, Shahibaug and Raikhad including landmarks like Gujarat Vidyapith have remained vulnerable amid redevelopment pressures.
Municipal officials confirm that a draft list of proposed heritage sites will be published shortly, inviting public objections and suggestions before final notification. This consultative step is expected to test how residents, landowners and developers respond to tighter controls in growth corridors where land values have appreciated sharply. Real estate analysts say clarity in regulation could ultimately reduce uncertainty. When heritage status is clearly defined, developers can factor constraints into project planning rather than face last-minute stoppages.
As Ahmedabad continues to expand outward, the success of its heritage building protection strategy will hinge on enforcement capacity and financial incentives. The next phase will determine whether the city can integrate conservation into its development model ensuring that growth does not come at the cost of architectural memory or long-term urban resilience.
Ahmedabad Expands Heritage Protection Beyond Old City
