India’s ancient riverfront cities feature Ghats, vital social and religious sites. Wai Ghats on the Krishna River, known as Southern Kashi, remain understudied. This study investigates the relationship between Wai Ghats’ built environment and natural landscape, exploring geographical, ecological and spiritual implications. Using mixed-methods research, combining field observations, GIS analysis and stakeholder interviews, this study assesses how architecture influences environmental sustainability and liveability. Preliminary findings indicate a strong correlation between contextual design and ecological significance. This research contributes to sustainable urban planning and cultural heritage preservation in India’s ancient cities, enhancing our understanding of built environment-natural landscape interactions.
BeckerIEggerGGerstnerL, et al (2022) Using the river ecosystem service index to evaluate “free moving rivers” restoration measures: A case study on the Ammer River (Bavaria). International Review of Hydrobiology107(1–2): 117–127. DOI: 10.1002/iroh.202102088.
2.
DedeMSunardiSLamKC, et al (2023) Relationship between landscape and river ecosystem services. Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management9(3): 637–652. DOI: 10.22034/gjesm.2023.03.18.
3.
DempseyNJayarajSRRedmondE (2018) There’s always the river: Social and environmental equity in rapidly urbanising landscapes in India. Landscape Research43(3): 275–288. DOI: 10.1080/01426397.2017.1315389.
4.
DengXXuYHanL, et al (2015) Impacts of urbanization on river systems in the Taihu region, China. Water7(4): 1340–1358. DOI: 10.3390/w7041340.
5.
EkkaAPandeSJiangY, et al (2020) Anthropogenic modifications and river ecosystem services: A landscape perspective. Water12(10): 2706. DOI: 10.3390/w12102706.
6.
FedeleGDonattiCIHarveyCA, et al (2019) Transformative adaptation to climate change for sustainable social-ecological systems. Environmental Science and Policy101: 116–125. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2019.07.001.
7.
HeymansABreadsellJMorrisonGM, et al (2019) Ecological urban planning and design: A systematic literature review. Sustainability11(13): 3723. DOI: 10.3390/su11133723.
8.
JoshiKShahD (2024) India’s rich and traditional heritage: A journey through time changing identities of Rsate Wada, a case of Wai, Pune. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research6(2): 1–4.
9.
LampartováISchneiderJNovákP (2016) Rivers in the Cities. Brno: Mendel University.
10.
PandeyVPManandharSKazamaF (2012) Water poverty situation of medium-sized river basins in Nepal. Water Resources Management26(9): 2475–2489. DOI: 10.1007/s11269-012-0027-z.
11.
PandyaY (2005) Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian Architecture. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing Pvt.
12.
PrescottMF (2022) River-edge relationships. In PadawangiRRabePPerkasaA (Eds.) River Cities in Asia. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp. 157.
13.
RamachandranRN (2019) Mandapa: Its proportion as a tool in understanding Indian temple architecture. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research10(7): 2105–2112.
14.
RandolphGFNaikM (2019) Book review: Subaltern urbanisation in India: An introduction to the dynamics of ordinary towns. Urban Studies56(8): 1706–1708. DOI: 10.1177/0042098018813067.
15.
SharmaA (2022) Ancient Indian design and town planning principles as a frame for case studies. In SharmaA (Ed.) Mandala Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 7–26.
16.
SharmaKPaniP (2016) The river plan-form dynamics in urban area: A case study of Patna regional development area of Bihar. In RamanVAV (Ed.) Geoanthropogenic Environment: An Appraisal. Varanasi: A.K. Publications, pp. 12–25.
17.
SilvaJBSerdouraFPintoP (2006) Urban rivers as factors of urban (dis)integration. In SilvaJBSerdouraFPintoP (Eds.) 42nd ISoCaRP Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, 14–18 September 2006. Hague: ISoCaRP, pp. 1–14.
18.
SinhaA (2018) Ghats on the Ganga in Varanasi, India: A sustainable model for waste management. Landscape Journal37(2): 65–78. DOI: 10.3368/lj.37.2.65.
19.
SinhaA (2019) Ghats on the Ganga in Varanasi, India. In SilvaKD (Ed.) The Routledge Handbook on Historic Urban Landscapes in the Asia-Pacific. London: Routledge, pp. 248–260.
20.
SwaroopASharmaSKumarK (2023) Reviving the soul of Ganga: A comprehensive review of the development of river front ghats. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research5(2): 2362. DOI: 10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i02.2362.
21.
WangFGaoC (2020) Settlement–river relationship and locality of river-related built environment. Indoor and Built Environment29(10): 1331–1335. DOI: 10.1177/1420326X20976500.
22.
WeisserWWHenselMBarathS, et al (2023) Creating ecologically sound buildings by integrating ecology, architecture and computational design. People and Nature5(1): 4–20. DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10411.
23.
XieYBieQHeC (2017) Human settlement and changes in the distribution of river systems in the Minqin Basin over the past 2000 years in Northwest China. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability3(11): 1401011. DOI: 10.1080/20964129.2017.1401011.
24.
YuanWJamesPYangK (2006) Impact of urbanization on structure and function of river system—Case study of Shanghai, China. Chinese Geographical Science16(2): 102–108. DOI: 10.1007/s11769-006-0002-9.
