Speakers
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Abhay MangaldasHeritage Entrepreneur & Legacy Custodian, AhmedabadAbhay Mangaldas is the Founder and Director of The House of MG, an Urban Heritage Hotel in Ahmedabad City. He is also the Convener, Ahmedabad Chapter – Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage – INTACH besides being the Managing Trustee of the Shreyas Foundation, an educational institution for children set in Ahmedabad.
He has a Master of Science in Mass Communication from Boston University, USA with major in Computer Graphics.
Abhay’s interests include, questioning paradigms, innovations, design, technology and fitness.
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Debashish NayakHeritage Conservation ArchitectDebashish Nayak is an architect who has more than three decades of experience in managing Urban Conservation issues of Historic Cities in India and abroad. He is the Founder and Former Director of Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University. He has been advisor to the Heritage Programmes in the Municipal Corporations of various cities including Ahmedabad (since 1996), Jaipur, Amritsar, Old Delhi, Lucknow, Pondicherry etc., as well as to the Indian Heritage Cities Network launched by UNESCO, India. He was also the Gujarat State Project Coordinator for National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, and member of the National Committee on Conservation Policy, Archaeological Survey of India and programme coordinator of IFSAH (International Field School of Asian Heritage) covering countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
He is a visiting lecturer of various Universities and Institutions like Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Holland, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow and Ahmedabad, CEPT University, Ahmedabad and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi etc.
In addition to Ashoka Fellowship (1990 – 1993), Salzburg Fellow (1990), Ten Outstanding Young Indian Award (1994) and in 1995, Friends of the United Nations Citizen’s Award at New York, Japan Foundation Fellow and Anubhai Chimanlal –Ahmedabad Management Association Nagrikta Puraskar – citizenship award for his contribution in Ahmedabad (2007). In 2015, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Governor of West Bengal. He has also been awarded ‘The Spirit of Ahmedabad’ award by Chief Minister of Gujarat for his contribution in protection of city’s heritage in 2016.
Since 2019, he is the Honorary Director of Oriental Studies & Heritage Management Resource Center, Gujarat Vidyapith – A University founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.
His work has been documented and published on several occasions including the compilation of the process of Ahmedabad’s Journey to become India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City by Panna Lalbhai Foundation in 2023.
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Dr. Jigna DesaiCenter Head and Principal Researcher, CHCDr. Jigna Desai has experience in working with traditional urban environments and framing how traditional architecture may be understood, studied, and transformed. Her work focuses on formulating frameworks, tools, and methods through which theoretical ideas of sustainability and conservation of living historic environments can be translated into practice while addressing the challenges of co-production of space and commodification of heritage.
Jigna has worked on preparing the nomination dossier that led to the inscription of Ahmedabad as a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 2017 and has extensive experience in architecture and conservation research. She advocates community-based conservation and has partnered with several national and international institutions on heritage preservation initiatives in different parts of India. Jigna is an expert member of the International Scientific Committee for Historic Towns and Villages, the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and an active ICOMOS India chapter member. She is also a director of an award-winning practice – JMA Design Co. which she co-founded with Mehul Bhatt in 1999.
Jigna has studied architecture and has a master’s degree in sustainable architecture from Cardiff University and a PhD in Conservation Studies from CEPT University.
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Dr. Shikha JainDirector - Preservation and Community Design, DronahDr. Shikha Jain, Founder Director of DRONAH has an extensive portfolio on cultural heritage of India that covers World Heritage, Cultural Landscapes, Conservation, Heritage based Development and Museum Planning of several projects for the Government of India, State Governmentsand international organizations such as the Getty Foundation and the World Monuments Fund.
As an international expert on World Heritage, she has advised government organizations in Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Myanmar and UNESCO Offices at Jakarta, Indonesia and Myanmar and, worked as consultant to the UNESCO New Delhi on several missions including nominations and training programs on cultural landscapes. She has steered several UNESCO World Heritage listings in India. She represented India as a Cultural Heritage expert in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee during India’s elected term in Committee from 2011-2015 and, is representing India as a bureau member on behalf of Government of India in the forthcoming 45th World Heritage Committee Session of UNESCO in Sep 2023.
As Director, DRONAH, she has led more than 60 conservation and museum planning projects across India and received HUDCO awards for 2 projects in 2013 which are also documented as Best Practice projects by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2015 and 2022. She is the State Convener of INTACH Haryana Chapter and member of the Advisory Committee on World Heritage under ASI, Ministry of Culture. She is Vice President, ICOFORT, ICOMOS, and an expert member of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes, ICOMOS.
She has contributed several papers and articles on the cultural heritage of India in national and international journals and conferences. She has authored/ edited books: Essay on the Conservation of City Place Udaipur (MMCF) featured in the catalogue for the exhibition, ‘A Splendid Land’ at the Smithsonian, USA (2022), Incredible Treasures: UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India (Mapin Publication Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad 2021), Strongholds of Western India: The Forts of Maharashtra, (Aryan Publishers, New Delhi), Living Heritage of Mewar, The City Palace, Udaipur (Mapin Publishing Singapore 2017), Haryana: Cultural Heritage supported by INTACH and ASI (Aryan Publications, 2012), Stone Crafts of Rajasthan (CDOS, Government of Rajasthan, 2010), Princely Terrain: Amber, Jaipur and Shekhawati (Shubhi Publications, 2004) and Havelis: A Living Tradition of Rajasthan (Shubhi Publications, 2004), She is Visiting Faculty for Urban Conservation in the Department of Urban Planning, SPA, New Delhi and UNESCO C2C at WII, Dehradun and, Adjunct Faculty at Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University.
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Jayendra TannaChairman, Ahmedabad Chamber of Commerce Welfare FoundationJayendra Tanna has been serving as the National President of the Federation of All India Mahamandal (FAIVM) since 2018. With an extensive background in trade and industry since 1987, he has held the position of President of Commerce and Industry since 1999/2000 and has contributed to various committees over the years.
He was a member of the State-Level VAT Advisory Committee from 2008 to 2011 and served as Secretary of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2012 to 2013. Since 2007, he has been the President of Gujarat Traders, an apex state body. Additionally, he served as the Convener of the Federation of Saurashtra-Kutch Chambers of Commerce and Industry from 2012 to 2013, an organization comprising over 25 chambers across the Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat.
He also held the position of Vice President of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2017 to 2018. In 2019, he served as the President of the Vibrant Shopping Festival Organizing Federation (VSFOF), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the Government of Gujarat for the Ahmedabad Shopping Festival, organized under the Vibrant Gujarat initiative.
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Prof. Anil RoyAssociate Professor, Faculty of Planning, CEPT UniversityDr. Anil Kumar Roy is a senior associate professor at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, with over 25 years of experience in urban studies and planning. He holds a PhD in Urban Geography from JNU, New Delhi, and a degree in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University. His academic journey includes prestigious fellowships, such as the Canadian Studies Doctoral Fellowship, which led to his affiliation with Dalhousie University, Halifax, in 2002, and a research fellowship from the European Union Commission under the Urban Knowledge Network of Asia (UKNA) in the Netherlands. Under this programme, he was also affiliated with the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville in 2014. Before joining CEPT University in 2009, he worked with leading institutions like UNESCO, PRIA, and CSE in New Delhi. As an urban professional, he has undertaken 21 advisory and consultancy projects ranging from climate impacts, sustainable industrial development, regional planning, to EIA and SIA of large infrastructure projects, slum free city in India. A prolific researcher, he has published 25 papers in national and international journals, authored two books, and is working on a book on planning education in the Global South. His research focuses on urbanisation in the Global South, environmental planning, climate change, urban poverty, and informal settlements. He is a fellow of the Regional Studies Association (UK) and the Institute of Town Planners, India. Currently, he is supporting a study on growth drivers of urbanisation in Kerala as part of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission, Government of Kerala.
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Rajiv PatelFounder, THREEE FoundationRajiv Patel is a member of Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers (GIHED), had adopted French Haveli in the old city and donated it for a heritage conservation institute for the initiative. The French Haveli’ is an 150 year old, artistically restored Gujarati heritage home offering B&B services to travellers. He is involved in heritage preservation under the banner of Ahmedabad Heritage Foundation (AHF) in association with AMC. He has studied Bachelors in Civil Engineering from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
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Riyaz TayyibjiPartner, Anthill DesignRiyaz Tayyibji is a practicing architect and partner at anthill design, Ahmedabad. He is actively involved in architectural documentation, research and academics. He has been an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University and the co-ordinator of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission set up to document the buildings made by and related to the life of M.K. Gandhi. He has curated exhibitions on the architecture and urbanity of Ahmedabad. Presently he is a Team Lead at NIUA (National Institute of Urban Affairs) working on a Heritage Conservation Plan for the World Heritage City, Ahmedabad following its UNESCO inscription.
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: Apr 02 2025
- Time: 8:30 am
Fulfilling the Promise of India’s First Heritage City: Challenges of Making Ahmedabad Vibrant (Part II)
The Walled City of Ahmedabad was designated a UNESCO World Heritage City on July 8, 2017, making it the first city in India to receive this prestigious recognition. While this designation brought immense pride, it also came with the responsibility of preserving and enhancing the city’s heritage and livability. Now, in 2025, eight years have passed, and there is a need to critically assess the progress made and identify areas that require focused action.
A recent report highlighted that only 976 foreign tourists visited the Heritage City last year. While tourism numbers are not the sole measure of success, a comparison with Penang—where over 7.27 million tourists stayed overnight in 2024, marking a 30.2% increase from 2022—raises important questions about Ahmedabad’s global appeal. As one of 300 World Heritage Cities across 101 countries, Ahmedabad must take concrete steps to ensure that it fully leverages its heritage status while improving the quality of life for its residents.
To uphold the expectations of a World Heritage City, several key areas require attention. These include improving environmental and living conditions, reducing pollution, preserving historical monuments, enhancing access and mobility, maintaining cleanliness, attracting economic investments, strengthening hospitality infrastructure, promoting urban greenery, rethinking the development ecosystem, increasing citizen participation, and improving overall governance. Addressing these aspects is crucial to making Ahmedabad a model heritage city that is both culturally rich and functionally vibrant.
With these objectives in mind, a two-part webinar series has been planned to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss actionable strategies. Given the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) critical role in this endeavor, their active participation is essential. The success of a heritage city requires active involvement from citizens, businesses, and institutions.
