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Project

Revitalization of Urban Waterfronts through WaTOD

Water Transit-Oriented Development framework integrating land use and mobility along the Jhelum River in Srinagar.

Urban Planning Land Use Analysis Transport Planning GIS

Overview

Water transit is explored as a low-cost, flexible and environmentally friendly supplement to land-based transport.

Context

Inland waterways are widely used in many developed countries, but in India they account for only a very small share of overall transportation. Literature pointed to low CAPEX, route flexibility, reusable infrastructure, and the unique appeal of ferries through comfort, aesthetics, and reliability. In Srinagar, rapid urbanization, corridor-based growth, congestion, wetland fragmentation, and the underuse of the Jhelum River created the need for a water-centric planning approach.

Objective

To develop a water-centric model that integrates land use and water transit, and to formulate a WaTOD plan through density, diversity, design, and multimodal integration strategies.

Process

  • Mapped 16 terminals along the Jhelum River
  • Divided the study area into new city and old city sections
  • Conducted terminal-wise land-use evaluation
  • Compared terminal characteristics across plot size, road width, congestion, and land use
  • Selected Zero Bridge and Khanqah-e-Maula as representative terminals for detailed study

Analysis

  • Water transit between Terminal 1 and Terminal 11 was observed to take roughly 50% less time than road travel due to congestion points and bottlenecks
  • In Khanqah-e-Maula, 65% of buildings were either warehouses or abandoned
  • 74% of households reported low incentive to reinvest due to congestion, low connectivity, and poor quality of life
  • Land-use comparison showed growing residential demand at Zero Bridge and adaptive reuse for tourism at Khanqah-e-Maula

Results

  • Developed three density scenarios: Existing, Moderate, and Dynamic
  • Used TOD-based land-use mix to derive built-up distribution for both terminals
  • Proposed a better mixed-use structure for Zero Bridge to support increased residential demand
  • Proposed a river-sensitive zoning logic with low density near the water edge, followed by high and then moderate density
  • Prepared distinct WaTOD responses for the new city and old city conditions
Density, diversity, and design framework. Unlike conventional TOD, low density is placed immediately along the river edge, followed by high and then moderate density to respond to water sensitivity and existing built form.
Built-up distribution for Zero Bridge. The proposal introduces a stronger mix of uses to support increased residential demand and improve the balance between residential and commercial functions.
Built-up distribution for Khanqah-e-Maula. The proposal responds to the old city condition through a more regulated framework and adaptive reuse rather than major restructuring.

Discussion

  • Water transit can function as an efficient bypass to congestion in Srinagar
  • Multimodal integration is necessary, including pedestrian access, NMT, integrated ticketing, and wayfinding
  • The river edge should not be treated only as infrastructure, but as a sensitive public interface with recreation, cycling, and ferry access
  • A 15 m river buffer and supportive land uses help make the proposal both transit-oriented and river-sensitive