Ahmedabad Walls, A Circumambulation with Patrick Geddes

By Robert Stephens

In April 1915 the father of modern town-planning, Patrick Geddes, was invited to the north Indian city of Ahmedabad to advise on the burning question of the day, “Whether to demolish or retain the city’s 500 year old fortifications?” After a three-day circumambulation, the Scottish polymath penned a 7,000 words defense on the  medieval ramparts, a report controversial that it was suppressed by the government of Bombay until 1965.

Ahmedabad Walls is a contemporary circumambulation that follows the polymath’s footsteps and writings around the fortifications, unfolding his arguments and visualizing his incisive observations. Supplementing the literary exploration are 21^st century city wall photographs by Tina Nandi, and early 20th century black-and-white images by Pranlal Patel that present the fortifications as Geddes would have seen them more than a century ago.

AVAILABLE FROM FALL 2020