CONTENTS Abstract . i Acknowledgements . iii CONTENTS v List of tables . vii List of figures ix List of drawings . xi List of abbreviations xiii 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Background 1 1.2. Thesis Statement. 4 1.3. Aim and Objectives 4 1.4. Methodology 4 1.5. Significance 5 1.6. Scope and Limitations 5 2. Literature Review . 7 2.1. Agra and its History . 7 2.1.1. Mughal Agra . 8 2.1.2. Garden Types . 9 2.1.3. The Garden Owners 10 2.1.4. The Riverfront Garden City 11 2.1.5. Decline of the Mughal City 12 2.1.6. Gardens of the Left Bank . 13 2.1.7. Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Agra 18 2.2. The Designer’s Problem . 20 2.3. Lessons from Lahore 22 2.4. Agra and it Economy 23 2.4.1. Taj Trapezium Zone . 24 2.5. Agra, Population and Poverty. 25 2.6. Communities and World Heritage Conservation. 26 2.7. Agra and Tourism . 27 2.7.1. Agra Heritage Project . 27 2.7.2. Visitor Statistics . 27 2.7.3. Tourism Load at Taj Mahal . 29 2.8. Agra Master Plan 2021 29 3. Site Analysis 33 3.1. Inter-city and Intra-city Connections . 33 Golden Triangle and Proximity to New Delhi . 33 3.2. The city and its Evolution 35 3.3. Physical Features . 38 3.4. Mughal Agra 41 3.5. Landuse 42 3.6. Accessibility, Circulation and Traffic 44 3.7. Livelihood 46 4. Issues and Concerns . 49 4.1. Fragmented Riverside 49 4.2. Conflicting Land Uses . 49 4.3. Vertical Market of Manufacturing Industries 50 4.4. Abandoned Buildings and Warehouses . 50 4.5. Heavy Vehicle Traffic 52 4.6. Private use of Mughal Garden sites . 52 4.7. Unsafe streets and gardens . 53 4.8. Consequences of Inaction 53 4.9. Time spent by toursists in Agra . 54 5. Planning and Design Recommendations 55 5.1. Circulation, Access and Tourist Experience 55 5.2. Revitalization Strategy . 57 5.3. Vision . 58 5.4. Planning Tools . 60 5.5. Options for Foundry Industries 61 5.6. Urban Design Strategies and Concepts 62 References 65