Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal project wins UNESCO award for conservation

The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project has been given two awards for conservation by UNESCO in 2021 and the jury lauded its “outstanding achievement in placing heritage at the heart of the sustainable development agenda”. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) undertook the conservation effort of the Nizamuddin Basti in 2007 in partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Archaeological Survey of India.

One of the main approaches by AKTC which led the project to win UNESCO conservation awards are, to involve the community opinion and discussions in the development of environmental, social, economic, physical, and cultural aspects of the Basti area. This community dialogue involved the opinions of all stakeholders.

Nizamuddin is one of the historical and famous spots in Delhi known popularly for the world heritage site of Mughal king Humayun’s Tomb and the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, a revered Sufi saint. It attracts a great number of tourists and even greater numbers of pilgrims daily but it struggles with basic infrastructure, proper sanitation, etc.