India faced the bifurcation of a united Andhra Pradesh state into the state of Telangana and
state of Andhra Pradesh or Seemandhra, on 2nd June 2014. Since the year 1948, the city of
Hyderabad remained the capitol of united Andhra Pradesh. However, post the bifurcation, the two
states are required to share Hyderabad as their administrative capitol for ten years after which the city
of Hyderabad will be the centre for the state of Telangana. The state of Andhra Pradesh is thus
building a new capital Amaravathi, along the banks of Krishna River. The name of the capital is
borrowed from an existing neighbouring historic settlement with the hope to bring in a sense of pride
associated with the settlement. The site for the new capital city is central to the entire state and can
be easily connected to important cities within and outside Andhra Pradesh. However, the capital
location is known for its long agricultural industry sustained by the availability of fertile soil and the
presence of water from the river. The vision plan proposed by the government offers a bright future
thriving on the idea of a smart city. The plan is dotted with high rises along the river, and grey
infrastructure - a term used to describe man-made engineered systems - clearly defines the river flow
specifically at the centre of the newly planned city. The approved scheme by the government,
promotes elite activities like golf course and luxury resort on the island by embanking the river. The
government approved proposal ignores the agricultural past of the place; under plays the potential of
retaining natural systems and the need to work with nature; and partially addresses the social and
cultural aspect in the spatial description at the central water-front edge.
The thesis chooses a site in the submitted plan by the government, where there is an
indication of an engineered edge and a suggested public space. The proposed thesis project aims to
develop strategies which can transform the engineered riverfront, shown in the government approved
plan, into an ecologically resilient, social and cultural river bank. The scheme analysis the capital
site's existing condition and agricultural past and demonstrates the use of socio- cultural landscape
intervention to create a public landscape infrastructure which is in tune with the environment and
sensitive to the natural systems. By developing strategies that root from the socio - cultural
relationship with water, the proposed scheme tries to celebrate the cultural ties between humans and
landscape.