Impact of City Development on Artisans in the Context of Indian Cities

The development of the city is a continuous process and affects the people living in the city. One such city is Varanasi, which is going through a huge city development drive under different schemes like the smart city. This study explores the effect of socio-cultural, technological, and economic factors on the development of the weavers’ community and people involved in allied activities in Varanasi. The city Varanasi is been selected for this study as the city has been well-known for its brocade sarees and silk for ages. The secondary data is been collected through research papers, policy guidelines, and maps. The factors affecting the development of these artisans are then taken through the analysis of this secondary data. To validate these factors in the case of artisans in Varanasi, the documentation of the settlements was done in the selected zone and the actual condition of the textile artisans is studied and represented through drawings. Further, data about socio-cultural, technical, and economic aspects is collected through a questionnaire and its effect on the community's development and sustenance is calculated through p-value. The analysis of this data is concluded that the socio-cultural aspect, technology, and economy affect the sustenance and development of the artisans' communities involved in textile making. Hence, specialized development regulations for these kinds of age-old settlements need to be considered and implemented by considering the specific needs of the textile artisans. This study would further guide the policymakers and planners to consider the social dependency and built requirements of handloom weavers for their community sustenance.