ix
attempted to discuss the spatio-temporal variations in the existence of dilapidated
houses, to provide an overview of the actual structural conditions through
Dilapidation Index, and to critically assess the perspectives of the residents of these
buildings through behavioural analysis. She also tried to identify some possible
reconstruction methods for developing a holistic inner city renewal and redevelopment plan.
The work of Rajat Kumar Paul and Pradip Patra (Kolkata), ‘Spatio-temporal
Transformations of Urban Built-up Areas in West Bengal’ (Chap. 8), addresses the
transformation of urban built-up area and used freely available satellite images from
the USGS and different types of remote sensing indices (RSI) for calculation of,
namely, Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Built-Up and Bareness Index (EBBI), and
Built-up Index (BUI). It continued by focusing on the unplanned growths of builtup area.
Chapter 9 is the study of ‘Population Pressure and Urban Sprawl in Kolkata
Metropolitan Area’ and was carried out by Rukhsana and Md Hasnine (Kolkata)
based on satellite data. This chapter provides an important method to evaluate the
pace and magnitude of urban sprawl. In this chapter the study had been carried out
in three time spans (1990–2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2017). They applied ‘weight
of evidence method’ to measure the transition probability of each zone. They also
used Shannon’s entropy and Pearson’s Chi-square methods to evaluate the degree of
sprawl and test of significance.
Somnath Mukherjee and Uma Sankar Malik (Bankura and Santiniketan, respectively) authored ‘Social Ecology and Models of Santals and Kheria Sabars’ (Chap.
10). They emphasized on social ecology to correlate between humans and their
environment and gave attention to social, institutional and cultural contexts of people–environment relations while drawing on a problem-based theoretical framework developed for the analysis of complex societal issues.
Moumita Ghosh and Lakshminarayan Satpati’s (Kolkata) study (Chap. 11) of the
cultural heritage of marginalized people attempted to highlight the very specific
subject matter of Gajan-gaan (Gajan songs), which originated in the heart of common people, and this had been expressing their social, religious and political status,
demonstrating the history of class struggle, social stratification and exploitation of
marginal class by the upper class under contemporary political economic hegemony. They established that rich people seldom participated in Gajan; it’s only the
backward sections of the society who participated in it.
Part III of the book comprises seven chapters and exhibits the underlying facts or
ideas relating to hazards and environmental management for sustainable
development.
The contribution of Anwesha Haldar, Samiparna Das, Riyanka Chatterjee and
Lakshminarayan Satpati (Kolkata) in their study on ‘Adaptation Strategies for
Erosion Induced Environmental Vulnerability and Displacement’ (Chap. 12) mainly
Preface
attempted to discuss the spatio-temporal variations in the existence of dilapidated
houses, to provide an overview of the actual structural conditions through
Dilapidation Index, and to critically assess the perspectives of the residents of these
buildings through behavioural analysis. She also tried to identify some possible
reconstruction methods for developing a holistic inner city renewal and redevelopment plan.
The work of Rajat Kumar Paul and Pradip Patra (Kolkata), ‘Spatio-temporal
Transformations of Urban Built-up Areas in West Bengal’ (Chap. 8), addresses the
transformation of urban built-up area and used freely available satellite images from
the USGS and different types of remote sensing indices (RSI) for calculation of,
namely, Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Built-Up and Bareness Index (EBBI), and
Built-up Index (BUI). It continued by focusing on the unplanned growths of builtup area.
Chapter 9 is the study of ‘Population Pressure and Urban Sprawl in Kolkata
Metropolitan Area’ and was carried out by Rukhsana and Md Hasnine (Kolkata)
based on satellite data. This chapter provides an important method to evaluate the
pace and magnitude of urban sprawl. In this chapter the study had been carried out
in three time spans (1990–2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2017). They applied ‘weight
of evidence method’ to measure the transition probability of each zone. They also
used Shannon’s entropy and Pearson’s Chi-square methods to evaluate the degree of
sprawl and test of significance.
Somnath Mukherjee and Uma Sankar Malik (Bankura and Santiniketan, respectively) authored ‘Social Ecology and Models of Santals and Kheria Sabars’ (Chap.
10). They emphasized on social ecology to correlate between humans and their
environment and gave attention to social, institutional and cultural contexts of people–environment relations while drawing on a problem-based theoretical framework developed for the analysis of complex societal issues.
Moumita Ghosh and Lakshminarayan Satpati’s (Kolkata) study (Chap. 11) of the
cultural heritage of marginalized people attempted to highlight the very specific
subject matter of Gajan-gaan (Gajan songs), which originated in the heart of common people, and this had been expressing their social, religious and political status,
demonstrating the history of class struggle, social stratification and exploitation of
marginal class by the upper class under contemporary political economic hegemony. They established that rich people seldom participated in Gajan; it’s only the
backward sections of the society who participated in it.
Part III of the book comprises seven chapters and exhibits the underlying facts or
ideas relating to hazards and environmental management for sustainable
development.
The contribution of Anwesha Haldar, Samiparna Das, Riyanka Chatterjee and
Lakshminarayan Satpati (Kolkata) in their study on ‘Adaptation Strategies for
Erosion Induced Environmental Vulnerability and Displacement’ (Chap. 12) mainly
Preface