The Case-study of the Pols of Ahmedabad

The city of Ahmedabad was founded in 1411, by Sultan Ahmed Shah. The walled city covers 5.4 sq. km. and emerged as a Central Business District (CBD). This evolution has put an enormous pressure on the traditional built fabric of the area. Ahmedabad has a strong tradition of neighbourhood grouping called pols in Gujarati. Currently, there are about 596 pols in the city. The word pol is derived from the Sanskrit word pratoli meaning entrance to an enclosed area. Pols are residential areas occupied by a set of people from the same religious background often involved in the same trade.

Architecturally they are a gated-community having a labyrinthine street system. The main street of the pol is divided into narrower streets and they go on further division to an extent that they are left only with a narrow passage to walk.