Tourism infrastructure in urban areas are driven by the perceptions and expectations of the ‘outsider’ – to capture the attention of the visitor. Often, such perceptions are both dated and limited in their scope. Given the larger agenda of addressing conservation and development of heritage and heritage-related livelihoods, the project proposal extended the scope to conceive an integrated campus that addresses the need for heritage promotion, tourism development and recreational space at the regional level. 

The design begins with identifying all components that contribute to the concept of ‘heritage’; the definition has been extended to include all aspects of a living culture including settlement patterns, traditional building technology and agrarian practices. These include both tangible and intangible, physical and visual; such an approach effectively allows the visitor to experience the many facets of living heritage. 

Each craft or tradition is embedded in its natural environment including the built form, living and working spaces for the craftspeople; the centre for each craft is a microcosm of the craft’s original setting, including the supporting open spaces and agricultural system. 

The entire development is knitted together by a productive landscape reflecting the regions natural history. 



The Heritage Village is a collaborative project between the Municipality of Mysore and the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. It is located in Mysore, India, rightly famous as a heritage city.