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The Need for Urban Planning in Indian Cities
The present often springs from the lessons of the past – a fact that forms the imagery around us as we live in the India of today. Our cities hold traces of our incredible history – a past that delved deep into several issues and brought out solutions relevant to this day. Right from the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro on the Indus valley, which were planned in a grid-like pattern with clearly thought out and demarcated roads, efficient sewage systems, and organized distribution of public and private spheres to the pink city of Jaipur, whose design was based on the Indian system of Vastu Purusha Mandala, with great importance given to the functional, aesthetic, and social patterns of the city – our tradition in urban planning has been noteworthy. However, in the increasingly globalized world of today and at this crucial point in the history of our country, our cities face tremendous pressure. Urbanization, as we know today, began under the British and continued with Independence – but gained momentum with the liberalization of our economy in 1990. With international attention on the huge potential of investment in various sectors within the country, the importance of cities grew. It is now estimated that Indian cities will provide shelter to 40 percent of our population and generate 70 percent of employment opportunities within the country by the year 2030. With the number of cities with a population of more than one million predicted to go up to 68 from the present 42, the pace and extent of urbanization in our country becomes evident. Our cities are now caught in an eternal dichotomy – catering to the increasing population of affluent while struggling to provide the bare minimum to the average Indian. The increasing number of slums in the country is a direct consequence of lack of planning, leading to ad-hoc distribution of land area, in turn causing a high-real estate value which makes housing a very costly affair. Similar is the case of basic services such as sewage treatment, storm water disposal, solid waste management and drinking water supply. The lack of vision in the transportation sector has created gross shortage in public transportation and lack of infrastructure facilities to accommodate the huge increase in the number of private vehicles. The abysmal social planning has led to congested cities with little or no open spaces, parks and green pockets which are necessary for the city to breathe. Planning is necessary to provide a clear link between the demographic pattern and the urban infrastructure to ensure that the city functions effectively for all its citizens. While the task of urban planning that faces us today is of gigantic proportions, there are examples of such feats in other parts of the world. The emergence of the city of Singapore from the ashes of a congested city or the growth of Shanghai are lessons to us and exhibits the need to consider urban planning as discipline that requires in-depth study and dedication. Urban planning is a task that requires vision coupled with research activities to effectively predict the socio-economic factors such as population and GDP. Land use planning – zoning and the laws that dictate the development of the city need to be revised to reflect the changing social and economic climate. The infrastructure and service development plans needs to be made with broad framework and achievable goals – all which require effective governance, both at the micro and macro level. However, one country is one of great diversity and our cities have developed in a fairly organic manner, as a living organism which embodies life. This sensitivity to our cultural heritage is of utmost importance while creating a vision of our cities. A sustainable development involving the preservation of our identity and the character of our cities should be of prime importance in today’s world of faceless globalization. Urban design is hence a collective activity – involving planners, architects, administrators, economists and most importantly – the community. A collective effort can turn around our cities and create safe havens for us, as our country begins to gain prominence in the flattening world of today.
Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com). Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in May, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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