DI_82_Karwar.pdf

2012

Master Plan is an important tool for urban development as such it guides, controls and manages urban growth in planned manner. Despite being outdated in developed countries, it is still used in developing countries like India. This paper explores master planning in Rajasthan, the largest state of India and critically analyses master plan for Alwar as a case in detail to find out different causes and factors hindering full implementation of master plans in Rajasthan. Lacunas in plan preparation reflect in nature and proposals of plan which affect implementation process immensely. Further, implementation process is also impeded by a host of factors. However, considerable progress of Master plan for Alwar shows that rather than questioning relevance of master planning approach in Rajasthan, positives steps to strengthen institutions, and greater involvement of public in planning processes is essential for preparation of a good master plan and its implementation on ground level.

● Introduction The debate between local and global is reflected in the approach to development of cities in India. The local is dissipated, accretive and progresses in a slow non-linear manner and the global tends to be single-minded, rational and project-oriented. One is inclusive with a focus on organic growth and the other is focused on development goals and may sacrifice the place and the people for these. The central and the state governments of our country have a wide range of development programs at the district level for rural areas. These programs are inclusive and sensitive to remote context and gradual pace of implementation. However, it is the semi-urban or urban areas which bear the brunt of masterplan led approach. These tend to be heavily top-down rather than balanced. This phenomenon is particularly highlighted in the city of Karwar which is located at the cusp of an ancient trading port crisscrossed by modern-day infrastructure networks. The global and the local are acting in contra-position here, transforming the area. The transformation and the changes in Karwar impact not only the city but the forest in the basin as well as the adjoining rural areas. This leads to wider disconnection of people from places of engagement, places of cultural association and the disruption of natural linkages. What kind of urbanization is relevant in a city such as Karwar which reflects a complex layering of nature, culture and people?

India has witnessed a significant increase of small towns in the last decades. The number of small towns has reached up to 3894 in the 2011 census, which is nearly 3 folds from 2001; while only 1363 towns where there previously within the club. These towns dominantly emerged in only 6 Indian states including Uttar Pradesh. Ideally small towns could be a decent case for sustainable urban planning because of their manageable size. Even though small towns in Uttar Pradesh are affronted with haphazard (though organic) rapid growth, financial deficit, accelerated uses of unclean energy sources and deficiencies of planning and management capacities. Consequently, these have resulted in scanty public services and insufficient infrastructure and putting the sustainability of towns at risk. A qualitative research exploration in sampled small towns divulges that while on one hand, these small towns are plagued with slipshod urban planning; on the other hand real-estate sector in these towns is thriving together with the expanding consumer markets and mushrooming of English medium schools. Meaningful research, participatory planning, accountable & transparent governance, captivating advantages of information technologies and establishing innovative financing mechanism at the local level might be a game changer for tapping the opulent promises of these towns aimed towards sustainability.

2017

Urban design elements are very important in defining a place, intended for people to easily understand what opportunities it offers. This paper presents a case study of the urban design elements in Precinct 9, Putrajaya which refers to physical form by defining and examining five urban design elements i.e. paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. This paper discusses the relationship and the quality of these variables to evaluate response towards urban context in connects between people and the places. This research is used qualitative analyses method by studying the urban elements through the inventory of the layout plan, observations and interview the residents to determine its characteristics and to evaluate on the response of the community. The main findings of this research showed that Precinct 9, Putrajaya has successfully applied these urban design elements in its planning and play a specific role in turning urban areas functional, vibrant and attractive. This study showed that urban development with quality urban design elements in Precinct 9, Putrajaya managed to connects between people and the places.

At the end of the 19 th century, the industrial revolution caused remarkable technological advancements. This resulted into large-scale migrations from rural areas to urban areas. Consequently, land became scarce in the resultant urban areas and this led to an unplanned development of the fringe areas in cities of the world. In India as well, such a haphazard development in cities has created a pressing need for the planned development of Periurban areas. To manage the growth of Indian cities, preparation of a 'Development Plan' at a Macro-level and its implementation through 'Town Planning Schemes' at a Micro level have emerged as efficient land planning techniques. In past few years, Gujarat has witnessed rapid urbanization due to upgradation of infrastructure facilities. Hence, appropriate planning approaches were needed to meet the requirements of peri-urban areas of different cities in Gujarat. In the process of preparing the Development Plan of Gandhinagar City, Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority (GUDA) had adopted two different approaches. The study begins with a brief history of the development of Gandhinagar City, its fringe areas and previous initiatives taken for preparation of Development Plan. Through the study of past development, the study emphasizes the development strategies adopted in the past. The study attempts to demonstrate different approaches adopted based on preliminary survey, to comply with the future demands of the GUDA Area. In the end, the study critically appraises the two approaches adopted by the regulatory authorities and the resultant impact on the peri-urban development of Gandhinagar city. This paper intends to critically appraise Urban Planning approaches adopted to manage the development trend of Peri-Urban areas based on various parameters such as Planning legislations, prevailing practices, mismanagement of land uses due to clashes of regulatory authorities, lack of environmental concerns under political inclinations, etc.

Cities, Sciencedirect, 2014

Cities in the global south are undergoing changes in the production structure brought about by globalization and liberalization. These cities also witness significant informalities in terms of shelter and livelihoods. These phenomena are reflected in the urban land use patterns. Planning in these cities is under pressure to adapt to the dynamic urban condition but is constrained by the technical and bureaucratic process of master/development plan making. Through an empirical study of an area in the suburbs of Mumbai (India), this paper shows the wedge between planned and actual land use and discusses the reasons for this dichotomy. The paper argues that master/development plans based on technical principles with micro-level detailing are unable to foresee and hence or otherwise adapt to the economic dynamics and spatial restructuring in Mumbai; they are partly undermined by “occupancy urbanism” (Benjamin, 2008). We discuss how these factors are accommodated within and outside the scope of the development plans. The paper calls for a re-thinking of urban planning in India so that plans are better able to reflect the requirements and needs of the citizens.

Cities are known to be engines of growth, promoters of economy and providers of infrastructure and services. Nations and communities depend upon cities to usher an era of quality living and prosperity. Despite advantages, cities are also centres of dualities and contradictions. Consumption of energy and resources, generation of waste and poor quality of life, have its genesis in the manner cities are planned and managed Majority of cities in India, are unable to meet the basic human requirements of shelter, water and sanitation. This calls for rationalising the manner in which cities are being planned, designed and managed. In search for appropriate solutions to make cities sustainable, paper suggests options of making cities compact; designing sustainable buildings; leveraging smart technologies and promoting good governance.

2012