|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While planning the infrastructure for modern cities or renewing older ones, it should be ensured that there is mixed land use. The streets should always be bustling, well-lit and animated with people
With the onslaught of
massive urbanisation taking place in the country, and the resultant
break down of the traditional, close-knit communities, the issue of
planning for safer cities becomes paramount. What can be done by
architects and planners — besides the agencies managing the towns
— to contribute towards creating safer cities? In the case of new
cities like Chandigarh or satellite towns like Panchkula, Mohali,
Gurgaon or Noida, and so many others all across the country, that are
new and essentially planned developments, architects/planners can
contribute more directly. And in the case of existing old, traditional
towns somewhat indirectly, by undertaking urban renewal projects or
retrofitting existing built-forms sensitively, along with inputs by
other experts. Primarily, urban spaces that are isolated, dark,
unkempt or derelict are the zones where criminals tend to strike the
lonely victim. Also, it has been noticed all across the world that
"ghettoisation" of the poor and underprivileged from the
mainstream city in isolated areas or on the outskirts, is also likely
to contribute to crime. An urban aspect of the economic upsurge of the
Indian middle/upper class or the super rich is the cheek-by-jowl,
adjacent co-existence of the opulent five-star luxury hotel, villa
along with the slum area. Such stark visible disparity is surely to
fuel angst, fury and frustration. But in a city some such spaces will
be there — what the architects/planners can do is to create less of
such isolated areas and to rejuvenate/enliven them wherever they
exist, through innovative urban renewal schemes. One of the key
things to ponder over by the urban planners is the ideal of creating
rigid land use zones in the city, such as segregation of the functions
of: living, working, recreation, shopping etc as sharply visible in
the case of Chandigarh and other new developments. This will
essentially lead to some areas like the shopping centres and office
areas "dead" after night. The traditional Indian town had
a mix of the mohalla and the bazaar along with the handicraft making,
small-scale, cottage industries -all coexisting together. But to
create neat, clean, quiet neighbourhoods, perhaps we are overdoing the
social stratification of the city fabric-this has to be meaningfully
reviewed. Take a place like Manhattan in New York-the street-level
liveliness and razzmatazz of the well-lit eateries, shopping areas,
theatres, cinemas all co-existing together with apartments, offices,
financial centres at the top - and really sky-touching top — is now
considered fairly crime free. This aspect is of course not the only
reason, and the contribution of the city mangers or policing has much
to be credited for. But the layout plan of the city is the generator
of its form and social cohesion. Another issue is that in our
obsession to pander to the automobile and ensure its ingress in all
the nooks and crannies of the city, we create over-scaled, lonely
corridors of space where the pedestrian is marginalised. These are
recipes for creating stalkers and criminals to lurk around after dark,
to look for the lonely innocent walker; attack and runaway swiftly in
the car or on the bike. It's about time to pedestrianise our cities
more and more, and narrow down the scale of movement spaces. Big grand
avenues with inward-looking neighbourhoods will always create
impersonal city spaces. Charles Correa, eminent architect and urban
planner had once called Chandigarh's inward opening Sectors with
fast-traffic V3 roads all around as a, "Zenana city"!
Though thanks to good policing, good lighting and other civic
amenities, the City is fairly safe, but highly accident prone.
Another aspect is of the Indian city increasingly going vertical. No
doubt the sky-rocketing land prices make this a necessity in the
metropolises, but to make an urban statement of
"show-and-tell" verticality or to be able to boast of
"signature top" skyscrapers-is a race we should avoid. And
wherever there are no choices, it should be ensured that there is
mixed land use and the street-level should be always well-lit and
animated with people. Let's make the lonely, office-goer trudging
back home after a gruelling day at work, return home safely and
comfortably. The city owes this to its people.
|
|||
|
|
|||
