PlanningUrbanORegional: February 2023

Feb 23, 2023

Possible pathway for resilient public transportation system:

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A resilient transportation system is one–

a) that is made of entire low capacity to high capacity public transportation system, and has such system under single apex governing entity, for better control, cross-subsidisation, and better access to fund due to critical mass (applicable in both mono and multi-stakeholder arrangement)

b) that includes even last mile connectivity in its project scope, offering matching service experience (often excluded and usually only limited to feasibility studies or sometime complemented with poor last mile fleet services)

c) which still plans for future growth and expansion even when battling with low ridership at any moment

d) mobilises sound instruments beyond transit infrastructure, rolling stock and fleet, like TOD, value capture, rail and metro station real estate lease, advertisement space lease, monetising experience etc.

e) which forms partnership with other forms of complimentary transportation service providers and competitions like app based cab service, rideshare, micromobility services, bicycle rental; especially for seamless connectivity, healthy mutually rewarding competition, and making use of anonymised data for passenger flow modelling, network analysis and empirical predictions

f) which has opted for digitalisation of governance and operations from customer centric services, to network management, to unified cashless ticketing system, to fleet management and tracking, to predictive maintenance, to fleet automation, to on-demand services

g) which focuses on customer service, customer acquisition and customer retention in all separate target age, gender and ability groups and creates channels to actively seek passenger and anonymous feedback

h) which has excellent online and offline information dissemination and audio-visual display system and hence can devise flexible network configuration and flexible coach configuration without disappointing customers, required to respond to fluctuating demand, many a times experienced due to seasonal and diurnal variation, route characteristics and force majeure event; required to stay financially afloat (system that not just focuses on expansion, but one that is able to sequester as well)

i) finally, public transportation system, which may consider to experiment with real time flexible ticket pricing based of fleet occupancy level using gamut of technological aids like sensors and analytical cameras.

Additional thoughts on real time pricing for public transport system can be found in my other Linkedin article here [https://lnkd.in/eaa28zat]

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#publictransport #metro #tram #bus #transitionpathways #transportplanning #automation #technology #micromobility #bicycle #rideshare #fleetmanagement #networkanalysis #ret #ns #urbanplanning #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Denbosch #Alkmaar #Tilburg #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

How to deal with possible confirmation bias and visual bias in professional, social and print media.

Confirmation bias is basically gathering selective evidence or interpreting facts in a manner to support ones idea/ ideology/ argument, in a sense that reinforces ones belief and sometimes propagate certain agenda. On the contrary, unbiased research primarily investigates both side of literary argument, before they continue to investigate/ build on one side of argument for specific disclosed reasons.

What about bias related to choice of visuals or selection of imagery specifically when linked with a piece or page of article/ text/ book/ news/ magazine/ post etc?

Visual that is doubtful or emotionally loaded or showing amplified version of apparent ideological affiliation, sometimes being used to support a text, may qualify for bias, but may not always be a case of deliberate manipulative attempt or confirmation bias. It may also be due to one of the following reasons or more, i.e., ignorance of writer, their misjudgment, hasty accidental choice of image, lack of access of good and wide choices of visual content due to reasons of copyrights or financial constraints etc.

Whether accidental or due to obvious limitations or by deliberate choice or conscious or unconscious confirmation bias, still we encounter obvious countless text and visual bias everyday in the sensory overdose of profession, social, and print media.

Challenge is multifaceted. There are also many urgent issues in life and world which require attention of as many as possible to solve it, which somehow also influences accentuated and loaded visual media choices made by many individuals and agencies, on a day to day basis, specifically choosing the image that has potential to garner urgent or due attention. Such cases are obvious especially in area of popular media and some grey literature. Though most manipulations are obvious to even most casual readers, still fact remains that the flow of information is rapid hence the impact of selected image may also be huge in many senses.

While it may be difficult to come to immediate conclusion, one can only remain conscious of the fact of possible bias in collective impact of text/ post/ article/ print media and supporting images; hence picking up the information which may be relevant, contextual and possibly legit, while discarding rest and even better to cross verify if time and motivation permits. One may also apply a certain level of intelligence to decipher if meaning of text is skewed, information presented is asymmetric, whether the image seems representative and factual, or if there is another side of story not represented in the given image, or consciously hidden, or image deliberately distorted/ cropped. There may be merit in taking the digitally morphed, or having unearthly attributes or psychologically intense, or agenda driven text and images of different kinds, with a dash of caution.

Author: Anoop Jha

Feb 21, 2023

All businesses and services need to support causes equal or more noble than it's own for a better world.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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An exemplary case proposal for transportation sector.

Imagine an airline company which offers free public transport day pass in origin and destination city along with it's every flight ticket to encourage use of public transport for last mile connectivity, a car company which gives free bicycle with every car purchase to promote use of bicycle for short distance travel, a motorcycle brand that gives free periodic bike servicing to it's customers on showing particular bicycle-mile earned to enhance use of bicycle as complementary travel mode, a bicycle manufacturing company that offers free outdoor activity accessories and protective gears to senior citizens who regularly walk and pay frequent visits to park.

Above proposal and logic is true and need of time for all sectors and chain of businesses. For example a petrochemical company which meets all it's non-production energy requirement through renewable sources to set example and to contribute for a better world.

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#business #businessinnovation #bicycle #airline #car #manufacturing #industry #futureofbusiness #forabetterworld #businesssynergy #sharedprosperity

Live anywhere work anywhere city!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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(Old post 2019)

Proposed model for a pilot city, a district of experimentation, a living laboratory or a city retrofit suitable for a particular demography.

Majority of people leave ancestral home, hometown, current house or current city as higher education, work or financial situation demands, and they don't mind doing so. Also given an option majority of people wouldn't mind migrating from current home to an all equipped star category accommodation managed by hospitality brand as a practical decision. Above is evidence that people can live anywhere, they don't have to return from work to the same home or house number every evening, home can technically be omnipresent.

Now, especially after covid19 mass WFH and long range remote working phenomenon it's also indisputable that work place can be omnipresent as well. They don't have to go to same workplace every morning, they don't have to go to same office or same coworking space rather they can work from any coworking facility. This city will require a central warehousing of personal belongings from where required personal items can be delivered on demand and you will require an app to locate the nearest vacant workstation for the day and nearest available home to spend rest of the evening and night!

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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Running out of urban value capture ideas? A little tweak will help!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Urban Planning and design can create some serious financial opportunities previously missed by urban local bodies and developers.

At planning and design stage itself decide a threshold unit real estate price for any given commercial (landuse) street; price which is applicable equally for properties on both sides of street. Now shift entire carriageway to some extent towards one side to make typical cross section of Road ROW asymmetrical, hence making more room for pedestrians, users and recreational space on one side of street compared to other. Effectively not only improvising overall public realm, streetscape and (hence footfall) of given street but also adding more footfall on one side of road which is having wider pedestrian realm. Now you should easily be able to charge substantially more per unit commercial real estate cost for that side of road having wider frontage and expecting higher footfall. Price of properties on other side of road remains same as original threshold as still reaping locational advantage.

Theoretically idea can expand to any landuse and to any part of city!

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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Cross-synergy for innovation

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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What we hear from subject experts on matters of specific subject is important, what is most important is what we hear or yet to hear on any given subject from experts who are outside domain or belonging to a different field, sometimes not even an expert. Cross-synergy is the key element of any subject area to grow holistically, promote innovation and bring inclusion. While we require to get increasingly specialised in sub-verticals of various subject domains, at the same time we also need to make sure to break the stubborn compartments of each domain, built sometimes by very expert guardians of subject. Cross-synergy example can be for instance a #Chef may have an interesting take on #UrbanFarming and #EdibleLandscape as part of #UrbanPlanning subject, a #Mathematician having a sound perspective on traffic congestion resolution as part of #TansportPlanning subject and so on.

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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How expensive it could be to impart or distribute knowledge for free!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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How expensive it could be to impart or distribute knowledge for free! A commercial arrangement can always be worked out for same.

Education could be paid or subsidised or free, but basic and fundamental educational resources can always be made universally accessible, open source and available for free.

Further basic and advanced education and educational resources can also be made free with commercial mechanisms like advertisement or other in both digital and print form.

There may be arguments of commerce shaping vulnerable minds, imposing brand loyalty at early age and shaping collective consciousness, but that is only secondary issue (and can be dealt with); secondary for the reason when millions in world are not having access to basic and timely education, higher education, tailored vocational education, access to uninterrupted communication channels and right tools and gadgets to keep them motivated to learn whatever, whenever, wherever. Commerce can easily fill the last mile gap.

It should also be alright to insert few commercials, advertisements in presentation slides, educational podcast and textbook pages in university, college and high school, if it is for a noble cause or if it is funding that very education itself for those in need!

Author: Anoop Jha

Feb 20, 2023

Smallest base unit of urban planning!

What has to be the smallest base unit of urban planning? Sector, cluster, zone, block, plot, dwelling unit or a hypothetical grid. Above are convenient measurement units but fundamental "human" element is missing there. Add "people" into the equation and each of these unit becomes dynamic pulsating living being having spillover effect, missed in current brownfield planning and development approach.

"People" for whom & from where urban planning should start and where all the benefits of planning should culminate.

Community, being a considerably large, heterogeneous and multicultural entity

is too big to be considered the smallest unit of urban planning; while Individual, having a limited set of attributes and prolific in numbers is rather too small & cumbersome an entity for base unit.

"Household" with its autonomous demographic, cultural & socioeconomic quality, gender mix, age range, embodiment of community ethos & manageable scale should be the most logical & obvious choice of smallest unit & assessment tool of urban planning. Household's data attributes should go beyond economic, demographic & census checklist & must factor in parameters of it's social and ecological footprint, commute profile, debt & liabilities, pursuits and aspirations etc.

Author: Anoop Jha

Incremental fee mechanism for solid waste management.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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As a pilot rule on limited scale, actually measure and apply incremental fee on quantum and type of waste generated by each household. Waste to be quantified each month and fee to be applied every alternate month. People will automatically be mindful of what they are throwing out, will start recycling and upcycling items, will start composting organic waste, will become less profligate in behavior, frugal in consumption pattern and may soon stop accumulating things they don't require. Observe, measure and document fluctuating waste generation pattern every alternate month and definitely witness effective reduction in waste generation per household over just a period of say a quarter or six months.

Idea is not to inflate revenue stream for municipality but to solve and minimize waste generation at household level itself. Idea is behavioral reinforcement and acting responsibly.

Question is not how to segregate and recycle waste, question is why to waste unnecessarily.

See for example it's false notion that packaged food abruptly expires on a particular date adding to waste burden; so when will food industry start labeling food stating a period where only food consistency gets affected but still safe for consumption, instead of just declaring an expiry date.

Author: Anoop Jha

City’s problem isn't congestion; problem is the way we approach to solve the congestion!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Majority of city's problems can be solved by simply restructuring policies, but physical infrastructure is more lucrative an option for many.

You can pump millions of dollars in augmenting and upgrading city infrastructure, of course you should, but city in its functionality will still remain a mess and increasingly convoluted unless you pause and think that what has been wrong with our planning approach, why it is that our planning solutions always seem to lag far behind the pace of growth, is it revenue constraints? No! Is it land constraint? No! It is nothing but common-sense deficit. It’s simple, if it doesn’t work go back to the drawing board, put you approach up-side-down or whatever, something different need to be introduced; at least as an experiment.

Our conventional planning approach borrowed from industrial age has remained more or less the same since decades, that is to put it crudely "Planning means addition", more people - let’s make more housing, more congestion - let’s make more flyovers, more heat let’s put more air conditioners and so on.

Building another affordable housing is not a problem but it’s also not the solution. Building another flyover will of course ease the traffic for sometime but it is also not the solution which cities are looking for. The single largest criteria of a livable city can be effortlessness of any city, but effort seems to be the mandate of our city life.

Have we ever considered why such sheer number of people are heading to metropolis in the first place apart from recreational purposes, it’s not because metropolis provide better employment opportunities, it’s because we simply fail to provide livelihood opportunity in small towns and villages. Can we suggest something to calm down this vary pace of regional population flux, instead of simply focusing on making another housing colony here in every metropolis, can we propose something which will help people earn their livelihood in the place of their choice not only in the place where they often come to struggle and survive.

Have we ever considered before making another flyover that why so many people and car out there on the roads in the first place, is it really necessary in this so called wired era for every single individual to commute to work to accomplish a job, is it that being physically present at a specified location every work weekday is of such monumental importance in a time of century were everyone claim to be virtually connected to everyone and having access to the resources of whole world on their finger tip. Considering this can we suggest something to reduce the very need or frequency of people to come to streets, people who commute to work 5-6 days a week or 24 to 40 hour a week.

Why people have to waste a substantial portion of their productive lifetime commuting on city roads or tracks, commuting long hours to work mostly doing nothing, may be listening to music or playing video game on their tab, why to commute to work unless they work in a factory like production environment.

You see we are so caught up in the debate of public transport vs. private transit vs. walkability that no one is willing to ask this fundamental question why does every one of you have to commute almost every day for the purpose of work choking almost every street of city, why have we created such system or business environment or society in general. We simply can’t seem to think of any other possibility than expanding infrastructure trying to meet the pressure of self imposed need of commuting for work.

Whether travelling through private or public transport or walking to work, it’s still a waste of precious time, energy and resources. Can you even imaging the lost opportunity cost of millions of people spending several hours commuting to work-home-work almost every day of their productive life. After decades of industrialization is it still so important even today for 200 employees of a random organization to agglomerate everyday at a specific place called office at a specific time to accomplish some work, majority of which can be done from anywhere in the world, majority of which on majority of days does not fundamentally demand physical presence of worker or employee in office. Can’t we instead of simply expanding the city and transport network think of reducing the number and frequency of trip to work? Can’t we think of increasing the share of recreational trip and reducing the work trip instead of aggressively focusing on increasing the share of public transport?

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This conventional additive approach of planning is a vicious cycle of inefficiency perceived as virtuous cycle and promoted relentlessly without delving deep into the roots of problem and without pausing and questioning the inertia of planning process. Instead of this additive approach, a supplementary approach of planning is needed for fostering and supporting equitable growth across the region, and at the same time conventional planning wisdom which is dear to many, need to be questioned!

Author: Anoop Jha

Need of reinventing planning and analysis processes in view of colossal data and novel technology.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Projections, theories, conclusions and research methodologies being put together, shaped over years, formulated over months, are susceptible of getting outdated even before getting published and usually starts losing significance by the time actually put into practice. Even moment after arriving at a conclusion, outcomes are getting overshadowed and gets diluted considering unavoidable quantum of intellectual insights, discussions, counterarguments and constructive criticism on subject which follows on multiple public forums, not to speak of colossal new raw data surfaced post publication which was never part of base data and assumptions in the first place and poised to lead outcome to a different conclusion. Even scientific theories, concepts and methods change over time or sometimes radically on a new discovery.

We need to acknowledge that data being an amorphous, colossal and dynamic entity and a foundational attribute as a common denominator across knowledge streams has unprecedented and overwhelming potential to disrupt edifice of accumulated knowledge. To give a perspective and to substantiate thoughts its noteworthy that as per Forbes 2018 report there are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day and 90 percent of data was generated over just two years. Its nearly impossible for any individual or expert to process such flux of data in a limited time with exiting widespread tech-tools, where any random piece of newly generated data may be vital and not to be overlooked. We also need to acknowledge that most of existing workforce around the world is neither equipped to handle such amount of data nor skilled enough today to use exascale computing system which may arrive anytime soon. It’s difficult to come to terms to the fact that a substantial quantum of unfiltered near real-time data can supersede a legitimate factual outdated piece of information. There is also an urgent need to recognise the upcoming role of machine in data processing and experts should increasingly focus more on human aspects of planning and policy.

Learning, for individuals as well as community, is an enlightening journey from one conclusion followed by disruption leading to another conclusion and so on, that’s how we evolve, hence policies, governance and planning processes have to take cognizance of the ever emerging information and data set, quickly and constantly adapting to the new data inferences and insights and should mimic the dynamic attributes based on which they are drafted and implemented.

It also leads to the realisation that traditional predefined data sets and tools to analyse and interpret data, including popular methodology of research and planning are somewhat overrated and calls for a new renaissance.

Author- Anoop Jha

Essence of a true egalitarian city in actual and figurative sense.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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City is an embodiment of heterogeneity, a scintillation of aspirations and a crucible of democracy.

Metaphorically, a true egalitarian and utopian city will treat all it's inhabitants equitably, will provide abundant opportunity to everyone and will cherish indiscriminating spatial and build forms.

It's important question to ask here whether our current spatial and metaphorical dimension of city is egalitarian, unbiased, and equitable in true sense and built on values of democracy or it is still being built on edifice of aristocratic values as reflected in its built form, hierarchy and distribution of spaces in its struggle of power play. Is it that hierarchy and articulation of spaces as well as gradation, grandeur and power of built forms which help build image of city and which claims to celebrate the democracy are crushing the very egalitarian values itself.

From barbarian to kingdom to democratic set up, while social, political and economic structures have considerably changed over centuries and increasingly moving towards a flatter equitable world; structure and morphology of cities on the other hand unfortunately remained more or less unchanged; like capital complex replacing the castle, commercial and business district still occupying most prime zone and so on. Meanwhile lesser privileged and marginalized segment continued to made feel as dwarf in todays city as they used to feel in kingdom.

It is understood that all cities cannot follow a single template, but we must urgently think what could be model of a true egalitarian and utopian city where every citizen feels equally empowered.

To get a sense of what true egalitarian city may look like, government, planners and architects may try pushing capital complex to the fringe of city or making public buildings less imposing and less authoritative in its appeal or making low cost housing as a skyline and image of a city or making transit nodes at the core of high density lesser privileged neighborhoods where marginalised people walk to station and rich strata arrive using last mile transport mode or reserving most scenic and prime location of city for least privileged segment and public parks for example.

Traditions and philosophy of city planning, urban design and architectural built form needs to be revisited and some bold steps to be taken as a statement to make cities increasingly egalitarian in its reflection, functionality as well as in its spatial and built form.

Author: Anoop Jha

#urbanplanning #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Denbosch #Alkmaar #Tilburg #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

Possible pathway for resilient public transportation system:

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A resilient transportation system is one–

c) which still plans for future growth and expansion even when battling with low ridership at any moment

f) which has opted for digitalisation of governance and operations from customer centric services, network management to, unified cashless ticketing system, to fleet management and tracking, to predictive maintenance, to fleet automation, to on-demand services

Additional thoughts on real time pricing for public transport system can be found in my other Linkedin article here [https://lnkd.in/eaa28zat]

Author: Anoop Jha

Feb 19, 2023

An organism called City!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A narrative.

While cities can easily be misunderstood as an efficient functional object or synchronised complex machinery, they are certainly worth more than there physical dimensions and material attributes. Cities born out of necessity, forged by time and sustained by human endeavor yet intricate and unfathomable enough to be comprehended in totality and measured by mind. With time cities assume a personified, organic and withering quality. Ever growing, pulsating and engulfed in its own nostalgic scent, familiar white noise and mirage of visuals; qualities which make image of a city. True cities are made of metaphysical qualities rather than just physical attributes. One has to have a right vision not just right tools to make a city of essence!

Projection for long range development vision- What are the limitations?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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One of the inherent limiting factor of long range development vision, especially City or Metropolitan Development plan is "Projection". While multiple alternate growth scenarios - like in case of population projections- are assesses including business as usual, exponential case scenario etc. through a scientific, statistical and pragmatic approach, but soon afterwards while selecting the optimal case scenario out of handful of alternatives, science tends to get replaced by somewhat abstract sweeping logic and individual or herd preferences and usually a "bullish scenario" is selected unanimously, because "vision" is perceived to be bright and luminescent, and rest other scenarios are sidelined.

Now very much convinced with the assumptions and choice of decision, projected numbers (say derived future population) assume concrete significance and starts dictating physical planning and form of city (like BUA, FAR, PCU), but in actuality such numbers (say projected population) may or may not be achieved or may exceed projected numbers, only to be evident half a decade later or so. Over stressed city infrastructure and ghost cities both are results of over reliance on single final future scenario and discarding equally valid other possible scenarios.

It's worth acknowledging that a single market ready technological advancement in span of 3 to 5 years, has potential to disrupt 30 odd year vision plan just like that.

Vision and long range planning should be as agile, accomodative and resilient as possible; to be revisited, reinvented and reconfigured in short intermediate spans and it should also have a monitoring dashboard mechanism with a continuous feedback loop. Additionally, vision document must elaborate and articulate multiple scenarios, their impacts and concrete response measures, plan-B, Plan-C and so on.

Author: Anoop Jha

Need of quantifying and grading environmental footprint and impact of printing colors and paper type!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A widely proliferated but much ignored area of environmental concern i.e. "printing and paperworks" require research and attention as deep and wide as ban on single use plastic.

From toxicity of chemicals (e.g. inorganic pigments, VOC etc. ) used in ink and printing colors, to heavy metal content of ink (e.g. Barium etc) ending up in Landfill, water and food stream, to intensity of resource and energy usages in production of range and grade of ink and paper are some of the key areas of concern.

Scientific research and modeling for panoply of color and grading them in order of environmental production footprint and environmental externalities is required to be done and to be widely publicized. For instance environmental footprint and impact of production and life cycle of white, yellow, red and black color cannot be same, likewise for pale white, true white and color paper, hence it should be established and much publicised that which color, shade, hue is most and least damaging to environment so that end user can make their choices responsibly. Brand is not compared here but the product in raw form itself is being diagnosed.

Incremental pricing based on type and quantum of color or dominant color in print and composition used per square unit and Incremental pricing of ink cartridge color based on environmental load.

What may also help is the incremental pricing on shades of white, assuming true white is most environmentally intensive and that A4 true white is most used printing paper type in day to day and official setting.

Legislation to minimise print copy version of documents in corporate, legal and government setting is also a much needed step.

Why this strange fascination with true white, why this affinity with printing itself unless it's genuinely unavoidable. Just because market is flushed with printers and ink cartridges that doesn't mean you must print. Ctrl+P can be more damaging than you think.

Author: Anoop Jha

#printing #paper #environment #footprint #color #red #yellow #blue #white #black #green #recycle #A4 #chemical #production

Statistical bias and insufficiency!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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The problem with statistics other than it's 1) susceptibility to misinterpretation and 2) confirmation bias is that 3) the moment you try to universalise statistical outcome, it gets diluted and loses its granularity and significance and 4) if you hardly get any robust and substantiated temporal data of a specific region or set of subjects (with its innate challenges, strengths, context and conditions) to support your argument it anyway still remains too remote, meagre or ephemeral to be of any material significance to the other three fourth part of world.

e.g., wrt above numbers

1) #Commercial / #political interest statistics

2) #Agenda / #ideological driven statistics

3) encompassing subjects like #poverty #urbanisation

4) statistics wrt #ecology, #heritage, #bicycleusage

If not true for all sectors, segments or subjects; same has been recurring theme and daunting issue with majority instances of statistical interpretation/ outcome

Statistics to be presented with a note of caution and to be received with a dash of scepticism.

Author: Anoop Jha

#Statistics #modeling #projection #urbanplanning #governance #commerce

An inclusive city needs more than smart interventions!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Inclusiveness is not a function of smartness of the city. A city that is labelled intelligent still can't guarantee inclusion across spectrum of inhabitants or equity of service level across range of end users with varying needs.

Talking of smart citizen app for instance, we must deliberate who are the end users and whether digital benefits get distributed across citizens equitably or is it even accessible to all. Thinking of those homeless, those who can't read, those who don't own phone not to speak of smart phone, those who speak a different language, those whose needs are not listed in app, those who are too young or too old to use it, those who cannot access app due to health conditions, those who are not aware that such app exist, those who are running outdated app, those who do not have best data speed plan or access to internet itself and many others - a citizen app may mean different things to different inhabitants of city and meaningless to some.

Likewise in case of smart public infrastructure, how many actually access and uses public wifi other than tourists and few motivated others; who all actually have time and mindspace to switch to public wifi to save a miniscule amount of money and why will they risk malware attack and phishing if they have to use it only once in a while and when their personal telecom provider already gives them enough data and bandwidth. Again benefits reaches to only limited segment, actually those who are already empowered.

Like health equipment market which is skewed in a sense that those who are already fit tends to buy or use it more to be more fit, similarly E-governance for instance is more empowering to those who are already privileged in some sense or other, while the life of most of marginalized or at fringe or having specific or special needs may still remain unchanged by the noble initiatives like E-governance and public wifi network.

A sense of inclusion, belongingness and well being in a city has a different meaning altogether than solving city functionality through digital intervention or otherwise.

So how do we make a city which accommodates everyone's need - digital way or old analog way or with a parallel system of high tech and low tech intervention or on demand digital services or near-omnipresent services delivery or tailored door step governance and service delivery especially for those forgotten, those having limited means, those in dier needs, those marginalized and those at the fringe to make an equitable society.

Author: Anoop Jha

#smartinfrastructure #municipality #digital #future #policy #governance #cityplanning #urbanplanning #townplanning #inclusion #socialscience

Human limitation of multi criteria assessment!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Computers seem to be more reliable and accurate in running algorithm and doing assessment compared to human for the reason that computers are programmed to process numerous "if this"-"then that" scenarios, while human being have this innate limitation in processing multiple criteria and "what if" Scenarios; a dozen criteria and handful of scenarios and most feel this is all that is there which was needed. Until computers completely master the art of attribute selection and scenario building themselves and learn to take judgmental decision on their own, their assessment and outcome shall also be limited as they are still being programmed by very human being having prejudice and limitations of many kinds.

To illustrate, while deliberating with individual client or a family to design their dream home, how many architects for instance consider the sun sign traits of client, inquire about their past, their medical history, their travel history, their bucket list, their life philosophy, their spiritual inclination, musical preferences, cultural orientation, their sensitivity towards light, their daily routine, sleeping pattern, their food habit, their environmental commitments and children's future aspirations, child's favorite game and comic character, their idea of space and scale etc. Unfortunately most of these variables are purposefully or by conditioning or out of hesitation being missed out during client's need assessment, but all or any of these can add immense value to architectural design process and outcome. If architects won't ask, client won't tell, then without considering such variables which are integral to one's life and true personality, how will architects produce truly personalised, holistic and humane design for example.

Likewise, when government is collecting census data or demographic profile about individuals or households, they really don't find it worthwhile to ask about individual's hobbies, their skill sets, their unsettled and future liabilities of various kinds, health issues they are struggling with, their affiliations, what they are engaged in post retirement, areas in which they would like to volunteer given a chance, etc. which are equally tangible and crucial pieces of information and valid criteria of assessment, having potential to create a better society and conditions.

Capability to acknowledge, consider and process multitude of criteria and endless possible scenarios is what differentiates one individual from another, one organization from other, one city administration from other, one governance scheme from other and sometimes may even one nation from another.

Author: Anoop Jha

#Modeling #financialmodeling #data #assessment #analysis #algorithm #architecture #architect #governance #administration #nationbuilding #census #demography #survey #urbanplanning

Feb 18, 2023

Why it's high time to revisit architectural tradition, architectural wisdom and architecture education?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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When kitchen's purpose, ideal design and it's appropriate space in a house was being concluded century ago or so, then architects actually had no vision of app based food delivery, home based chef, role of kitchen/kitchen products in remote elementary education, working women, gender equality in kitchen, work from home concept, how important kitchen waste reduction and management is and so on; when this matter is being discussed today, we hardly have any realistic idea how robots are going to take over kitchen in near-distant future, how 3D printed food may altar food production/ preferences, how IIOT/ IOT may impact farm-to-plate food supply chain, whether community/ township level bespoke food/ pizza vending machine may even render private kitchen obsolete.

When architects were convinced that there is basic necessity of having lobby, lounge, drawing room and dining room/area as essential elements of a reasonable house, they had no vision that majority of family individuals in future will spend most of their non-working hours/ personal work hours/ recreation hours/ study hours within two to ten feet range from their TV set and/or desktop/ study table/ gaming console; they didn't envisage that "Activity" and "lifestyle" (scrolling phone, tab, working/ entertaining on laptop, yoga mat time - all virtually devoid of space anchorage) will be paramount compared to need of "Formal Space" (drawing room etc.); they had no idea that family members will be doing part of talking/ communication / information exchange virtually (as a routine) even when present under one roof, getting rid of dining table discussion; they missed visualising that in future due to almost autonomous lifestyle of individual family members of a household it will be almost impossible to bring every family member to dining table, that too at same time and also not realising that with plethora of audio-visual choices and modes available, the empowered individuals in a family will lack the time, motivation and patience to gather in front of TV to watch a common channel, defying purpose of drawing room.

And likewise.

Come today- dining room mutating into study room, drawing room reinvented as gym and so on, calls for urgent need of revisiting the inherited architectural values and reinventing ideology of functional space.

Author: Anoop Jha

#architecture #architect #urbanplanning #townplanning #space #interiordesign #decor #studio #design #art #habitat #housing #hfa #housingforall #smartcity #city #bhk #realestate #township #data #future #futurearchitecture #history #lounge #home

Some embedded economic bias in road and transportation planning and policy to ponder.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Speed Breaker experienced differently by different price range cars; flat monetary penalty imposed on breaking any particular traffic rule experienced differently by different income group, one segment better protected while on road due to advanced safety feature of their car compared to not so privileged vehicle owner, VIP and reserved parking spaces in public domain and within public institutions, those opting public transport not out of choice or sense of responsibility but out of economic constraints, those opting private transport not out of ignorance but by choice since they can afford, similar workplace cutoff arrival time or same flexi-hour for those who are insulated from weather while on road (car) and those whose journey is tough and gets Interrupted due to changing weather conditions (bike/ bicycle), those who can afford to take shortcut toll route vs those who cannot, road tax which is not linked to intensity of vehicle usage but type and number of vehicle ownership and some more.

One or many or all may be applicable to any given city and needs a serious thought and deliberation on subject by planners and policy makers.

#transportplanning #urbanplanning #publictransport #tranport #road #design #architecture #economics #carbonfootprint #publicpolicy

Ever-changing Technology Landscape that is making planning, design and life decisions increasingly tough!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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While you are thinking of purchasing an advanced EV that goes 396 miles per charge, another startup (Michigan) promises to launch an EV battery With a range of 750miles.

The moment you install a city wide Fast charging infrastructure that charges EV in 30 minutes, the new ultra-fast charging technology or startup (Israel) surfaces that promises to full charge EV in just 5 minutes.

The moment city municipality in one corner of world purchases a fleet of 200 modern buses an autonomous Driving Bus Line Officially Commences Operations in another part of world (Guangzhou).

By the time you sanction a mega hydrogen generation plant that uses fossil fuel based electricity, a new technology or company (California) emerges that uses sunlight to generate green hydrogen using "Sunlight Refinery" that stores solar heat to be used even in night making technology commercially viable.

As soon you clad building glass façade with very distinct conventional checkered blue Building Integrated PV glass, a new higher efficiency transparent PV Glass (California) makes way to renewable market.

By the time you inaugurate new building facility equipped with state of art fixed fire sprinkler system at the same time an auto-targeting fire sprinkler system emerges and provides a better alternative.

Unfortunately you can't change expensive city infrastructure at the pace and frequency that you change mobile devices!

Author: Anoop Jha

#technology #EV #VR #IOT #AR #IIOT #Autonomousvehicle #Urbanplanning #PV #Energy #ClimateChange #SmartCity #smartinfrastructure #BIPV #power #IBMS #Startup #Future #tech

Life-cycle gap in architectural services being offered!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A typical house requires to go through not just periodic renovation but also series of remodeling across it's life cycle as a function of household's life events, lifestyle changes and life adjustment requirements. Home remodeling prompted by changes including but not limited to arrival of kids in life, children going to school, children getting married, parents getting old, realisation of yourself getting old and so on. These changes though obvious and imperative but neither being acknowledged nor getting addressed by architects and one time architectural services being offered, while home owners are left on their own to do the required readjustments to house, think of space planning and redefining space usage.

It's worthwhile that architecture fraternity give a serious thought to this challenge and gap that exists in rendering architectural services. Whether one time architectural service being offered can factor in all above requirements or whether architects can handhold their clients for lifetime or something else.

Author: Anoop Jha

#Architect #architecture #design #building #realestate #urbandesign #urbanplanning #townplanning #city #smartcity #future #profession #corporate #business

Skewed and limited perception of project essentials, budget, timeline and professional fees in developing countries!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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The notion of urban development and architecture in a developing country is more or less, civic amenities, public facilities, parks, road, paving, brick and mortar etc and 3D simulation to either publicise welfare achievements or to lure investors. We see in both public and private domain one such project after another lined up, debated, recognised, argued, praised, awarded or dropped and trashed.

While most of such projects get executed anyways even in developing countries and cities, but most of these projects certainly, sometimes purposefully miss one or several or most of following fundamental elements of urban planning and architectural practice which are part and parcel to developed country's usual planning and design practice, including Heat island effect analysis, Shadow analysis, Wind tunnel test, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation, shading analysis, traffic noise simulation, sustainable city/ neighborhood development practice, Low Impact Development (LID) planning, waste heat recovery, building heat load simulation, green building design, solar passive design, and many more.

It's difficult to understand the root cause of same, whether it is lack of knowledge and awareness at city administration and client level or lack of capital or unavailability of technology or lack of technology know how or inertia of decades of mediocre planning or simply ignorance or reluctance to growth. Whatever be the reason it's high time that city administrations, planning professionals and architects increasingly adopt to good essential planning and design practices, advise clients to consider these and projects must allocate additional budget to integrate these while consultants, consulting firms and advisory firms must be paid judiciously to integrate and adopt to above mentioned necessary measures. Accordingly project timelines should also be increased to make room for adopting such good practices.

Author: Anoop Jha

#urbanplanning #architecture #sustainability #simulation #smartcity #design #townplanning #development #projects #technology #consulting #municipal

Historic shift in city planning approach!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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When cities first started getting planned, it was more of a mechanical, analog and hardware approach, i.e. provision of basic minimum urban palpable elements driven by understanding of functional, social and cultural requirements of specific time period in history, configured in either abstract to subtle to articulate manner. City planning outward appeal, urban fabric and urban growth pattern kept getting readjusted as per need of changing time including industrialization, high speed mobility, migration, environmental awareness etc. but the approach of urban planning more or less remained same as always in spite of all the buzz, talk and interpretation by intelligentsia labeling same as new age of urban planning.

Historically only two major, distinct and realistic but mostly invisible shift in planning approach were felt in true sense; one when country administration changed from monarchy to democracy in multiple parts of world and the other when city planning approach shifted from analog to digital - where former shift in approach prompted a whole new set of governance redefining context, perception and necessity of urban planning while impact of later approach is yet to realise it's full potential.

#urbanplanning #townplanning #smartcity #urbandesign #iot #ict #digitaltwin #digital #urban #cityplanning #publictransport

Solving the Age-old Dilemma!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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World has to come to terms with the fact that the panacea to collective misery of missed car pool, missed bus, missed train, missed flight, missed attendance, missed opportunity, missed deadlines and lingering sense of alienation on a remote ground is to always stay connected (on demand) to your collective personal, professional and support ecosystem made of family, friends, peers, financial/medical/ legal/ spiritual advisor, mentor, payment gateway, connected home and so on, through plethora of choices and virtual communication modes like text, audio, video, augmented reality, holographic twin and soon through immersive metaverse.

While there is no substitute to being somewhere in person, still its quite an archaic mindset and primitive notion in this unparalleled technological age, realm and time of history, that if someone is unable be at a designated place in any part of world at a scheduled time for any reason all their opportunities should be systematically ceased and declare them offenders. Instead if world moves to an always connected mode in times to come it opens up a world of unimaginable possibilities!

Author: Anoop Jha

#iot #tech #technology #urbanplanning #city #town #smartcity #connectedhomes #ar #vr #metaverse #transport #transportplanning #mobility #history #future #alterego #hologram

Democratizing the process of urban planning - crowdsourcing of ideas!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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"Too many cooks spoil the Soup" May not be the right connotation when it comes to urban planning, we require as many minds and diversified experiences as possible to do the justice to a city which is either yet to be planned or being redeveloped. Community participation and early brainstorming is the key to a successful city planning, like secret ingredient of an exceptional recipe!

In terms of community participation the focus should be scale, hetroginity and intensity of citizen engagement in planning process. In terms of early brainstorming, all concerned citizens - "considering every citizens is a stakeholder and a client" - can be given opportunity to participate in urban planning process, that too very early when the plan is still in nebulous state, not only after draft masterplan is ready. Also, urban planning process should either come out of planning studio amidst community or planning studio should open it's door to welcome community and individual user level ideas.

For example, thinking of people who could not contribute or has limited say in urban planning process till date except some advanced countries, but they do have specific expectations from their city like all the workforce who are involved in navigation (drivers), delivery (courier and food delivery guys) they can contribute in re-strategising ease of navigation and legibility of city; those in healthcare (doctors, first responders) they can help define/ redefine emergency response routes and ease of healthcare access in terms of landuse structuring and PSP facility locations; those in safety and security (police, traffic police) can help in vulnerability and black spot mapping of city and forming corresponding spatial security and surveillance requirements; those in F&B industry (mall owners, retail, restaurant owner, cook, food vendors) can help redefine new age of intensive urban cultivation, shortening farm-to-plate food supply chain, and propose innovative ways of urban organic agriculture for self-reliance and food security; those in science (mathematicians) can help streamline city traffic by running complex mathematical models and deep algorithms; those in creative fields ( artists, designers) can help reboot, reactivate and conserve cultural and artistic heritage of a brownfield city or can lay the foundation of a new vibrant culture for a greenfield city, and so on; all above inputs to be curtated by urban planning professionals.

Additionally, there is need to make use of unfathomable descrete or curated data that already historically exists around specific city and embodiment of empirical data that exists around the world wrt city planning affair in general.

Author: Anoop Jha

#urban #urbanplanning #city #townplanning #syatemthinking #utopia #smartcity #governance #idea #crowdsourcing #architecture #streets #publictransport #bicycle #transportplanning #sustainability #foodsecurity

A-B-C of Design Project Management!

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[Keywords - Urban Planning, Architecture, Engineering Design, Infrastructure Planning]

[A] - Aspiration gives the purpose to a project, do not let it diminish over time.

[B] - Budget is the governing factor, do not consider it as limitation; you have to innovate to incorporate many things, still fitting it into budget

[C] - Clients speak volumes, but they can be good listener as well. Clients show flexibility if advised for betterment of project.

[D] - Design is the core success factor. Spend more time to design it right in first go, allocate substantial brainstorming time into workplan of design project.

[E] - Estimation of all kinds helps avoid surprises

[F] - Follow up on crucial matters

[G] - Gather the best team who are animated with same spirit

[H] - Highlight exclusions and dependencies early

[ I ] - Identify project risk and mitigation measures

[J] - Judgement has a key role to play. Analysis gives you insight but tough and final decisions are based on judgement.

[K] - knowledge has no substitute, but no amount of knowledge is enough, every design project is a learning experience

[L] - Leverage organisational experience, possibly your firm was hired for the job due to it's experience only

[M] - Monitoring is essential for project, monitor and record every aspect

[N] - Negotiations are the integral part of process

[O] - Organised effort is required to run a design project with multidisciplinary team, budget and time constraints

[P] - Performance of work and resources must be measured throughout project life cycle

[Q] - Quality is paramount in terms of design, communication and output

[R] - Resources has to be optimised and is often the most crucial, challenging and thrilling part of the project management

[S] - Stakeholder's need to be met and know that there can be more stakeholders than the obvious

[T] - Technology contributes to success; best is class tech, software and tools are empowering

[U] - Uncertainties has to be factored in, know that you can't foresee everything on day one, exceptional circumstances arises and need to be dealt with

[V] - Vision and credo is the guiding force, stick to same

[W] - Work Plan is to be honoured, it's not as easy as it sounds but there are ways to adhere to same like creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), innovation, resourcefulness, project tracking etc.

[X] - X-REF all design work, adopt a system of

cross-referencing, benchmarking and standardization

[Y] - Yearning for excellence is what differentiates you from others

[Z] - Zero Waste Design to be encouraged. It's no more a luxury but necessity in today's world.

Author: Anoop Jha

#projectmanagement #workplan #Consultancy #designprojectmanagement #design #infrastructure #engineering #consultingengineering #construction #qualitymap #p6 #budget #urbanplanning #projectmanager #multidisciplinary #teamwork

Predicting future Art Style based on analysis of historic shift and trend in art world!.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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WORLD FINE ART -

Dominant Theme:-[Expression]

Driving Force:-(Urge to create and capture, inner fulfilment, fame)

Dimention:-(All thing visual and perceptual, any workable media, any expressive mode, any style)

Influenced:-(Reflected contemporary thoughts, mimicking social situation, inner battle, contagious)

Past:-{Revolutionary in a specific sphere, predictable, glorified, threatened twice firstly by photography and secondly by digital media, Plagiarized}

Future:-<Digital, NFT, immersive>

WORLD ART STYLE SHIFT -

Dominant Theme:-[Communicate Message]

Driving Force:-(Drawing Inspiration from contemporary subjects, Banality of existing styles, thrill of presenting something new, search of unknown, advancement in art media tech)

Dimention:-(Cross continental, achieving Immortalisation through digitization)

Influenced:-(Messages continued to be of relevance in spite of changing times, giving historic insight of time)

Past:-{Expression became more important that medium, art style boundaries merged}

Future:-<New tech mediums and dimensions will provide unparalleled way of expressions and radical shift in style>

INDIAN FINE ART-

Dominant Theme:-[Building unified art expression considering rich history and in spite of cultural diversity]

Driving Force:-(Projecting Image of India)

Dimention:-(Digging deeper into traditional roots, ruling kingdoms, mythology, ritual, spirituality and looking inward to explore new creative freedom still in oriental conservatism)

Influenced:-(Inseparable from history, shaped culture, represented range of contradiction from glorious history to oppression to taste of freedom to hopeful future)

Past:-{Essentially oriental and in continued search of identity while absorbing parallel world art influences}

Future:-<Found its niche, selected individuals tasted commercial success, new world of opportunity on horizon, yet to find stable ground in world art and require correct valuation>

INDIAN ART STYLE SHIFT -

Dominant Theme:-[Characterized by constant battle of tradition and freedom]

Driving Force:-(confidence of tradition, Taste of commercial success, tribe of youth with new age values)

Dimention:-(Permeated to all possible spatial dimensions, virtual world)

Influenced:-(Rebooted art and craft tradition, brought art into mainstream)

Past:-{Taste of commercial success validated contemporary take on oriental, tribe of experimentative youth artists reinforced rich vernacular expression, ease and real time access to world art, literature and events constantly shaped the art style to match with world's stylistic expectations}

Future:-<Poised to achieve a unified and mature signature expression representative of Indian cultural tradition, values, and motifs, future technology is bound to reshape yet to mature Indian art style, expression & Market>

Author: Anoop Jha