Revisiting the impact of mega infrastructure development.

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

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The nature of mega infrastructure projects is such that their impact goes beyond its physical dimensions and boundaries. The impact goes even beyond its defined catchment, described objective, perceived externalities, and statutory confine.

When a mega infrastructure of any kind is introduced in a geographic system, the morphology of the immediate and distant built environment is either going to be evolved, shaped or redefined, ecological and bio-diversity reconfigurations may just get triggered, microclimate are going to undergo changes, socio-economic and demographic equilibriums are bound to change, power dynamics are bound to shift, a period of destabilisation and adjustments are sure to be witnessed, the upheaval of opinions, emotions and aspirations are mostly assured, the opportunity-scape are obviously to be developed and redefined, and vested interests are bound to surface, and of course, few consequences beyond human grasp may also surface.

Build a ring road, make an airport, build a dam, or channelize a river, and all or most of the above phenomenon gets activated and rarely gets acknowledged or addressed in their impact assessment in the totality, complexity, and subtlety of it.

There are certainly positive externalities, but currently, any (negative) impact of mega infrastructure that comes as a surprise, we tend to label them as unintended or link them to external factors or define them as non-linear and characteristics of wicked problems.

The possible reason for the shortsightedness of impacts and events followed by the advent of mega infrastructure are the practical limitations of prescriptive statutory compliance. That is understood, as one has to stop somewhere and define the boundary of impact, contours of liability, and exactness of liability. But it is still wise to consider and assess the impacts beyond the statutory confine and unresolved interests, for the common larger good.

Thankfully, today or anytime soon, most of the impacts of mega infrastructure can be defined and visualised based on historical observations and near-infinite scenario modelling, can be predicted, forecasted and modelled accurately with modern tools, and can be empirically constructed, or imagined beforehand by logic, wisdom and diverse consultation.

Author: Anoop Kumar Jha

Image: Author

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Decoding architectural and urban planning profession, mannerism and dimensions!

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

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How architects and urban planners possibly think, what all they encounter? What are the key challenges of profession?

Architects and urban planners are usually creative, imaginative, and practical enough to almost dwell at the border of science and philosophy. They often like to draw analogy, parallel and similarity, find harmony and juxtaposition, search for patterns, logic and inspiration, build complex compositions while capable of offering even more complex explanation of same, articulate subtle thoughts, envision rare possibilities and more; meanwhile juggling between, functionality, aesthetics and feasibility; which most of the time remains a trade-off. Their works also have to qualify on aspirations of range of stakeholder and users, today and in centuries to come; work that should also withstand test of time, finding continued relevance, facing weather, disaster, praise and criticism alike.

Sometimes, rather many a times architects and urban planners operate on different scales, but their quest and creative search remains similar, i.e., creating something for people, community; something that is functional, aesthetic, comforting and nostalgic; but also within reach and viable; may be complex but also abstract enough to be explained to and understood by all.

Architects and urban planners sometimes draw similarity between human and architecture, and between human and city, as possibly human, being the most complex functional entity. A vast and complex subject as it is, has equally vast challenging regime, where half of world may not be having proper access to architectural services, neither having means, representation or entitlement, searching from the pool of architects who don’t even exist today; Similarly scores of unauthorised settlements, suburban villages and small towns in different parts of world, big or complex enough to qualify for a city title, having little awareness, resources and empowerment, to have timely access to urban planning services.

Architectural and urban planning profession has been that way since quite few decades, that is asymmetric in its services and reach, no less than economic or digital divide; also characteristic of juxtaposition, from the epitome of expression and demonstration at one end to the absolute absence of same on other end.

What’s going on now and what’s the way forward? Increasingly resource gap is being filled, awareness within, and about architecture and urban planning is growing, architectural and planning services are increasingly reaching to areas of cities and areas beyond cities which remained unattended in past, and increasingly serving the remote parts of world.

Author: Anoop Jha

Architect Planner

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