Revisiting landuse

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

************************************************

If any part of city, neighborhood, plot or real estate inventory is not performing optimally, or partially vacant or deserted; then possibly assigned land use is not appropriate, which is required to be heterogeneous and able to be readjusted in near real time. The definition of land use as well need to be re-examined.

Land use regulation in any part of world usually has inbuilt provisions of land use conversion, sometimes by complex and lengthy statutory provisions; while land use remains binding for five to ten years or longer. Also, today’s land use plan, might be based on 5 to 10 year or older idea of what growth is or what growth should be or what growth may look like in future.

The actual current growth, desired land use composition and today’s socio-commercial dynamics may or may not match the historically envisaged growth pattern, land use classification; or land use spatial distribution; which usually leads to mismatch in current land use demand, supply, and mix. Hence the nobel intention of development control regulation, though may serve its intended purpose of stopping haphazard development, may also prove to be insufficient or counter-productive due to its rigidity. Further the definition of land use in terms of its current broad categories, and manner of current application in three dimentional space may remain a barrier for quick adaptation to market demand and supply, in absence of further granularity.

The traditional land use regulation is usually top-down, many a times fails to respond to emerging unforeseen bottom-up requirements over years; especially short-term requirements and rarely corresponds to real time requirements. City scale development control regulations or meso scale land use regulations and urban design guideline in all its legitimacy and validity, still by its very nature, may also create a rigid abstract three-dimensional regulated space which may act as a self-limiting criterion, failing to respond to present and real time land use demand pressure and socio-commercial aspirations.

While land use remains, an indispensable city planning tool, it a) may require to reinvent itself to be agile, allowing land usage conversion in near real time; b) may require to factor in dynamic property pricing and associated economic cost-benefit so that not a single acreage of potential urban space or single square feet of precious real estate remain underutilised in a city; c) may require to be implemented at a more granular level i.e., looking at a mixed-use zone or mixed-use building for instance not just as a spatial land use demarcation or a vertically stacked land use, but to be seen as mosaic (pixels) of variety of land usage both horizontally and vertically; compatibility of which can always be worked out.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[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 

************************************************

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

An organism called City!

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

************************************************

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!

An inclusive city needs more than smart interventions!

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

************************************************

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

Historic shift in city planning approach!

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

************************************************

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

Success or failure of Urban Street Design is based on how you perceive it and what approach you follow!

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

************************************************

-Conventional approach of designing of urban road/ urban street is based all around physical "Space provision" i.e. minimum/ optimum Right of Way (ROW) required for vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian earlier a) based on Guidelines b) now based on traffic demand modeling; through these approach one can solve functionality but it still cannot assure to cater to diverse needs of urban street users

-Conventional approach gives a lot of focus on physical safety, but ultimate objective is not just to provide everyone safe passage and commute but its equally important more than ever that road/street users should not feel anxiousness, intimidated and bullied everytime they are on road/ street.

-Streets must be perceived as a conduit which is supposed to carry entities with different built, needs, capabilities, moving at a different pace, for different purposes, with different levels of demands, expectations and engagement as well as varying degree of impact and vulnerability.

-It's all in the name, damage starts from the moment you start designing it as urban roads instead of urban streets- Roads are for Vehicles, Streets are for "People First"

#transportplanning #urbanplanning #road #street #designcode #transport

Architecture as it has been and as it is today, is only capable to offer geometric solution to your organic needs, with exceptions!

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

************************************************

Case of Residential Architecture.

Theoretically "Form follows function" Makes sense, but in actuality "Building/ unit Form" first follows budget, building bylaws, construction practice, construction technology, modular product specifications being used in building and interior and real estate trend; dependency of form on "Function" comes last, rather it's a vague idea i.e., considering each individual or collectively as a household having a specific spatial bubble requirement based on their height, size, no. of family members, type of work, hobby, habit, health condition, cultural preferences etc. Still, irrespective of whatever form and anthropometric spatial dimensions that suits you and your family collectively, you will still have to settle for whatever real estate developer has to offer, unless you are filthy rich, uness you are getting your home designed at a remote location beyond municipal jurisdiction, and unless your architect is actually sensitive and considerate for your known and latent needs, and unless he or she knows how to beat the bylaws while staying within statutory confinements.

Idea of correct typology, dimensions and hierarchy of architectural spaces in your home, is not your own, it has been imposed on you for other's convenience. Three fold challenges are seens in architectural practice i. e. one, most of the input criteria of architectural design is already pre-defined leaving little room for creativity and accommodating client specific needs, secondly most clients themselves are not aware about their own needs and they stick to their superficial requirements as architectural brief, lastly most architects seldomly play a role of client's counselor to understand their needs more comprehensively and deeply.

Author: Anoop Jha

#architecture #urbanplanning #architect #buildingbylaws #bylaws #municipal #design #cityplanning #smartcity #interiordesign 

WATER SUPPLY - Revisiting demand estimation approach

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

************************************************

Flat assumption of Litre Per Capita Per Day (LPCD) water requirement as basis for residential water demand is most likely to give wrong estimate, error compounded by a)Fixed average household size considered b) multiple available choices for base year population like census, property tax records, existing municipal billing records c) randomised selection of population growth rate formula d) no consideration of water saving fixtures and appliances in the equation, e) no consideration of regional lifestyle peculiarity f) no consideration of water demand fluctuation over seasonal weather change cycle g) no consideration for emerging lifestyle changes

You will see why they pay little attention to such fundamental assumptions with this example. Have they revised per capita water requirement after covid Pandemic, hence the revised water demand at city level? Answer is "No", while no one failed to recommend that keep washing your hands frequently for instance. Imagine millions and millions of people suddenly started washing hands several times a day as a newly adopted lifestyle changes, some taking shower everytime they returned home from outside, but no thought given to accommodate likely changes in per capita water consumption due to same.

Further, are they going to revise Litre Per Capita Per Day number based on new lifestyle changes post Covid19 as citizens are likely to continue practicing good hygiene in future, adding more pressure on water demand. Likely answer is "No", but correct answer is that "they must revisit" LPCD number, including all other missed criteria as mentioned above.

Multi-criteria demand assessment and Agility are key to stay relevant when it comes to urban infrastructure planning.

Author: Anoop Jha

#watersupply #waterinfrastructure #infrastructure #demand #supply #estimation #smartcity #urbanplanning #cityplanning #townplanning #savewater #waterresource #wtp #municipality #municipalcorporation #ulb 

CITY STORM WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM -Revisiting fundamentals

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

************************************************

SITUATION

No matter how well you plan Storm Water Drainage System, it often fails as it has so many missed variables, scores of design and operational dependencies, aging infrastructure and multitude of agencies to put blame on, later on.

TREND

Storm water and Urban Flood used to be two different things, but their boundaries have started to get blurred, as rainfall events are getting more unpredictable and severe due to climate change and as normal rainfall events have frequently started causing sticky urban floods that is not easily dissipated.

POSSIBLE MEANS TO DEAL WITH SITUATION

There are only couple of ways you can deal with storm water inundation and urban flood events, i.e. either move the city elsewhere OR tame the nature through uphill dams and artificial mega wetlands at outskirts OR brace the city with flood barriers OR capture and store part of runoff water allowing as much water to percolate if water table permits OR make way for water and allow storm water and floods to pass through city while assuring minimum impact and damage.

CHALLENGES

Temporal rainfall data of whatever time period used in modeling is primarily historic data, there is no consideration for future rainfall event modeling considering climate change, increasingly aggressive weather events being witnessed every passing year.

Historic Flood data doesn't consider cause and effect of flood due to slow or sometimes radical temporal change in built form and landscape of city.

Expanding cities, increasing paved areas, shrinking greens and disappearing urban waterbodies are changing the overall runoff coefficient of city converting normal rainfall event into disastrous situations and unmanaged events.

OPTIMAL SOLUTION

Instead or in addition to regular storm water network if you plan or redevelop your city as well as design buildings to allow periodic Inundation and water retention and absorption, that will be less destructive and less overwhelming then flash floods due to heavy downpour and in case of actual flood events.

It's important to keep reiterating that Multicriteria based assessment, design and scenario modeling is of utmost importance for planning any urban core infrastructure, be it SWD, SWM, Water Supply or Power Distribution.

#urbanplanning #smartcity #stormwatermanagement #sustainability #future #water #flood #swale #LID #zerowaste #urban #cityplanning #townplnaning #municipality #municipalcorporation

Possibly solution to city's space and resource scarcity is within city limits itself!

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

************************************************

POPULATION AND DENSITY

How many people can peacefully and respectfully coexist within one Square Kilometer of a city without compromising on functionality and respectable individual social space. You have empirical examples and you can also make a simulation model of maximum density case scenario including residential, working and transitory population. Acknowledging that population density is never a correct indicator of quality of life. Acknowledging that 2 dimensional approach of population density should be revisited to include 3rd dimension as more and more people are being accommodated vertically, and as more and more utilities, mobility, asset, cargo can be accommodated underground in coming times.

CONSTRUCTION

How much Built Up Area (BUA) a City can technically hold within one Sqkm, given the limitation of existing construction technology, available sustainable material of choice and considering requirements of structural stability. You can build and test scenarios and models based on type of landuse including mixeduse case and you can also make digital twin/ BIM/vGIS model to check if model is workable as habitable. Acknowledging that Hong kong style housing was never an ideal architectural concept of creating more built-up area in a city and it was only a technological and financial constraint. Rather imagine constructing a Cubic Km of monolith Real Estate including private and public space like a perforated Swiss Cheese in form of space frame as a maximum BUA case scenarios.

BIODIVERSITY

How much Biotic Diversity in terms of native regional flora, fauna and wild meadows can be accommodated in a Cubic km of City along with humans without overwhelming, compromising or competing for space and other resources considering their growh rate. Acknowledging that way too much of biodiversity in a city was never a good idea, like some exotic species leading to biodiversity nuisance and like beehive on every corporate office and public buildings leading to severe pollination issues.

SUSTAINABILITY AND SELF-RELIANCE

How much self sustainability a Cubic km of city can achieve in terms of it's own

1) Food security,

2) Energy needs

3) Waste load management and

4) Water security, through range of means-

1.a) Urban agricultural, edible landscape, Food forest, community seed bank, school seed bank, vertical farm, rooftop greenhouse, bush food experience, kitchen garden, aquaponic, hydroponics, aeroponic, doomsday vault, extended shelf life solutions-

2.b) Energy education, energy aware lifestyle, energy conservation by design, interventions and appliances, energy load management, IoT and edge devices, building energy load management through solar passive architecture, building insulation/ ventilation, harvesting and storing energy from sun, wind, algae, river, stream, canal, organic waste; biofuels, heat recovery from process and thermal storage, Air Source Heat Pump/ ASHP, open window detection, micro turbine-

3.c) Waste reduction, circular waste economy, recycling, reuse, upcycle, repurpose, near zero construction waste,

4.d) Water conservation, treated sewage effluent, waste water treatment, IOT Sensors, water saving appliances, precision agriculture, mist irrigation, water from air condensation, extracting drinking water from air and others, flood water harvesting, storm water retention basin, cloud seeding,.

Author: Anoop Jha

#urbanplanning #cityplanning #townplanning #sustainability 

Cities within city!

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

************************************************

These metropolitan cities are so big that many inhabitants spend their entire life without the need of visiting few other parts of city for any purpose be it business, socialising or recreation, and when they do visit that other part of same city for the first time, it's sometimes not less than a shocking experience, pleasant or otherwise - experiencing drastic change in built-up scale, a very distinct manifestation of architectural style, a juxtapose density, visible economic stratification, attitudinal and behavioural changes are observed, obvious difference in level of upkeep, city beautification and public services, varying degree of management witnessed, sometimes changes witnesses in regulatory enforcement, citizen compliance and level of citizen engagement; difference in lifestyle, life choices and opportunity landscape is worth noticing as well.

Several forces are at play here making different part of city very different in appeal and experience, like - chronology of development, different developmental vision for different city zones in an effort to create specialised nodes, different economic activity and status.

Silver-lining; Heterogeneity and diversity in a large metropolitan city was never an outdated idea, additionally possibility of intracity excursion and tourism is there. Learning opportunity from each other is also there. A city with multitude of experience is always welcoming anyways.

In all likelihood it can be safely assumed that there is critical mass in terms of a chunk of city with a cluster of habitation and segment of economy which makes it autonomous in many senses, making it a small city within a larger metropolitan, and metropolitan city can be perceived as agglomeration of several such smaller cities, of course huddled together with a symbiotic relationship.

Author:Anoop Jha

#urbanplanning #cityplanning #townplanning #habitat #urban #smartcity #cluster #neighborhood