Neglected Urban River Stretches - an untapped potential

By - Anoop Jha

Ignorance to the very thing which initiated the settlement of city

River which was supposed to be the life of city has become a dumping yard of city and ignored like a backyard of house in the course of evolution of city. Most of the early civilizations evolved and nurtured on the banks of river, there must be some reason for that.

Historically City used to be a combination of human Settlement, built form and River, which used to be a complete experience in itself, and key to an autonomous existence, because people used to be utterly dependent on river for –

Agriculture,

Food,

Grazing Land,

Trade,

Business,

Transport,

Drinking water,

Other Daily Activities

Contemporarily most of the rivers in the developing countries are either polluted or ignored or both, the only activity related to that is -

Dumping Industrial Waste

Dumping city sewage and waste water

Retrieving water for drinking and other purposes

For majority of rivers in the cities of developing countries the case is that river is no more directly related to livelihood of residents of the city, insignificant business or trade activities related to river, dominance of surface transport, numerous other recreational activities and places other than river.  Even rivers are perceived as hindrance in Commuting from one part of city to the other (common feeling: God forbid the long route and traffic jams on bridges crossing river at rush hours!!!).

Need is to Understand the significance of river in forming the balanced ecosystem in the dynamics of city. Cleaning, nurturing and integrating the river stretches in to the fabric of city. There is an urgent need for Pro-river Planning approach integrating it with mainstream city life. Strict but sensible river conservation and integration guidelines need to be in the place.

Even if the Riverfront Development is not possible due to some constraints like revenue, resource etc. some of the strategies to integrate river to the city life can be –

River cleansing and maintenance through diversion and downstream disposal of city waste water and sewage

Streamlining, developing and maintaining optimum acceptable standards of clean and safe public spaces with public facilities at river banks

Providing access to “public transport nodes” from river bank at walkable distances,

Integrating every existing open and green space of city to the   riverbank    

24X7 Surveillance and easy help facilities 

Light Pollution - A nuisance seemingly out of control

By - Anoop Jha

Light Pollution propelled by shear lack of awareness


If you will conduct a survey asking city dwellers, including educated as well as  illiterate population of any developing country to name the types of pollution they know, they tell you water and air pollution, few of them might also tell you Sound pollution but, you will find only handful of population even aware of the phenomenon of light pollution. This is unfortunate that people don’t even know about the price they pay in the name of industrialization and development, not even aware of their rights to live in a healthy pollution free environment.

There is a very simple and straight reason for all this unawareness - there is no curriculum throughout the hierarchy of education ladder that teaches the existence, cause, effects and resolution of light pollution. At least it wasn’t included in course structure in recent past. Another reason of lack of awareness is that majority of young population who were born and brought up in city and have not visited or spent time in any rural area or outskirts of city, they don’t even know that how does a clear night sky look like. They haven’t observed stars in real, lying on the terrace of their home, or in front lawn of their home, because majority of them live in compact flats in the comfort of controlled indoor temperature, they have only vague memories of star filled sky from a movie or childhood imagination of stories that their grandparents used to tell them. Possibly Light pollution is more of intangible in nature and awareness, hence planning communities as well as city authorities are more concerned with the tangible issues whose effects are visible and well known by citizens like water and air pollution.    

Acute phenomenon of light pollution calls for strict urban lighting Guidelines and Regulations whether people are aware of it or not. Parallelly an education drive needs to be conducted throughout the country to make people aware of the illness of industrialization, massive unregulated developments, their rights, emerging global phenomenon.  

Comprehensive list of Landuse Categories

Masterplan and Urban Landuse Activities

Urban Landuse

RESIDENTIAL

Single House/Plot/Flat

Group Housing

Guard residence

COMMERCIAL

Retail Shop/Plate Form

Repair shop

Personal service Shop

Vending booth

Showroom

Weekly Market

Convenience shopping centre

Local/ Sector level Shopping Centre

Shopping Centre/ Commercial Centre/ Shopping Mall

Informal commercial unit/ Platform

Wholesale Market/ Mandi

Bakery/Confectionary/Atta Chakki

Coal/ Wood/ Building Material Market

Vegetable/ Fruit Market

Cold Storage

Hotel

Service Apartment

Restaurant/ Canteen/ Food Court

Drive-in cinema

Exhibition Hall/ Exhibition centre

Banquet hall/ Barat ghar

Petrol/ Deisel/ Gas Filling Station

Oil depot and LPG refilling plant

Gas Godown

Warehouse/ Godown for Non-Hazardous Items

Warehouse/ Godown for Hazardous Items

Automobiles Showrooms/ Showroom cum service centre

Freight Complex/ Logistic Park

Steel/ Cement/ Building Material Yard

Weigh Bridge/ DharmKanta

Cinema/ Multiplex

INDUSTRIAL

Service/ Cottage Industry

Flatted Factories

 Information/ Software Technology Industry

Small/ Light Industry

Industrial plot (specific industry type)

Medium & Large scale Industry

Film Centre/ TV, Radio Programme Production Centre

OFFICES

Govt./ Semi Govt. / Public Undertaking/ Local Body Office

Office/Corporate office

Professional/Personal/Agent Office

Banks

Project Development/ Management/ Maintenance office

Satellite/ Wireless/ Telecommunication centre

PUBLIC / SEMI-PUBLIC / INSTITUTIONAL FACILITIES

Guest house/lodging/boarding house

Hostel

Reformatory and Orphanage

School for mentally/ Physical challenged Persons

Crèche & Day Care Centre/Play & Nursery School

Old age home

Primary school

Secondary School/Integrated Residential School

Vocational Institute

Degree/P G/professional (medical/Engg. etc) college

University

Post Office

Telephone Exchange

Police Station/Fire station

Police Post

Library

R & D Centre

Health Centre/ Family Welfare Centre/ Dispensry

Trauma Centre

Hospital/ Medical college

Clinic

Nursing home

Clinical Lab

Veterinary Hospital/Dispensary

Health club/Gym

Dance/ Music/Art centre

Yoga/ Meditation centre

Milk Booth

Religious Building/ Centre

Community Centre

Convention centre/ Conference Centre/ Auditotium

Planetarium

Socio-cultural Centre

PCO

Internet/ Information Centre

Social Wellfare Centre

Cremation/Burial ground/ Crematoriu

PUBLIC UTILITIES

Sewerage treatment plant/ Pumping station

Sanitary landfill site/ Solid waste treatment plant

Tube well/ Over head tanks/ Under ground tanks/ Renny well

Electric sub-station

Public toilet

Transmission tower/ Mobile tower

TRANSPORTATION

Open parking

Covered/Multi-level parking

Taxi/ Auto/Rickshaw Stand

Truck Terminal/ Transport Nagar

Bus Stand/ Shelter

Bus Depot/ Terminal

Motor Garage/ Service Garage/ Workshop

Traffic Park/ Children Traffic Park/Training Centre

Loading/ Unloading Facilities/Space

Transport/Cargo booking centre

Container Depot

Toll Plaza

Helipad

RECREATIONAL

Park/ Play Ground

Multipurpose open spaces

Golf course/ Race course

Stadium/ Sports training centre/Sports complex

Picnic Spot

Indoor stadium/games Hall

Amusement/ Specialised/ Theme Park

Recreational Club/Swimming pool

Museum-cum-Auditorium/Conference Hall/ Art/Exhibition gallery

Open air theatre

National Memorial

Source: Noida Master Plan - 2031

Barrier-free Environment: A long way to go

By- Anoop Jha

Contemporary fragmented Barrier-free planning calls for integration

Accessible Urban Planning

In the developing countries like India very little attention has been given to the planning of barrier free environment for Differently abled and old age population of any existing city. Though many of new cities and township projects consider and incorporate the design elements of barrier-free environment in actual implementation of such principals following the prescribe guidelines are doubtful and need a comprehensive survey and documentation as part of post occupancy evaluation both at building level as well as master-plan level. In most parts of the existing cities there are not sufficient facilities even for normal pedestrians like, continuous footpaths, not to speak of facilities for differently-abled and old age people. Though there are “Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for Disabled and Elderly Persons” but there are also loopholes in term of final outcome of implementation and functionality at building and city level for creating integrated barrier free environment. These guidelines need to be mandatorily integrated with the comprehensive Transport Masterplan, Zonal Plans, masterplans, local area plans, township and housing plans. Considering the importance and urgency of issue these guidelines and standards need to be implemented as widely and as strictly as possible for the well being of citizens.

Defining Modular for Sustainable Future

By Anoop Jha

Sustainable Modular Unit for Design, Architecture and Planning

Modular planning and design is not a luxury, its necessity of time due to scarce resources, ever growing population, industrialization and mass production, automation, emerging and rapidly changing technology, wide gap of demand and supply, time constraint, need for efficient integration, rapid expansion and need for fast and easy maintenance and reproduction. In context of above observation let’s analyze the elements and process which are and can be made modular for optimum utilization of time and resources for the better future. But one should not be confuse modularity with monotony; Modular units need to be flexible for the customization based on region, location, altitude, culture and other environmental constraints. 

Modular Elements in Design - Design elements, patterns, motifs, pixels, Canvas/ Panel/ Base, printing, casting moulds, design tools, frames, pallets,

Modular Elements in Architecture - Architectural elements like door & windows construction items like tiles and glass panels, false ceiling panels, etc., Toilet, Kitchen, Structural elements, prefabricated modules,

Modular Elements in Planning - Replicable city grid, clusters, modular infrastructure, Modular neighborhood sectors, Modular housing units, Street section templates, street hardware etc

Pedestrian Desireline - Significance in, Landscape Architecture, Transport and Urban Planning

By - Anoop Jha

Desired natural and organic Pedestrian Movement Vs Planned synthetic and rigid Transit Network

Pedestrians are a very important element and regular attribute of transit-scape and landscape of any city, they often assume secondary position when it comes to transit plan of the city. transport models revolves around the vehicular dominance, transportation plans are prepared for smooth flow of vehicular traffic and after that pedestrian facilities are integrated rater retrofitted into the vehicular movement plan, through pedestrian underpass and over-bridges, with discontinuous patches of footpaths which is not suitable and safe for even healthy and active city dwellers, not to speak of physically challenged, differently abled and old aged population. Pedestrian circulation and their movement desire-line should be mapped and considered at the beginning and throughout of transport planning process. 


When it comes to landscape planning or outdoor public spaces, again pedestrian desire-lines are often ignored, result can be observed  everywhere  across city- broken fences, walls and barriers to avoid longer route and vehicular traffic, impression of casual pathways made by regular shortcut movement of pedestrian on the otherwise planned green fields and formal landscaped areas. All this because of ignorance to pedestrian desire-line and lack of comprehensive walkability plan for the city, neighborhood, and public spaces which should be otherwise vital and compulsory part of Transport, landscape and Urban Planning process. 

Transportation Viscosity - Resistance in Collective Travel

By - Anoop Jha

Understanding Qualitative aspect of Transportation

Transport Viscosity and bottleneck 

Transportation viscosity or transit viscosity is a resistance faced by commuters while travelling collectively in any given urban or regional setting; it can be sophisticated qualitative criteria to understand and judge the congestion level of any city and can help improve the life of city. Transit viscosity is made of many tangible and intangible elements like, No. of Vehicle per unit length of Road, Surface Material, Condition & Texture of Road, Street Edge, Manmade or Natural Obstructions on Road, Ongoing Development work in Process in the corridor, Ongoing O & M of Road of other infrastructure concealed within the road or corridor, Transport Signage simplicity, visibility and condition and location, Driving Behavior of individuals, pedestrian behavior etc. Most of the characteristics stated above are related to socio-economic condition of city, efficiency of administration and education level of community. Role of planners here is to understand the nature and reason of these frictional elements of transportation which causes transit viscosity and to plan accordingly to reduce the friction.