Over the last few years there has been extensive debate over smart cities. Several seminars and conferences have been held and the salesmen for new IT systems have had a field day flogging promises to transform our cities overnight. But the reality has not changed. The city is rapidly changing in so many ways defying planners.
The population of the region has more than doubled over the last 30 years and continues to increase with the influx of migrants. The master plan makes no provision of space for this enormous addition. They are forced to move into unauthorised colonies, where five to six floors of minimal walkup apartments have been built of 25 square yards (225 sq ft) of poor construction, many of which have collapsed killing many. There is little concern at this state of affairs, as the emphasis is on building more and more facilities for the middle and upper classes.
There is also steadily increasing demand for facilities like schools, health centres, community meeting halls, hospitals and open spaces for children to play, for which no proper provisions have been made.
Retail space is being extended into available space in adjoining areas, or upper floors. Despite restrictive action, demand keeps increasing and is met by setting up shops in residential areas, open spaces and footpaths, hand carts and mobile trolleys. Today, more than 50 percent of retail needs are met by vendors with minimum overheads. Regular weekly markets in different areas are also common.
New demands require expansion, but these are more knee-jerk than planned. Commercial office demand is steadily increasing, but no proper provision has been made. Small offices move into residential areas, and larger offices go into commercial space permitted in structures along roads of minimum prescribed width. This has led to arbitrary development without considering the need for planned parking. Many new uses for which there are no provisions like tutorial centres, art galleries, etc, move into urban villages.
What is lacking is a comprehensive vision which accommodates steadily changing demands. Instead there is a tendency to create space in bits and pieces,and fits and starts, to obtain commercial gain in the shortest time. Politicians, bureaucrats and all government agencies concerned with urban development have the same limited attitude.
This is why multiple flyovers and over bridges and under passes are sanctioned without proper traffic planning. The result is a merry up and down roller coaster ride along major traffic arteries. A coherent vision for the future of the city still remains a mirage.
(The author is a well-known architect and among the early votaries of urban design. Views expressed are personal)