CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is set to finalise an international consultant to draft a vision document for the Third Master Plan (TMP), which is likely to have a long-term vision for desirable urban development of Chennai through a participatory approach while reviewing global experiences in building a city vision.
The State government has said the Third Master Plan will be completed by 2026. Express spoke to former Anna University professor of urban engineering KP Subramanian on what the focus of the master plan should be. Excerpts from the interview:
How important is a master plan for a city?
A master plan (MP) is a comprehensive, long term, statutory, action plan prepared for cities. It proposes a framework for future development. The MP is a borrowed concept from the UK. Most States in India still adopt MPs as the medium for planning, development and enforcement of regulations though the UK replaced the concept of MPs with that of the structure plan in 1968.
The Second Master Plan (SMP) is currently in force. The prime focus of the SMP is the manner in which the land in the Chennai Metropolitan Area is utilised as residential, commercial industrial and so on. Further, it generically discusses sector-wise problems and prospects — demography, economy, transportation, housing, infrastructure, environment, and others, assess the land required for the future, and accordingly assigns uses for every parcel of land. Any development, thereafter, must be in accordance with the assigned use and other parameters stipulated in the development regulations of the SMP, failing which such developments are liable for penal action such as locking, sealing and demolition. The SMP expires in 2026 and the CMDA has, in the meantime, initiated the process for the preparation of the TMP.
What should the focus of the Third Master Plan for Chennai be in the context of climate change and the pandemic?
Covid-19 and climate change in Chennai have a few critical lessons on thoughtful city planning, and the TMP needs to change its focus to enable the city to show resilience to the pandemic and climate change. Deteriorated environment, poor quality of life, lack of personal hygiene and developments in conflict with nature are the prime causes of Covid and climate change. Rapid unplanned urban development, overgrowth and overcrowding, extremely squalid and filthy surroundings, as a result of poverty and neglect, may be attributed to the outbreak of Covid-19.
The pandemic has triggered an unprecedented adverse impact on human lives. It has changed the way people live, work, travel, shop, recreate, interact, migrate, meet and mingle. Therefore, there is an obligation for the CMDA to re-examine the conventional vision and perception for a resilient future.
Should there be a focus on managing population density?
The TMP may lay greater emphasis on optimal residential density combined with mixed land uses, which reduces the carbon footprint, emission of greenhouse gases, increases energy efficiency and counters climate change. Additionally, it provides good accessibility for employment, education, health, shopping and other facilities, boosts productivity, reduces the need to travel, cuts down land consumption by curbing urban sprawls, and enhances the sense of community living.
The gross density of the city’s population was 24,700 people, and is anticipated to increase to 33,000 by 2026, as per the SMP. The impact of the density on the spread of the pandemic was of great concern to epidemiologists because the worldwide trend of transmission rate initially was very high in larger and denser cities. This was evident from the situation in cities such as New York, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai in the beginning.
However, subsequent studies revealed that density per se is not an issue. But only unplanned developments with awfully inadequate infrastructure and overcrowding in low-income families, crowded shopping areas, where the Covid safety protocol goes for a toss, matter.
Therefore, it’s important to effectively manage density rather than containing it and revisit the planning standards for roads, minimum floor area in the housing for the poor and vehicular parking requirements in commercial complexes.
(Read the full interview at www.newindianexpress.com)