URBAN PLANNING

COVID-19 has made strong supporters of vibrant urban life shudder. They are pining for the outdoors and wondering if our current dense urban form is to be blamed for what COVID-19 has unleashed. There’s speculation around what the pandemic means for cities, and especially if it should change the current path of urbanisation. While holistic changes are welcome, many commentators have made density -- a measure of population per unit area, usually square kilometre or square mile -- the scapegoat.  On March 22nd, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, tweeted: “There is a density level in NYC that is destructive,” that…

Cubbon Park was created as a 100-acre park in 1870 by Major General Richard Sankey. It was originally named Meade Park after the acting Commissioner of Mysuru in that year, John Meade. It was later named Cubbon Park, after Sir Mark Cubbon, a more illustrious successor to Meade.  Cubbon Park now covers close to 300 acres, making it the largest park in the city. A favourite with morning walkers and joggers in the heart of Bengaluru, it is in the news for a redevelopment project worth Rs 40 crore. As part of the smart city project, the redevelopment of the…

The city with a population of over 12 million has nearly 8 million vehicles on road as of 2020. The draft revised Master Plan for Bengaluru – 2031 states that the modal share of public transport in total overall trips is only 48% as against 82 % for Mumbai.A city such as Bengaluru which has only 42 Kms of Metro serviced  that too for limited locations and a negligible suburban rail service, an efficient bus transport system is the only most significant public transport system available in the short and medium term. Since the arrival of metro services in the…

The bustling shopping area of Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar has seen many changes over the last few years. For many, the street provides a one-stop solution to all they may need. Just take a walk down the street and you can get anything, from freshly ground coffee powder to large household appliances, all at various prices. Pondy Bazaar was famous for its pavements lined with small shops and street vendors who sat outside the larger outlets that were found on either side. The stretch where most of the shopping took place was also one that was least pedestrian-friendly.  This…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities “I walked on the side where the shops were, because they were well lit and there were people around” “I stood near the gate while waiting for my ride, just a bit inside, even though I did not belong to that college” “I never walk next to that tall compound wall” “I am always in a big group when I visit that park.  Too many bushes that make me feel as though someone is hiding there!” These are familiar statements, familiar sentiments that will resonate with every…

The Alternative Law Forum is organising a half day workshop on December 14 between 2.30 PM and 6.30 PM in Bengaluru, on the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2019. Background of the workshop This workshop is being conducted in view of the Town Vending Committees being constituted across the State as per the provisions of the Street Vendors Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Rules 2019, in seven zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (with the exception of Bommanahalli Zone).…

Unplanned commercialisation is the reason behind the traffic congestion on GST Road, a national highway and a crucial road connecting the suburbs to the city. Accountability here rests with the Pallavaram Municipality, which issues licences to the builders but fails to prevent or penalise irregularities in construction or deviations from rule. Has the outlet allocated space for parking? Is the drainage system proper? What about rainwater harvesting? -- Vital parameters such as these remain unchecked by municipal officials. Incidentally, these have a lot to do with the traffic nightmare that this road has become. Shortcuts and violations In the entire…

A few days ago, Tejasvi Surya, MP for Bangalore South, created news when he worked with various stakeholders - BBMP, BWSSB, BMRCL etc - to help clear the mess that was Bannerghatta Road. He coordinated a joint meeting with these departments and relatively eased life for thousands of commuters who use this road. A lot of people were impressed that an MP got down into the grit of solving the basic infrastructure problems that plague our city. But that's just the point here. Dealing with a bad road isn't his job as an MP! Just so we are clear, this…

The #MahadevapuraDemands protest against elected representatives last Friday seems to have had some positive impact. But residents of the constituency are not yet ready to celebrate. The protestors, who highlighted the lack of basic infrastructure and facilities, had demanded the resignation of all their elected representatives - eight corporators, Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali and Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan. While none of the corporators responded to the protest, Limbavali and Mohan claimed that the new state government had already released funds for the constituency. Top BBMP and state government officials visited the constituency and made promises to residents, and…

Ever since BBMP publicised its proposal for ward delimitation in June, citizens and experts have raised many concerns. Now, the Whitefield Rising Trust has filed a formal objection with the state's Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, against the "unscientific" proposal. The Trust's letter, submitted on Tuesday, is also marked to Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department E V Ramana Reddy, and to BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar. BBMP's delimitation exercise will restructure ward boundaries so that Bengaluru's population is distributed equally across wards, at 42,645 per ward. This population data is based on the 2011 Census.…