URBAN PLANNING

The first trains on the Metro are about to run in the next six to nine months, so this is a good time to ensure that a few other steps are taken to make the new infrastructure more effective. This is particularly because the world over, Metro systems are usually not financially viable, and this has to be overcome by some tie-in arrangement in the real estate market, through capital grants from government and through other control measures that benefit the transit system.Bangalore Metro is no different. Over the course of a decade and more, the state has been willing…

The BBMP has been promoting its own engineers to higher positions in the town planning department, violating a government order that says all town planning posts in the city have to be filled by qualified officials from the state government's Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP). The state government's Department of Town and Country Planning controls appointments to BBMP town planning functions. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal. Take the case of Ravindranath, Joint Director of Town Planning at the BBMP. As per a state government order, Ravindranath has been transferred to the town planning department in Magadi (under the jurisdiction of…

The German botanist Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel is a part and parcel of Bangalore history....Now, Max Mueller Bhavan is hosting an exhibition about him:G.H. Krumbiegel: "Whatever he touched he adorned"A multimedia show curated by Suresh Jayaram17 - 30.04.20109.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (Closed on Sundays)Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller BhavanInauguration on 16.04.2010, 6.30 p.mMore details here ⊕

"The National Seminar on Urban Growth of Bangalore with special reference to Bangalore Cantonment (1809-2009)" was held at Christ University from February 18th to 20th. This seminar was organised by the department of History, Christ University, Bangalore along with the Indian Council for Historic Research (ICHR), New Delhi. There was also a photography exhibition that featured numerous archival photographs of buildings of Cantonment. Swati Ramanathan. Pic: Mathew Prasad Idiculla. Swati Ramanathan, co-founder of Janaagraha, in her inaugural speech spoke of the how effective urban planning and urban governance can work together to provide a better city administration system. She also…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has wrongly sanctioned a plan for a commercial building in Panduranganagar, located off Bannerghatta Road near the Indian Institute of Management, in violation of zoning rules in the city's Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2015.The building under-construction, a convention centre at Site No. 223 in the layout is on a plot size measuring 400 sq metres. Whereas, a minimum of 2000 sq metres is required for building a convention centre, as per the BDA's RMP, which has not been followed by the BBMP's Town Planning department in Bommanahalli zone. The plan sanction for this convention…

Dear Shri Mohsin avare,This is regarding the Draft of the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Act. I am writing to you on behalf of the Hasiru Usiru network.We would like to commend the DULT for moving to create a unified transport authority. The creation of such an authority is a real need right now. We would also like to commend you for pro-actively arranging a public consultation to discuss the same.To ensure that the act is people friendly and so that people get a genuine chance to shape this act, we would like to request you to -1)Grant more time…

A nifty escape route is all that we look for while rattling through the streets of Bengaluru to avoid the cacophony, the dirt and the dangers of it all. Quite the contrary, streets mean different things to different people, especially to intellectuals and artists who look at them as no less than theatre of life with a medley of dynamics on display - be it political, social, economic, cultural, or religious. The events explored a diverse set of issues on streets in India - from planning of streets, the politics of streets, appropriation of streets for religious rituals and so…

“I’m a defaulter”, he says laughing, for having dodged this interview for several weeks. Dressed casually in a pink striped shirt and black trousers he sits down to talk, in the backdrop of the public consultation of the urban development draft policy in Bengaluru. This policy was drafted in light of the challenges related to urban governance and to chart a new course for urban areas in the state.Former Corporator and now Minister for Law, Parliamentary affairs and Urban Development, S Suresh Kumar appears to have his priorities right. “We have to learn lessons from Bangalore. Bangalore should be repeated…

Unaware of the legal battle surrounding her home in this Low Income Neighbourhood (LIN) in Krishnarajapuram in North Bangalore, this little girl enjoys a measly snack. You can read the complete article about this LIN here They have possession certificates, yet live in fear of eviction ⊕References

Environment Support Group is organising a workshop on ‘Understanding therole and the importance of Wetlands in Urban spaces.' The workshop will beheld on 26th September 2009 at the MariGowda Hall in Lal Bagh.The various sessions are as follows: Historical view of lakes in Bangalore Current status of Lakes in Bangalore Criticality of lakes for water security in Bangalore Urban Lakes as functional eco-systems Legal and Policy frameworks that govern lakesThe workshop aims to bring together Decision makers, Media, NGOs, Teachers,Students and the general public.. You are also invited to use our workshop as an opportunity to display yourphoto-exhibits, charts, models,…