URBAN PLANNING

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,…

Sometime in MayBBMP workers had dredged out the storm water drain near my house, and left a mound of filth, muck, crushed plastic cups and assorted debris on the edge of the pavement on  8-F main road, Jayanagar. Each time it rained, some of the muck got washed right back into the drain. It was an eyesore and an olfactory assault. There are posh shops all along this road, hundreds of citizens walk or drive past, even park next to the pile of rubbish. The famous Jayanagar shopping complex is just across the road.I complained about it to the city…

Here's a link to the web album by Nithya, which covers this protest:click here Apparently all that has been agreed to is that BBMP will take "appropriate action"...this may not be enough, and we may have to protest more!⊕References

An open area in the 12th cross of JP Nagar Phase I overgrown with weeds was cleared; footpath slabs were laid on the 13th Main in BTM layout, all this within days of a Janaspandana being held in both these areas.Janaspandana, a state government initiative that brings citizens, officials and elected representatives together to fix civic issues, was held in JP Nagar and BTM Layout on 4th and 10th July respectively.In both the events chaired by the local MLAs, residents of the area voiced their problems in front of officials representing different departments of the government.   Footpath upgradation ongoing at…

Many of us know that hundreds of trees are  felled all over the city under the guise of road widening often with no prior approval. Traders, home-owners, street vendors and slum dwellers are  dislocated without appropriate compensation apparently for various infrastructure projects without guarantee that these tasks will meet their proposed objectives and deadlines. If these citizen groups hadn’t intervened, BBMP would have implemented its road-widening scheme launched in 2005 (pic courtesy: Hasiru Usiru/ESG) Knowing that we could either accept or question the largely brazen and undemocratic approach adopted in the name of the city's development, some groups such as…

"The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing." - Natalie Kocsis The Revised Master Plan 2015 of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) designates playgrounds as, ‘premises used for outdoor games’. Bangalore has many such grounds which are managed by the city’s municipal corporation – Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). These grounds have unrestricted access; open play areas with some play equipment and courts, where multiple groups of youngsters are involved in various sporting activities - cricket, football, basketball and some unique hybrid sports. The Akkithimmanahalli playground before the encroachments in June 2008 (pic Rohan D'Souza) These playgrounds…

Yesterday, hundreds of concerned citizens turned up at the spot where BMRCL proposes to have a Metro station inside Lalbagh itself...and had broken down a part of the Lalbagh wall, and felled several eucalyptus trees. They have not yet received permission to do this, so it was illegal, and citizens also reacted emotionally to their greenery being despoiled in this way.Here's the portion of the wall that was broken down:Several police officers were on duty, and they had the unenviable task of keeping the peace while not antagonizing the citizens. Mr Dawood Khan kept a low profile throughout, though he…