Infrastructure

Chennai saw yet another episode of devastating floods recently, bringing back memories of the horror faced during the 2015 floods and made people relive the nightmare of that fateful event. Even the areas that were never flooded before, were inundated this year, say many Chennai residents shocked at the flood water entering their homes. These floods are indicators of poor urban planning that needs immediate course correction. In an interview with Citizen Matters Chennai, Dr S Janakarajan, President of the South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs), Hyderabad and former Professor and Director at Madras Institute of Development…

The Kolis are indigenous to Mumbai, have a deep-rooted connection to the city's coastal areas, living in settlements known as Koliwadas along the coastline. They have a rich cultural heritage and have been traditionally reliant on fishing as their primary occupation for generations. The Koliwadas, once thriving fishing villages, have been facing the looming threat of redevelopment due to various amendments to Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) laws and urban development plans. This threat has put their traditional lifestyle and livelihoods at risk, leading to concerns about preserving their heritage and way of life amid modernisation and urban expansion. In the…

[In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the ongoing practice of manual scavenging in Bengaluru, even though it was officially banned in 1993. Part 2 delved into the main reason for its continuation, which is the lack of awareness about the operation and maintenance of sewage treatment plants (STPs)] In part 3, we explore the functioning of STPs in Bengaluru and how their effectiveness can be enhanced for both the betterment of the environment and to eliminate manual scavenging.  Why are STPs important?  According to Ananth S. Kodavasal, director at Ecotech, who also formulated the STP guide for…

Part 1 and 2 of the series looked at the transformation of Jayanagar from a quaint neighbourhood to a bustling commercial zone. Part 3 explored the street and transit networks in Jayanagar as well as its land use. Part 4 looks at the increase in Floor Space Index (FSI) and building usage. Figure 4.4 The footprint of the built environment in contrast to open spaces of Jayanagar. Pic: Manojna Polisetty Figure 4.4 The footprint of the built environment in contrast to open spaces: On the left is the figure ground map of building footprints, plot lines and unbuilt spaces. On…

Chennai has long been guilty of excluding marginalised communities from the scope of its flagship projects such as Singara Chennai. Explaining this historical marginalisation process, the Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), in its ‘Urban October Campaign’ says that historically, marginalised communities settled near water bodies in Chennai, as these were the only available lands that were neither in demand nor in possession of affluent communities. Forcibly dislocating marginalised and vulnerable families from their places of habitation to the city margins, without exploring possibilities of relocation near their existing sites of residence, is an act of…

Part 1 and 2 of the series looked at the transformation of Jayanagar from a quaint neighbourhood to a bustling commercial zone. Part 3 explores the street and transit networks in Jayanagar as well as its land use. Figure 3.1 The Transportation network of Bengaluru and transit deserts: The arterial roads connect to other cities i.e., Bellary, Tumkur, Coimbatore, Mysuru  and the Old Madras Road. The transit networks also run along these prominent roads, forming a radiating network with concentric roads for internal movement. Pic courtesy: Manojna Polisetty Figure 3.1 shows roads that connect Bengaluru to other cities. These are called arterial…

Bengaluru was once divided into two distinct centres: An urban settlement and a military cantonment. However, in 1948, the two centres merged together to form Bengaluru city corporation for a new, unified Bengaluru city.  Over the following decades, the city experienced large-scale development of public industries in sectors such as telecom, machinery, electronic goods, etc. It also saw the emergence of a large number of residential layouts, which made it a pensioner’s paradise. One such locality is  Jayanagar neighbourhood, which was laid out in 1949. Characterised by numerous art deco bungalows, abundant parks, playgrounds, an accessible schooling system and a neighbourhood commercial…

Keeping the slum dwellers at the core of its planning, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme was initially conceptualised way back in 1995. With about half the Mumbai's population living in informal settlements, the SRA scheme is critical for ensuring better quality housing for all Mumbaikars. The city has about 2149 SRA projects, involving 5,29,434 proposed tenements and 2,49,887 tenements already handed over to people. As we saw in the first part of this series, the buildings are poorly maintained and affecting the not just quality of life but also causing extreme stress to the residents due to various issues.…

The article aims to study a one square kilometer area of Jayanagar in different aspects. It is intended to be a comprehensive essay of the area for planners, designers, sociologists, and residents. It is an analysis of the current scenario of Jayanagar through four different aspects that include setting up historical and spatial context with the city, evolution, street network and land and built use. It provides analyses and inferences to comprehend the growing demand and redevelopment of Jayanagar and how it would further evolve in the coming years. The article draws information from primary surveys, documentation and secondary data…

Mumbai has over 16,000 cessed and dilapidated buildings — some close to a hundred years old — that must be redeveloped. On May 14, 2023, the state government announced that it would constitute a separate authority to push for self-redevelopment of such buildings — a solution to the city’s housing crisis that involves societies of residents living in these buildings undertaking the redevelopment.  Deputy chief minister and housing minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government has set up a particular cell for self-redevelopment to ensure that proposals are approved within three months and deemed conveyance — a significant requirement for such…