Idling under the Neem Tree

  A watershed created by Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre in Anantapur, in Andhra Pradesh where ground water has risen from 60  metres below the ground to 4 - 5 metres below the top soil, thanks to herculean efforts made by NGOs and the Government.  © Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre.  By Malini Shankar Digital Discourse Foundation Planning is central to Smart City governance. Given the iniquitous and unsustainable usage of resources in India today it is no wonder then that Human development is equally skewed. Just one example: While poverty remains unaltered the margin of the runaway millionaire is equally imbalanced in cities. Few millionnaires are guzzling most of the resources driving the impoverished to further abyss. Skyscrapers and gated communities in urban areas embezzle most amount of resources, only sustaining poverty, not uplifting the downtrodden. It is quite literally the manifestation of unsustainable vertical growth as against inclusive horizontal e...

  By Malini Shankar   Digital Discourse Foundation At the core of land use policy (for Smart city governance) or any other public policy related to landscape management is the priorities apportioned to prioritized land use. That asks for verticals of the urban economy to integrate with biodiverse ecosystems for a holistic natural resource management based Climate friendly sustainable economy. For example Climate adapted urban architecture utilizes the natural ecosystem by sequestering Carbon, and auxilerating the green belt sustainably. That means public policy has to clearly define land use priorities: 1.        Central Business District. 2.        Commercial and trade establishments. 3.        Agricultural land / food supply land / water and resources; grazing pens, veterinary hospitals, for livestock, grazing lands, all this must be planned for agricultural band. 4.  ...

  By Malini Shankar  Digital Discourse Foundation  Let’s take a look at zonation in smart city governance today. Common Property Resources (CRP) need to be accessible to all, to every resident from every quarter. So apart from Central Business district, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, roads, public transport infrastructure, CRP should be given easy access to residents of all residential quarters. That means residential areas have to be proportionately planned factoring in Common Property Resources on a Human Development Index. CBD should be purely CBD. Circumambulating the CBD must be CPR like hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, roads, public transport infrastructure, fire services, veterinary hospitals, mental health care institutes, research centres and labs related to public and mental health have to be housed in this band / zone. Parks cultural centres and Recreational zones have to be planned meticulously as per HDI / on a per capita calibra...

  Road planning. By Malini Shankar Digital Discourse Foundation Let’s keep this simple and to the point. Let’s try to understand need for roads in modern city planning. The need for resource planning has never been greater given the population densities and need for development. Roads play a critical role in cities and hinterland today… as they literally provide land and space for the wheels of the economy. Infrastructure, housing, health care, education, telecommunications, urban green cover, the demands on finite resources stretches the human capacity as well as the finite resources themselves. While apportioning land for these overheads road planning assumes that much more significance because roads can provide smoother experience in the above sectors when well planned. Roads should not just be tarred, but cemented and made to endure the elements in a tropical area for atleast five to seven decades. Roads in urban areas have to be designed for smooth transit, saf...