A look at numerous public places reveals myopic thinking displayed by public administrators, and now, by private players.
India’s population is a billion-plus and increasing daily. Our public endeavours are in millions and on a day-to-day basis, we meet at least 10 people.
These numbers are an indication of the challenge Indians face, but policymakers do not seem to recognise this problem.
A look at numerous public places reveals myopic thinking displayed by public administrators, and now, by private players. Our public places are cramped; they provide no scope for interaction and, above all, there are no proper seating arrangements.
John Ruskin said: “The measure of any great civilisation is its cities and a measure of a city’s greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares.” Going by Ruskin’s definition, Bangalore is at the bottom of the list of great cities!
Take for example the newly-opened Passport Seva Kendra on Lalbagh Road. Even though applicants are expected to visit the centre only after an appointment date is fixed, there are scores of people on the Seva Kendra campus. People sit on steps, near the gate, on parked vehicles and compound walls.
Indian psyche is such that we do not go alone or in twos. We are a nation of crowds and we move in herds. Although the seating arrangements at the Kendra could be adequate, the authorities concerned clearly did not plan for the Indian way of thinking and movement.
Have a look at bus shelters. The design was never meant to provide comfort to Bangaloreans, who’re goaded to use public transport. Shelters are built in such a way that they occupy the full length of footpaths, thus blocking movement of pedestrians.
The seating arrangement is of no use to commuters as the benches have no backrest and the side panels block the vision. If you sit, you’re sure to miss the bus and if you stand, then you will block pedestrians.
These issues can be resolved if we had an advisory body on urban space and its management.
Queensland in Australia has the Board for Urban Places. It’s agenda is to champion high-quality urban design and help foster a holistic approach for land use and infrastructure planning to create vibrant and adaptable urban places for people. The board provides general and project-specific advice on urban design, planning, architecture,
landscape architecture, sustainability and built environment issues.
Urban design is key to make a city livable. It is about making connections between people and places, movement and urban form, nature and built fabric. Urban design is derived from, but transcends, planning and transportation policy, architectural design, development economics, engineering and landscape.
Are we there yet? We are in the fastest growing city, but not in a city that thinks about its citizens.
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