Ahmedabad 2030: Designed streets, picturesque lakes

If eminent urban planners and practitioners in Ahmedabad have their way, chances are, by 2030, Ahmedabad may appear as a city with thoughtfully designed streets, outdoor cafes, visually appealing lakes and gardens and dedicated lanes for cycling.  Six architects from the city have their works displayed alongside an international traveling exhibition showcasing vision of ten global sustainable cities. The one-month long exhibition, starting on Tuesday, is being held at Kanoria Centre for Arts.

The architects have rendered their thoughts on the prominent places of Ahmedabad and how the landmarks would look like two decades from now. The exhibition is a part of the launch of Our Cities Ourselves (OCO), a global collaborative programme organised by Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). The international body is a non-governmental organisation promoting transportation solutions worldwide.

The other cities that are part of the exhibition include Budapest, Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Mexico City, New York, and Rio De Janeiro. The exhibition showcases futuristic large-scale images of landmark areas based on ITDP's principles for transport in urban life. The images were created in a collaborative manner with leading urban practitioners and architects.

Shreya Gadepalli, regional director of ITDP said, "Ahmedabad has established itself as a frontrunner in India with projects like Janmarg. OCO creates an opportunity for decision makers and people from various facets of life to come together to envision and create an Ahmedabad that is vibrant, sustainable and provides a great quality of life for all."

The vision of different areas of Ahmedabad, which will demonstrate the present scenario and vision on how they may look like in year 2030, is part of parallel exhibition 'Vision of Ahmedabad.' It will be launched at Amdavad Ni Gufa in association with Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC) with OCO. Artists- Bimal Patel, Kamal Mangaldas, Rajeev Kathpalia, Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel, Aniket Bhagwat and Apurva Amin will also participate in the exhibition.

Madhvi Joshi, Program Director, CEE said, "The OCO process has demonstrated how one can think out of the box to make Ahmedabad a more sustainable and caring city with more spaces for children." ITDP will also be organising a series of events to address urban issues related to traffic and transportation.

"Traditionally, Ahmedabad has a unique participatory approach of growth and this kind of participation will help in evolving of a new Ahmedabad," said Manvita Baradi, director of UMC.