'Urban planning is critical'

Bangalore has witnessed unprecedented growth over the last few decades within the framework of a ‘metropolitan economy’, and with it a growing concern for urban development, and regional and spatial planning. New participatory techniques have been applied to the design and execution of urban plans. Lack of proper urban planning is one of the major causes of urban poverty, social inequality and exclusion.

Such planning becomes imperative in the context of Bangalore, given its fast growing population, in-migrations, lack of basic facilities, growing pressure on land and its increasing value, infrastructural setbacks, unauthorised constructions and haphazard development. A solution can be derived in two ways: the ‘programme’ approach and ‘perspective’ approach. The latter approaches urban problems by examining alternatives in differing situations, clarifies goals and deduces suitable policy measures. Programmes are decided by the validity of these objectives from the implementation perspective.

Urban planning in Bangalore needs to factor in the following ideas:
Sector planning: Urban planners need to consult a variety of stakeholders across sectors like environment, health, housing, sanitation, etc., and formulate long-term objectives for each sector. Frameworks to ensure coherence between the different planning processes must be formulated.

Stakeholder participation and road mapping: An extensive process of stakeholder participation, monitored by experts, is necessary at all stages of planning. Road maps have to be prepared in a participatory manner, to bring together citizens and stakeholders.

Rural-urban integration: Rapid urbanisation on the city’s fringes cannot be ignored, and peri-urban issues need to be addressed. Rapid in-migration burdens housing and other core sectors. Social urbanisation provides the rural poor with opportunities that are perhaps not available in their places. Hence, the relationship between the city and its surrounding rural areas has to be strongly considered, and proposed communications like road, rail and air networks, as well as handling densities of residential areas, both in the center and periphery, must be provided for through urban planning.

Reduce conflict and enhance safety: Urban planning needs a comprehensive initiative to handle issues like law and order, traffic safety, disaster management, community emergency response situations, by-law compliance, environmental sustainability, etc.
Promote ‘urban citizen’s culture’: This includes a wide range of initiatives involving dialogue on citizenship and civic education strategies. The emphasis on ‘social equity’ in the ‘Vision Statement and Directive Principles’ of the city’s revised master plan recognises the criticality of the link between ‘urban planning and social development’. Citizens need to realise that resources are ‘sacred’ and ‘scarce’.

There is need for more transparency in the development process, and measures need to be taken to bring together divergent stakeholders.

In conclusion, urban planning is not enough; implementation is equally critical. The time has come to exchange ‘methodologies’ and ‘experiences’ of urban planning to maximise ‘sustainable urbanisation’. Urban planning in Bangalore should be designed such that it qualitatively benefits the various dimensions of development like ecology, society, economy, culture and spatial dimensions of development with ‘coordinated’ and ‘aligned’ policies. Planners should have the ability to ‘adapt’, since the ‘pace’ and ‘nature’ of urbanisation is also influenced by the reality of globalisation. In short, urban planning and urban development are critical to the process of urbanisation.

The writer is a professor in the department of political science, Bangalore University.