The trappings of a city

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: It’s not just fancy roads and buildings that make a city livable. There’s a lot more by way of amenities that add life to it. “By focusing on infrastructure that enhances quality of living, like parks, play grounds and thoroughfares, a city makes the grade,” said Kiran Karnik, president, India Habitat Centre.

More than half of the world’s population (three billion people) lives in cities, according to ‘Integrated City Making’ — a report by the Urban Age programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In India, approximately 300 million people live in urban areas today and account for over 30% of the population, contributing to over 90% of the GDP. It is estimated that India’s urban population is likely to triple in the next two decades, according to the report.

Over the last 50 years, while the country’s population has grown 2.5 times, in the urban areas it has grown by five times, illustrating the fact that city life is an integral part of the economic development process and the country’s progress. Therefore, the manner in which we urbanise is largely going to determine our future.

“A city is more about the people that live in it. And while planning a city, it’s the people that should be thought of first, then the infrastructure needs to be developed,” says Sanjeev Sanyal, regional chief economist, Deutsche Bank and also steering committee member Urban Age and Urban Habitats Forum. A case in point Sanyal mentions is of numerous flyovers being built across the country without sparing any thought to pedestrian walking areas on them.

Similarly, the relatively new areas of Gurgaon, New Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore may have witnessed a deluge of real estate investment over the last decade, but they have failed to create livable urban spaces that really work.