The trappings of a city

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: Gurgaon, it won’t be long before it becomes the second Chandni Chowk.

Hardware vs software

Hardware and software are the terms often associated with the field of computers. But in the field of urban development, hardware is often associated with toll roads, large highways, office blocks among others, whereas software relates to the people who inhabit the city. “The hardware may be necessary, but by itself, it does not create vibrant urban eco-systems. If poorly combined, it just creates soulless landscapes that serve neither the social nor the economic needs of citizens. Therefore, our future cities need to have the element of livability,” said Sanyal.

The soft infrastructure often tends to be forgotten, feel urban experts. “The cultural institutions that help a city grow are often forgotten,” says Karnik. Lack of museums in the urbanised and growing cities and the absence of cultural hubs has been a cause for worry.

Phillips Rode, executive director, Urban Age, and associate, Cities Programme, LSE said that there is an urgent requirement for re-prioritising various elements of urban strategy in India. “India needs to shift its focus from urban `hardware’-oriented development. For a city to work, it must focus on the people who inhabit it and not the buildings,” said Rode. India’s urban agenda is a global issue, considering India is the second most populous country in the world. “The cities here are faced with issues of social equity, of overloaded infrastructure and environmental sustainability. The way Indian cities will deal with these problems and how the upcoming cities will be planned can have a decisive impact on the world at large,” said Rode.

City planning is a long-term activity which anticipates future needs of society. “Providing infrastructure after people and activities are in place is fate accompli eg. Unauthorised colonies,” says Dr. Neelima Risbud, professor at School of Planning & Architecture.

The study

The four Indian cities studied (Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore) have a population of almost 35 million people (nearly 78 million including wider metropolitan regions, and National Capital Region), and an economy valued at nearly $360 billion within their agglomerations. These cities grew at different rates in the 1990s. Delhi’s population grew by 70%, Bangalore’s by 38%, Mumbai by 21% and Kolkata by 4%.