Impact of gated Communities on Bangalore city Development

Gated communities prevent public access around the clock, to their own private land. Fulbright Scholar Renaud LE GOIX Examines Gated Communities in Southern California in a theses submitted by him in July 2003. These gated communities include their own private utilities like gardens, community centers and even star Hotels behind these gates. He however refers to them as a manifestation of “Urban Pathology”. Pathology a medical term means a study of diseases. He also considers them as public space being privatized.
The point I would like to make right away is, “public place being privatized” thought is a myth. On the other hand it is in the public interest that the honest, capable, and well reputed builders of Bangalore should be nurtured and utilized for a planned growth of the city. Urban pathology is also a misnomer. The pathology part is universally applicable to showing off or is it same as making a “statement”!

“Palm Meadows” currently no 1 address in Bangalore, developed by Adarsh Builders contains Tennis courts, a club house, star hotel with swimming pool etc. It has 500 villas built on plots starting with sizes of 2400 sft to 10000 sft. These are exclusive Villas restricted to two floors. Palm Meadows project one of the earliest started in Bangalore, in the last decade of 20th century. Adarsh has something called signature Villas, which is meant to be life time “statement” one would like to make.

When city fathers of Bangalore gave these big chunks of real estate to builders it was a moot point whether or not it should have been given. In fact they went “head over heals” to provide the developers, water of the river cauveri and electricity. Now the BBMP is not in such an envious situation any more. Hope fully the BBMP will be more frugal in the future about the utilization of these scarce resources.

With the above discussions it is easy to comprehend part of gated communities in the development of a city. The most important point that I would like to make at this point is that the BDA should learn an important lesson from these developers and have a relook at their Open communities

Public Vs Private Transport

On September 1 2008, Abhishek Upadhyay wrote that “People should be encouraged to use Public Transport.” I was busy on “Praja” work consequently loosing some time on developing Bangalore on line.

Yes Abhishek that is number one priority for us in Bangalore for that matter the whole globe. This is because the development is taking place at ever increasing pace which is mind boggling. No design can cater for ever increasing number of private vehicles.

However there are several ways to handle the situation of incresed number of vehicles:

1. Have some roads earmarked for only buses.
2. Have dedicated bus lanes instead in all roads
3. Discourage private vehicles by introducing congestion tax.
4. Remove subsidy on fuel totally on private vehicles.
5. Have additional local exclusive Cycle / pedestrian Tracks.
6. Strict Zoning in the future Bangalore city development.
7. Move towards Zoning in existing areas of Bangalore
8. Go for multi modal transport including Metro, Manos and suburban Rail
9. No parking of private Vehicles on public land, including roads
10. Close entry of all residential area roads on to arterial roads, except a few.

Bangalore Traffic Woes, avoid ad hoc solutions please!

Bangalore, keeping in pace with other cities in the world, has grown exponentially over the past half a century. The Key question while planning traffic solutions for such a growing city obviously would be “how to account for possible future growth?” Bangalore has a very good example in the Kempe Gouda Towers. Kempe Gouda had in his wisdom estimated the boundaries of Bangalore and built the Towers known after him.

The lessons, what we in our time should learn are:

1 The boundaries of a growing city are not absolute. They will keep extending.
2 To take care of moving boundaries, the planning should be insensitive to it.
3 Such a methodology, insensitive to the boundaries, should solely cater to the current community traffic, without being affected by its future growth.
4 This requires a through analysis of the basic requirements of a community for (a) its daily needs and (b) its daily activities, at present as well as in the future.
5 The key now is to look forward for these requirements as and when they come up. This new requirements should be catered for without affecting what ever is on the ground.
6 Is such a design possible at all? Is there an example available from which we could draw some principles for such a growth tolerant design?

The examples are plenty in nature. A Tree for example germinates from a seed and grows being stationary at a location in huge proportion to its beginning. The whole blue print is incorporated in its seed for future Proliferation to newer locations. The Human being also grows from a few Kgs to his final mass in due course and so on.

Now coming to the current issue of Bangalore Traffic woes, it is required to address ourselves to Bangalore Traffic as a whole and not piecemeal to be specific. If we solve the problem at one junction the problem is transferred to the next junction and so on. Taking a leaf out of nature’s book there should be no hold up of traffic at all any where. The traffic lights should be made irrelevant. There should be no crossings in major roads at all. All major Roads should be one ways throughout the city. The city means that which is bounded by outer ring road. We should keep in mind this is a temporary assumption.

It is possible to make this model work. The additional incentive is if we make this model work for Bangalore it will be a unique experience in the whole world probably!

Road Map For Bangalore Traffic Optimization Initiative

The First Step is to set the goals both long and short term

The enthusiasm shown in Praja postings on Bangalore traffic was excellent. However there is every chance of not making any progress if we collectively do not agree and quantify to what are our:

1. Objectives/goals
2. Constraints
3. The methodology of solution.

These are simple issues which can be sorted out by public debate. The execution, onthe other hand has several pit falls like

1. Making a proposal plan publicly transparent
2. Objections and impediments by vested interests.
3. Opportunism by not so selfless people in different walks of life.
4. etc.
5. etc.

Let us first agree to what we mean by "The ideal Bangalore Traffic". To start the ball rolling,The ideal Bangalore Traffic means:

1. The daily consumption of transport fuel (carbon foot print) should be the minimum.
2. The total daily time of all the commuters in Bangalore should be the minimum.
3. The cost of implementing a master plan should also be the minimum.
4. Traffic hazards should be eliminated
   

Obviously there may not be one single solution for this problem. We can only have a set of "seemingly" best solutions. We can then choose any one from the available candidate solutions.
Your vote in this regard as shown along side at the top of this post, will be of valuble.
Happy Voting!

Function honoring the distinguished Octogenarians of IISc Alumina.

To day I attended the IISc meeting honoring senior distinguished Alumni. On arrival I handed over my two photographs at the desk, before entering the IISc Senate hall. The IISc convention hall is an excellent piece of design by one of the Octogenarian Alumnae being honored. Prof Dattaguru, the President of the IISc Alumnae association and also the Director of IISc himself both were at the dais. Mr. KR Srinivasan an NAL Scientist and currently an entrepreneur was introducing the distinguished guest. I was in a different world all together listening to the intellectuals narrating their experiences with the Octogenarian Alumnae being honored. Later The Octogenarian himself got up and addressed the gathering.

I can not but narrate the story told by Prof BS Ramakrishna Octogenarian Alumnae. He and Prof Satish Dhavan were at Cubbon Park where they saw Sir CV Raman searching something on the road below a florescent lamp. The Duo went and offered their help to the Nobel laureate, Sir CV Raman, who readily accepted. He asked them to collect the wings of light fly. They collected the same and gave them to Sir CV Raman. He started staring at the florescent lamp, holding the wings to his eyes and asked them to do the same. They were amazed at the spectacle created by the light passing through the insect wing. Now Sir CV asked prof Dhavan whether he had designed any of the finest aircrafts having similar wings.

I could not but believe how lucky I was to day. I got the inspiration to take up the threads of my previous post of July 18 2008 on Traffic Optimization. Hope to make my next post, continuing the same thread of Traffic Optimization where I had left it earlier, a good one.

The "Use Priciple" in action for Bangalore Traffic Police

My good friend Mr. Nanjappa was mentioning some time back his interaction with Mr. Kumaramangalam of world space networking about the parking problem, we the residents of HAL III stage face every day. He, Mr. Kumaramangalam wanted to give a representation to the Police Commissioner (His Friend) Jointly with some residents of our association. The commissioner cannot listen to one individual’s problem, even if it is his friend. Fair enough I thought.
I went to Mr. Kumaramangalam’s Office. I could talk to him very briefly from the road, as he was reluctant to invite me in to his office, as he was very busy, that day. It was not possible to meet him for the whole week too. When I mentioned about Mr. Nanjappa having discussion about the parking problem with him, he was kind enough to let me know that he wanted to give a joint petition to his friend.
Mr. Madhava Rao, who is also a resident of HAL III stage, had a similar problem. Many Taxis were being regularly parked in his road causing nuisance. He could convince the Taxi drivers about his stand on the issue viz “Road side parking in a residential area is only for visitors to the concerned resident’s visitors only per se.” The people of Bangalore including taxi drivers are very reasonable. So is every body else, in any country for that matter. It is only how the citizens put across their point, matters. So now we see that all the taxis have shifted to other roads. Some time to our roads too causing the same anguish Mr. Madhava Rao had.
Now putting the Police Commissioner’s hat let us think
1. A visitor to any person has to park as near by as possible to that person’s residence he is visiting. Be it be on the same road or otherwise.
2. It will be for a reasonably small time, depending on his visit.
3. The Taxis too have to park when they are on duty in that road or when they are not engaged.
4. When Taxis are not engaged the time they park can be longer.
5. Though the Road side parking slots in residential areas are for the public visitors, the Owners Visitors should get the preference.
6. The Ownership of the parking slots rests with the corporation/Government
7. So I (the Police Commissioner) have jurisdiction to regulate the same.
8. But I (the Police Commissioner) am having many other pressing problems.
9. Let the problem get solved by it self.
10. I wish there is some solution. But I don’t have time to find the best.
Now putting a resourceful common man’s hat let us think
1. I want preference to my visitor’s vehicles to park in front of my house.
2. I do not mind others using it at other times.
3. How do I insure my visitor finds the slot empty when he arrives?
4. I can create a parking slot and lock it up.
5. Do I ask the commissioner’s for permission?
6. Is it legal? Can I do it any way?
7. Hay I heard about the “Use Principle” of taxing people!
8. I will join hands with the Commissioner BBMP and we both end up making Money!
9. We share the cost of making a parking slot and the parking fee we charge per hour 50:50. With the BBMP.
10. Problem solved.
-----Ananthram PS A Senior Citizen