PORTFOLIO AamirAnsari
urbanist placemaker graphic designer social entrepreneur
B
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING LAB
O
Exposure to the preparation of a development plan for an urban area. This studio looks at the planning process through a project of an urban development plan of a small town in Gujarat. A city level development plan, indicating broad direction in which the city would develop and would include statement on the economic base, physical direction of growth, population characteristics envisaged, and ideas about sustainability and equity.
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AAMIR
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KRUPA
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NIKITA
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SHAURYA
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RIDDHI
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Location: Sanand, Ahmedabad Semester VI
1
a low carbon vision for
2025
CONTEXT & DEMOGRAPHICS 28 km From Ahmedabad 35 km From SVPIA, Ahmedabad 27 km From Ahmedabad Railway Station. Area : 40.42 sq.km
Population over the years 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0
1971
1981
1991
2001
2011
Year Population
2021
No. of Households
Decadal Growth
Area (sq. km)
Population Density
1971
18985
3602
32.64%
40.42
470
1981
22465
4493
18.33%
40.42
556
1991
25674
4822
14.28%
40.42
635
2001
32417
6420
26.26%
40.42
802
2011
41511
8628
28.11%
40.42
1027
EXISTING
INFERENCES The Landuse majorly is residential with mixed use along the roads. There is no proper hierarchy of roads in the city together with the lack of footpaths along the State highway which causes safety issues to the pedestrians. The water coverage in the city is 100% whereas there are no sewer and drainage lines. The city has open drains for sewage which flows into the lakes. The solid waste is not treated and disposed to the nearby dumping site (Madhavnagar) making the city prone to environmental issues. The blue infrastructure i.e. the lakes are in deteriorating conditions due to dumping of waste and sewage.
Design of a conventional city heavy dependency on fossil fuels pollution large carriageways
mobility through private vehicles
more sprawl = larger cities
low tree cover lack of public spaces building design conventional
OUR APPROACH
reducing carbon footprint mobility through walking and public transport
increased public realm increased green cover
B
B
compact mixed use development
pedestrian friendly to promote walking
PROJECTIONS AND PROPOSAL Population Projection 120000
100000
98000
80000
65000 60000
AUDA Natural Increase
51906
Projected Population
40000
20000
0
1971 1981 1991 2001 2010 2021
To follow up with the principles and objectives , the zoning is such that there is less commuting distances, access to city level open spaces. Instead of using more land area the same population can be accommodated in our compact scenario for a regulated growth. And the auda dp is a conventional plan as it follows sprawl and the population is also overprojected.
TRAVEL PATTERN
We focused on increasing the number of people walking and cycling using our mobility plan
Low Carbon Strategy: Low-carbon Comprehensive Mobility Plan
THE INVERTED TRIANGLE OF SUSTAINABILITY DENSITY
WALKING DIVERISTY
DESIGN
CYCLING PUBLIC TRANSIT
DISTANCE TO
DESTINATION
TRANSIT
ACCESS
PARA TRANSIT AND CARPOOLING CARS
LCMP ELEMENTS
PROPOSED STREET DESIGN
EBUS
EBUS
6m
2m
0.8m
1.8m
0.8m
1.8m
8.7m
0.8m
1.8m
0.8m
2m
6m
30 m
ELEMENTS CARRIAGE WAY
8.7m
PEDESTRIAN LANE
CYCLE LANE
SETBACK
BUFFER
PRIVATELY PUBLIC
PROPOSED ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION LIG
MIG
HIG
No. of HH
1566
2610
1044
Units of electricity consumed ( 2months, kWh)
142.9(bill amount: Rs 500)
428.6(bill amount: Rs 2000)
857.1(bill amount: Rs 3000)
Total units consumed (kWh)
223714.28
1118571
894857.1
Strategy
Solar Panels • Total residential rooftop area : 54640 sq. m (Taking 25% of the total proposed area) (1 sq. m generates 150 watts of electricity) Sunshine hours : 5.5 hours • Total solar energy generated : 15604132.5 kWh annually • 38.33% of total electricity in residential and commercials can be sufficed through solar power.
Electricity Consumption per HH (kWh) 900
Electricity Sources (kWh)
800 700
60000000
600
50000000
500
40000000
400 300
30000000
Solar
200
20000000
Regular
100
10000000
0 Series1
LIG
MIG
HIG
143
429
857
0 Total consumption
PUBLIC SPACES - LAKES AND STREETS
1.8m
0.8m
2m
10m
gateway space
2-5m
garden
2m
jogging track
2-5m
garden
2m
walkway
lake
PUBLIC SPACES - LAKES AND STREETS • To achieve a clean and sustainable community • Ratings up to 5 stars • Innovations would create a benchmark for the new development • KPIs in Energy, Water, Waste, Materials, etc
sanand
x6
PRESENT
sanand
x0.5
CONVENTIONAL 2025
sanand
LOW CARBON 2025
TRANSPORTATION 3.3
ton/year
137152 2
kms
ton/year
14.1
ton/year
919253 3.5
kms
ton/year
3.1
ton/year
203276 2.2
kms
ton/year
sanand
sanand
x6
PRESENT
x0.5
CONVENTIONAL 2025
sanand
LOW CARBON 2025
INFRASTRUCTURE 2168 CO absorbed
2
43.4
ton/year
2168 CO absorbed
2
43.4
9503 ton/year
CO absorbed
190
2
ton/year
77% increase in abosption
100%
emissions
109
ton/year
Conventional
6%
100%
emissions
190
ton/year
Conventional
emissions
13
ton/year
33% through solar rooftops
NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN LAB Introduction to township and neighbourhood design. To understand and design a piece of land on concepts of urban design and urban planning.
| AAMIR | SHAURYA | MANU | SASWATA | RIMJHIM | SHRAVANI |
Location: Ahmedabad Semester III
2
CONCEPT THEORY
The concept theory was based on 3 spheres which are integrated in the neighbourhood. The concept plan was purely based on creating accessibility to achieve overall community happiness by maximising the infrastructure.
CONCEPT PLAN
We came out with a plan which represeted our vision and vision principles using our concept theory. We wanted a balanaced neighbourhood unit where one could walk easily, live peacefully and achieve a sustainable living in his affordabale housing. We provided a mix of commericial and amenities at the junctions along with green spaces to make corners active. There were additions of open spaces and variety to remove monotonous character of streets.
NEIGHBOURHOOD PROTOTYPE
PROTOTYPE
The basic plan had 8 elements which were designed to function together inorder to promote public life and safety and to create active spaces and edges. Most of affordable housing are dead and unsafe spaces we tried to resolve this fact using placemaking.
STREET SECTION
INTERNSHIP Project for public spaces, New york Urban Vison, Mumbai Public life assessment report and Photo Blogs
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AAMIR
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HIMADRI
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NIKITA
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Location: Mumbai and New York
3
MINDSPACE PUBLIC SPACE | PUBLIC LIFE | PUBLIC ACTIVITY
URBAN VISION LAST REVISED 13-06-2015
Introduction As cities are growing, there is more focus being placed on the public life and the public spaces. The awareness to redefine and rediscover public spaces is being awakened to create more dignified, high quality and people oriented spaces for a sustainable city development. Cities are adopting the best practices from good public spaces to give its public realm a more enhanced version for its residents. Mumbai is a metropolitan city of India with a population of 20.7 million and is altering its character from one decade to another to become a better place to live, work and enjoy. As urbanization is increasing in the city, the ratio of built environment and public spaces has seen a dramatic difference which led to planning and intervening of new public space strategies for making the city more public oriented and pedestrian friendly. A similar initiative is being taken by the Mindspace, which is a neighborhood situated in Malad with an area of approximately 100 hectare the western suburban area of Mumbai to improve and enhance the public realm of the area.
Mindspace | Introduction
2
OVERVIEW The study area is Mindspace. Malad, Mumbai which is an IT hub consisting of BPOs and KPOs together with city level Malls and residential units. The eastern edge of which is the link road connecting the north & south parts of the city and water front on western edge making it more prominent and important.
Location
average walking speed 4.8km/hr
Mindspace | Introduction
4
METHODOLOGY The study unveils an extensive research and analysis of Mindspace, and evaluates the area from the pedestrian perspective to see how the area actually functions and what are the potentials and challenges of it to become people centric. The study consists of four parts which provides significant knowledge of how the area functions and what are the major issues which affect the public life in the area. The intention of the report is to highlight the issues which can be addressed with solutions to make the area a better place for the public and to attract people from all over the city making it more vibrant and cohesive. The Network The Urban Landscape The Culture The People
Location
The study was started in May 2015 till mid June 2015 where the whole area was surveyed in detail for the four parts mentioned above. The field study was done with the help of street diagnosis questions where the streets were observed, documented and it represents descriptive analysis of the actual physical conditions of the area for the pedestrians. The quality of Public Spaces were studied using questions like – How are the existing public spaces? How large are the areas available for pedestrian traffic and public life? What are the conditions and facilities offered to the pedestrians in the area? And in the similar way quality of Public Life was studied using questions like – What is the movement pattern of pedestrians? What are the activities that carry on?
The whole area was divided into ten segments for micro analysis where elements such as activities, streetscape, traffic flow, tree cover, noise levels, pedestrian movement, edge conditions and public realm was documented. Each of these segments were surveyed at different time slots varying from morning peak hours (8.30 – 10.30 am), afternoon (2.00 – 3.30 pm, considering non peak hours) and evening peak (5.30 – 8.00 pm). The area was also observed and documented for weekends to see the difference in activity patterns from weekdays.
Mindspace | Methodology
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Analysis the network
Pedestrian Accessibility Pedestrian accessibility in the area covers a lot of issues. Lack of pedestrian signage and pedestrian way finding also causes safety issues for the pedestrian making the movement difficult and tedious. Absence of ramps and slopes in the area makes it inaccessible for disable people. The analysis on the page depicts how the pedestrian flow is interrupted due to bad quality of sidewalks, street elements, trash and the design of the driveways and entry/exit points. The study area has 25 collision points showing the condition of pedestrian flow. Though at places there is good accessibility to some extent due to good designing of driveways but lacks signage. The various issues in the pedestrian accessibility bring a thought that are the streets designed for cars or for people?
COLLISIONS INTRUPTION BY DRIVEWAYS INTRUPTION BY STOPS OTHERS
LOW ACCESSIBILITY MEDIUM ACCESSIBILITY HIGH ACCESSIBILITY
Interuption because of bad slope of driveways and construction debris
On street parking and lack of pedestrian pathways forcing people to walk on roads
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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Vestibulum eu sapien at diam fermentum dapibus. Aliquam imperdiet urna congue justo rhoncus sagittis. Sed non porttitor dui. Integer sit amet faucibus augue, convallis iaculis velit. Maecenas rhoncus lacinia tortor quis vulputate.
Pedestrian Crossing The pedestrian crossing is also a vital aspect in pedestrian accessibility. The provision of pedestrian crossing enables safety, organized pedestrian movement and legibility for disable people. The lack of pedestrian crossings and signals can lead to serious problems and hence should be provided in areas where there is high pedestrian flow and pedestrian activities. The map on the page shows the places which have pedestrian crossings and signals together with places that lack the same. Surprisingly, the link road which contains heavy traffic movement and pedestrian movement lacks pedestrian markings/ zebra crossings even if there is pedestrian signal which makes it unsafe for pedestrians during peak hours. The inner intersections also lack pedestrian crossings and signage, which again questions on the safety of the people.
CROSSING -
PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL NO PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL
On street parking and lack of pedestrian pathways forcing people to walk on roads
The site lacks zebra crossings, pedestrian signages and signals. As a result pedestrians have difficulties in crossing amidst the chaotic traffic conditions on junctions and high speed traffic movement on inner segments.
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING NO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
-
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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Waterfront
Malad Mindspace is situated on the waterfront on its western edge making its location prominent. The waterfront is disconnected from the neighborhood which can be seen as a major challenge for revitalization of the public realm. The waterfront is not managed and maintained and acts as a dead edge to the area losing its potential to be a great public space and activity centre.
High traffic movement on the waterfront road further makes it more unsafe for people who are using it even though it’s underutilized. The presence of park on the waterfront also act as an attraction to the pedestrians or visitors but due to the abandoned waterfront edge the park remains empty with very few activities happening in and around it. There are vacant land parcels along the waterfront edge which possess a potential to be developed in such a way that adds vibrancy to the area and indeed activates the waterfront.
Presently the waterfront edge is not explored to its fullest potential which if developed can act as city level public space and give Mindspace an identity.
Aerial View of the creek and Mindspace
Mindspace | Analysis
The current condition of the creek
Waterfront road with no activities and dead edges.
9
Public Transit Mindspace caters to alot of traffic which includes mainly the office-goers and shoppers. The mindspace has a culture of people using autorickshaws and taxi services right outside their offices mainly due to poor services of bus and low frequency. There are more rickshaw and taxi stands which were organically created as mindspace developed. Here the map shows the accessibility of public transist in the area. Ideally a bus stop should be located near 400 mts of walking distance from the point of start. If its within the reach the person finds it comfortable to use a public transport system. Link road is quite accessible to bus stops while the area inside mindspace is not.
LEGEND BUS STOP RICKSHAW/TAXI STOP BUS STAND
RICKSHAW/TAXI STOP
LOW ACCESS
HIGH ACCESS
BUS STOP / STAND
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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SURFACE TRAFFIC VOLUMES The Link road on the eastern edge of the study area has heavy traffic flow as it is one of the major north– south connector of the city. The heavy traffic movement lowers down the quality of the area affecting the pedestrian movement and creating noise and air pollution. The water front road acts as an alternate route for the link road triggering high speed traffic movement which is not acceptable as it acts as a constrain to the pedestrian flow. The east – west street segment of the area connecting the link road and waterfront road has comparatively less traffic movement but the speed of the traffic is a challenge for the safety of pedestrians. The pedestrians are the ones which suffers the negative outcomes of the traffic movement. The more the traffic movement the lower is the quality for pedestrians which is the result when streets are planned for cars and not for people.
TRAFFIC VOLUME LOW MEDIUM HIGH
N Heavy traffic on one of the junctions on link road 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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DRIVEWAYS The quality and design of driveways plays an important role in the pedestrian flow of an area. When the drive ways are good, pedestrian flow is aided and safety is taken care of. Bad driveways act as collision points for the pedestrian movement. The map shows the existing driveways in the area and their quality showing the points where pedestrian movement is are conflicted are.
DRIVEWAYS GOOD DRIVEWAYS BAD DRIVEWAYS
BAD Driveways without diserable slope acts as an hindrance for pedestrians.
GOOD Some of the better driveways within the area
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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100
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Noise Levels The sound in an area has an important role in the overall ambiences and environments for public life. Unexpected and undesirable sound which is not acceptable to the hearing limit of human ear is known as noise. There are different acceptable noise level standards based on landuse patterns. According to the Central Pollution Control Board for residential area are 55 db during day time and 45 during the night time and for commercial is 65 db during day and 55 during the night time. The noise map on the page shows range of noise levels generated by taking noise levels at 15 different places through the phone application and thereby plotting them to analyze the current noise pollution levels of the area.
NOISE LEVELS > 90 dB
The areas closer to the link road junctions are observed to have higher level of noise levels making the public life uncomfortable. The noise levels on the residential streets are also seen to be higher than the standard thus leading to noise pollution. The waterfront edge has the lowest noise levels due to inactiveness and lack of activities.
81-90 dB 71-80 dB 61-70 dB 51-60 dB
There is alot of construction noise near the water front and inner segments. High speed traffic due to vacant streets contribute to the noise in the area.
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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On Street Parking On street parking is one of the major concerns in the area as it is seen almost on all the segments making the carriage way less for the vehicles. Surface parking makes the street segment unattractive thereby affecting the public realm as the pedestrian flow is obstructed by the parked vehicles on some sidewalks. The on - street parking along both the sides of the road makes the streetscape dull and thereby lowers the quality of pedestrian environment.
PARKING PARALLEL PARKING PERPENDICULAR PARKING ANGLE PARKING DISCONTINUED PARKING
On street parking reducing the carriage ways and adding to the dull edges of the neighbourhood.
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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Land Use and Building Heights The landuse is a well mixed of commercial, residential unit, open spaces as parks and recreational centre. The commercial units have BPOs, KPOs, retails, cafes, restaurants and malls whereas the residential units have apartments. The neighborhood also consists of two city level shopping centers within the distance of a kilometer. The building heights in the area vary from 3 meters to 105 meters i.e. ground floor to 35 floors. The residential buildings are taller as compared to commercial buildings. Due to tall buildings the density is high in the area. The taller buildings are located on the inner side of the area away from the linking road.
Inner part of area includes mostly offices, there are few residentials in the area. The link road is rich in shops and malls and alot of mixed use buildings
LAND USE RESIDENTIAL
HEIGHTS
MIXED USE
LOW RISE
SPORTS CLUB
MID RISE
HOTELS
HIGH RISE
SHOPPING OFFICES OPEN SPACE VACANT LAND ROADS
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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Trees And Open Spaces There are varieties of trees in the area. Magroves occupy the area near the creek which are in bad condition due to dumping of waste annd buring of leaves. The public open spaces in the area are the three parks which are visually attractive and well maintained. These spaces are used by the people for jogging and morning walks during early mornings and as recreational spaces during evenings. Also, the presence of water channel in the area is a big challenge to be converted into a public open space.
1
2
LEGEND TREES PUBLIC SPACES
Neem tree
Rain tree
3
4
Almond tree
Peepal tree
5
6
Palm tree
Coconut tree
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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MICROCLIMATE Green cover and vegetation enhance the streets in an area together with the pedestrian experience. The tree cover also influences the micro-climate of the place comforting pedestrians during hot seasons with decreasing noise pollution. The tree cover in the study area is sparse and disconnected. The tree cover on the sidewalks is very less on the inner segments which do not balance the hardscape of the area. Mangroves and vegetation is found on the waterfront road which makes the micro-climate more pleasant compared to other places in the area.
LEGEND TREES PUBLIC SPACES WELL SHADED RELATIVELY COOL
There are well shaded areas where the it is actually feel the difference of heats in hot summers, while some areas dnt have any trees hence making it very uncomfortable to walk
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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EDGE CONDITION The edge of the built environment influences the public life in the area. The more active the edge conditions the more people it attracts. These edges become the points of activity generator making an area more vibrant. The edges in the study area are the boundary walls of the buildings or tin sheets due to on-going construction which are mostly dull and inactive on the inner segments and the waterfront road. These edges disconnect the public life with the built environment and give an unattractive experience to the pedestrians. The lack of vibrant edge creates a feeling of insecurity thus reducing the amount of time spent in the public realm by the pedestrian. There are pleasant street edges which are due to eateries, hawkers and attractive boundary walls (e.g. the paradigm building edge). The vibrant edges are seen on the Link road due to presence of economic vitality and malls attracting more people.
EDGES DULL PLEASANT VIBRANT
Left: One of the few edges in the area with planter beds, where people find place to sit. It is well lit, the mixed use of the building make it more active. Top: Dead edges and walls discourages people to walk or use that area making the road more undesirable for pedestrians.
N 0
50
100
200
300
STREET SECTIONS 10
Link Road (Segment 9) 9
2.5m
12.3m
3-5m
Property Sidewalk On line Street Parking
12.3m
1m
Carriage way
Median
3-5m
Carriage way
2.5m
On Sidewalk Property line Street Parking
Water front Road (Segment 10)
2.5m Property line Sidewalk
Mindspace | Analysis
10.75m
1m
Carriage way
Median
10.75m Carriage way
2.5m Proposed sidewalk
Mangroves
Waterbody
23
STREET SECTIONS
5
Infinity Mall Road (Segment 5)
2
2.5m Property line Sidewalk
10.95m
0.5m
Carriage way
Proposed Median
1
2.5m
10.95m Carriage way
Proposed Property line Sidewalk
MDP Road (Segment 1)
Goregoan - Mulund Link Road (Segment 2)
Existing Infomal
Property line
5m
1m
Parking
Sidewalk
Mindspace | Analysis
7.5m Carriage way
0.5m
7.5m
1m
Median
Carriage way
Sidewalk
1.5m
5m Parking
Property line
Property line Proposed Sidewalk
7.4m Carriage way
0.5m
7.4m
Median
Carriage way
1.5m
Proposed Property line Sidewalk
24
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MATERIAL PLAN There are variety of materials that are used for sidewalks and boundary walls in the area as seen in the map and photographs. Some materials on the sidewalk are attractive such as the ones on the waterfront sidewalks whereas some act as dull edges like the tin sheets as boundary walls.
MATERIALS INTERLOCKING BLOCKS PAVER BLOCKS PAVER BLOCKS (HEXAGONAL) NO FOOTPATHS DRAIN COVERS MEDIAN
Clockwise: Hexagonal Paver blocks, Interlocking blocks, Median, Paver blocks Square, Drain Covers
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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STREETSCAPE Pleasant streetscape can be categorized as being comfortable, attractive, clean, transparent, appropriate wide sidewalks and other street elements such as street lights, signage, public seating etc. that creates a cohesive environment for pedestrians. The map shows the streets which are good, average and bad based on the parameters of cleanliness, safety, overall attractiveness, maintenance and with street elements. Majority of the street segments in the area are average as they lacks proper street elements and above mentioned criteria. The street segment of the Paradigm Building is seen to be a good street as it has all the street elements together with attractive edges and cleanliness. The street is also maintained properly.
LEGEND BAD AVERAGE GOOD
XYZ
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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LIGHTING CONDITIONS Security is necessary in the development of an area for public life. Lighting plays an important role to enhance the public life during late evenings for the people to feel safe and comfortable. The map on the page shows areas which are well lit, dim lighting and no lighting on the basis of street lights and surrounding luminance. The waterfront street has certain segments with no street lighting making it in active, quiet and empty during evenings.
LEGEND NO LIGHT DIM WELL LIT
General street condition all around the area, where pedestrian areas get the least light.
N
XYZ 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASSETS Social and culture of a place are the identity aspects of the area and the people living in it. Mindspace destinations are mostly lined along the Link road which demands for more spaces on the waterfront edge to enhance the public realm of the area. This area has three city level malls namely Hypercity, Inorbit and Infinity mall which houses cinema theatres each and remain active for the maximum time of the day. The area has different spaces that vary with their functions and are diverse in activities. The most used assets are the malls and restaurants by the office goers and other people in the area whereas the waterfront is the most neglected and least used asset. As mentioned, the activities evolve around these assets attracting people of all age groups and different group sizes.
ASSETS INFORMAL CAFES/RESTAURANTS RETAIL MALLS PARKS CLUB
N Informal Sector prevailing outside offices
Waterfront garden gazebo 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTS The pedestrian crossing is also a vital aspect in pedestrian accessibility. The provision of pedestrian crossing enables safety, organized pedestrian movement and legibility for disable people. The lack of pedestrian crossings and signals can lead to serious problems and hence should be provided in areas where there is high pedestrian flow and pedestrian activities. The map on the page shows the places which have pedestrian crossings and signals together with places that lack the same. Surprisingly, the link road which contains heavy traffic movement and pedestrian movement lacks pedestrian markings/ zebra crossings even if there is pedestrian signal which makes it unsafe for pedestrians during peak hours. The inner intersections also lack pedestrian crossings and signage, which again questions on the safety of the people.
pedestrain movement towards boriwali inorbit mall
towards andheri
Mindspace | Analysis
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ACTIVITY More the activities, more the area is active and safe due to movement of people and eyes on streets. Different spaces cater to different activities and add to the character of an area. Mindspace area also has a variety and diversity in the activities due to its diverse landuse. The survey of the activities shows how the area is used by the people and what type of place they prefer to spend their time. The popular used spaces in the area are the malls, the moderate are the informal and restaurants and the least is the water front edge.
WEEKDAYS SOCIAL ACTIVITIES INFORMAL ACTIVITIES COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES ANTISOCIAL ACTIVITIES PHYSICAL ACTIVTIES WAITING FOR TRANSPORT SEATING
Mostly the activities are routine. We observed majority of young adults were engaged in these activities with very few children and old age people. There is alot of smoking in public areas and streets in the area
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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ACTIVITY The activity pattern was documented on weekends and weekdays at different times to see how same spaces are used differently on different times and days. The activities in the area can be categorized into physical, social, commercial, informal, anti – social, waiting for transport and sitting. Each street has different amounts of these activities and the different number of people. The informal, social and commercial activities are mainly by the office people who spend their time during break hours near the commercial spaces. Families and children are seen near malls and sports club on Link road. Senior citizens are found during early mornings doing routine activities of walking and exercise in the area. It can be clearly observed by the map that during weekends there were less people than weekdays. The youth on the other hand are found hanging around eateries and restaurants, together with parks in weekends. Anti – social activity is seen to be a major concern in the area as 60% of the people, predominantly the office goers are found smoking on the street as smoking is banned within the office premises. Overall the pedestrian activities are seen limited in the area due to no vibrant spaces available and attractive character in the space.
WEEKEND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES INFORMAL ACTIVITIES COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES ANTISOCIAL ACTIVITIES PHYSICAL ACTIVTIES WAITING FOR TRANSPORT SEATING
N 0
Mindspace | Analysis
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A WATERFRONT IN THE MAKING A Walk Along the East River Walk in NYC, from South Street to 14th Street
RECLAIMING THE RIVERFRONT The east side waterfront in Lower Manhattan has been very significant for the city of New York and the entire country for many reasons. Only in the past few decades, however, has the city begun to see these old ports and their surrounding areas as opportunities for great public spaces — as exciting destinations for city residents and visitors alike. The following are my initial observations and experiences as a Placemaker and observer in this part of the city. The transitions you see between the NYC Financial center, older residential neighborhoods, and the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges, make this a dynamic and appealing place to be. A walk through the area is a great way to capture and experience the public life and activity on this waterfront of Manhattan.
SOUTH STREET SEAPORT DISTRICT - BIKE, WALK, TALK, RELAX, LOOK! This part of the River Walk is characterized by tourists trying to catch the cold breeze of New York’s South Sea Port, and the bustle of ferries connecting Manhattan with Liberty Island, Governors Island, and Ellis Island. Because of its proximity to the financial district, you can find a lot more people using the public spaces in this area, especially during the lunch hour.
EAT AS YOU GO The life of any public space is deeply tied to the availability and variety of food options within it. To satisfy the on-the-walk munchies, there are several places dispersed along the waterfront where you can find a street vendor selling classic American hotdogs, or if you prefer, you can eat a full meal at the restaurant or enjoy a leisurely cocktail. As you walk along the historic neighborhoods of New York towards Fulton Street, you are bound to come across several tempting food options in the area known as South Street Seaport. If you are not in it for the food, you might stay for the people watching. Overall, this area is indeed a powerful public space.
HEALTH AND FITNESS IN PUBLIC SPACE People seem to feel quite comfortable walking, jogging, or cycling along this waterfront (aside from certain areas that are dominated by either transportation corridors or underutilized pockets waiting for revitalization). In addition to the linear movement along the edge, outdoor fitness equipment can be spotted along the way, which also serve as places to rest or linger. You may even find little children using them!
FISHING, SPORTS The waterfront caters to the various recreational needs of the residents in the area, and it is dotted with basketball courts, ball parks, and soccer fields. Teenagers can be found skating while others play or exercise. As for quiet recreation (sometimes a necessity), the East River Walk is a great place for fishing as well.
BROWSING THE HISTORY While walking the riverfront, you will come upon three bridges with historical significance, and if you don’t know anything about them, information plaques are easy to spot. There are enough places to sit around these areas, so that you can linger, take photographs, and enjoy the beautiful skyline of Brooklyn and Queens. Not only are these bridges magnets for tourists, they also act as destinations along the waterfront.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Certain areas along the waterfront feel too constrained or restricted by design, and because of this they often receive little to no use. For example, one section of the waterfront is separated from the residential area by a wide highway, which acts as both a physical and visual barrier for pedestrians. There is also a lack of wayfinding on the waterfront, which makes it extremely challenging for visitors to maneuver this area once they reach a certain point.
A PLACE OF YOUR OWN
The success of a public space should not be measured by sheer numbers alone, but also by how well it serves the people. East Riverside has something for everyone. When you need a quiet place from the bustle of the city, portions of the east riverfront can be the perfect place to be. With children playing in the garden and people walking dogs or just sitting by the river, it really feels like you have a little area to yourself.
4 PLACEMAKERS INDIA
www.placemakersindia.org
Organisation dedicated in creating importance of public life and public spaces through placemaking. Based on the ideology of Fred Kent, Jan Gehl and William H. Whyte Our strong point is we have been continuously studying urban life, urban lifestyle since our undergrad schools which led this social start-up of Placemakers India with me as a founder. We help citizen of the city to improvise the spaces and transform, create a better sustainable urban space. Lively and a healthy urban spaces places a key role in improvising a life of people in a city. We are already groomed with the challenges faced in today’s urban spaces. The main focus of our group is to promote and create a better urban future for people, with better urban spaces incities which are designed to live together. Our team has huge potential in dealing with crowded urban spaces as we understand these spaces the best since we are born and brought up in these spaces. With our inclusive approach and idea of citizen control, we aim to create better public life, better businesses and better cites.
PREFACE The students of CEPT University are under-graduate Urban Planning students with keen interest in the process of community participation and development. The initiative was a self-driven initiative where the students were involved in every aspect of the entire public participation and community development process; right from the stage of identifying the stakeholders to preparing and implementing a plan for them. For the first phase of their initiative they were funded by the student body council of Faculty of Planning, CEPT University. Further, for the upcoming phases, other means of funding would be looked upon. The students plan to take up the initiative further and implement the second phase of Placemakers India with a different set of stakeholders and at the same time plan to keep improving their first phase. The team would also like to explore the idea of implementing this model at a city level with the involvement of other stakeholders. The students, with an educational background of Urban Planning, also tried to bring in their academic knowledge to tackle the issues that came up along the process and thus tried to incorporate their learning with their practical approach. Thus, the students used a combination of their academic learnings as well as some of the tactical field knowledge in the Placemaking process. With this initiative, not only the community was benefited but the students also gained insight into the daily struggles of the street vendors and other stakeholders.
There is difference between a street and a road..but we use them interchangeably. The University street is located in Ahmedabad’s educational precinct, the street is 24 meters wide with 5 meters wide stretch occupied with street vendors. The street is access point to many institutions in the neighborhood. Only in past Olympiad the usage of road has increased due the institutions and the street vendors, which has demanded for re-looking into the street design- as street (for the people to use).
UNDERSTANDING THROUGH EXISTING The street undergoes transition throughout the day and the street is famous as a food joint. The Informal street vendors are the gap builders between the customers and the formal food vendors, they offer more choices for the customers at much modulated rates. In order to study and implementation of pilot project, we took 100m stretch of the university road and aimed at converting into public oriented design for it to become street. This part of the street , Walk is characterized by 19 vendors with there street carts and there more than 500 customers everyday trying park and eat , the bustle of vehicles because of its proximity of connecting all universities and institutions you can find a lot more people using the public spaces in this area, especially during the late morning hours and early evening hours. We did the placegame and behaviour mapping to map out details and understand the aspects of street so as to include it in the design process. Certain elements and parts felt constrained or restricted due to design and often has received less usage.
VOICES ! HEARD AND WRITTEN The process of implementation of the design started with community consultation where the team made presentation and many to many consultation on the issues and possible design or modification required. Also the call ‘ How can we create this street ‘ and ‘ What do you want to see on this street’ posters for the customers or the other stakeholders of the street.
PREP WORK The preparation work included identification and ordering of the street elements. The stretch was demarcated and markings were made for the vendors and the vehicles(for parking). The elements were all varied and colorful. the preparatory work was all cheerful also the vendors participated in displacements and positioning of the elements, plantation and cleaning the space. It was really wonderful to see people coming out and helping us in making this street a better place! Some of the work (most of it) took place starting the midnight!
MAKING A DIFFERENCE For we had introduced some aspect of placemaking. We really made a difference. For the first time we learnt what really public engagement process is. What really is a community driven process. The results were more fascinating. The community and the vendors really considered the place as their own which helped this project to be more successful. For now we see the place being more clean as more people have considered their responsibility to make it clean. Well most of them have parked their vehicles in the lines which act as a siting place for themselves! The place have never been so much attractive before. Clean and attractive that what the community wanted!
MIN(D)ING THE POTENTIAL an attempt to placemaking
See the full report here on issuu:
http://issuu.com/aamiransari/docs/placemaker_report. compressed/1
Photoblog on exposure:
h t t p s : / / p l a c e m a ke r s . ex p o s u re . c o
Min(d)ing the potenial
Placemakers India
CEPT UNIVERSITY
URBAN TRANSPORT DEBATE: Bus Rapid Transit System in Delhi (Paper) Urban Governance CEPT University
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AAMIR
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Location: New Delhi
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Abstract
BRTS is considered to be a problem solving thing in urban transportation, as a result the Govt. of Delhi tried to implement in the country’s capital so as to ease its traffic problems. The paper talks about a study of various BRTS in Delhi, what caused it failure or success and what are the lessons learned from it.
Introduction
India being the 2nd largest country in the world is expected to become the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2025 just behind US and China. In terms of growth it is the second fastest growing major economy in the world. Transportation in India is large and varied sector of the economy. Cars have replaced buses and cyclists have switched to two-wheelers, on the other side the road space have barely increased. To curb this trend, it is necessary to make public transport system more widespread and convenient in terms of travel comfort and speed. Of the available public transport modes, BRTS is increasingly preferred because of its huge cost advantage and flexibility. Looking at various BRTS in different countries, its success and failures, it resulted in its acceptance as the main transport mode in India through JnNURM. It was followed by the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006, which emphasised safe, quick, reliable, affordable and sustainable accessibility for India’s growing cities. There are about 10 Indian cities which have shown interest in the idea of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and many of them are in either in stage of planning or implementing the system.
What is BRTS?
Bus rapid transit (BRT, BRTS, Busway) is a bus-based mass transit system. A true BRT system generally has specialized design, services and infrastructure to improve system quality and remove the typical causes of delay. Sometimes described as a “surface subway”, BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of light rail or metro with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system. It is basically a High Capacity Bus System with dedicated lanes. It is same as metro with a flexibility of a bus system. Some key features of classic BRTS: • A dedicated bus lane • Priority treatment at intersections • Off bus fare collection • Large Buses with multiple doorways • High frequency • GPS • Comfortable and safe bus stations, air conditioned buses with comfortable seats. “What is Bus Rapid Transit?” Select Bus Service website. NY Metropolitan Transit Authority. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
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DELHI BRTS
Delhi often referred as ‘city of flyovers’ where in there were number of flyovers were built to ease the traffic condition on the road in the last decade. Flyovers and underpasses along with expanded road spaces were seen as a symbol of progress and speed and were thought of increasing mobility in Delhi. The city was aiming to create private vehicle oriented infrastructure, the public transport was neglected. Pedestrians were now treated as most marginalized commuters on the road. Increased private vehicles has not just reduced mobility to large section of people but also increased the pollution level and journey time. In spite of poor quality of services, more than two thirds of the city population depends on public transport mainly buses as mode of transit. Affordability is a major factor that cannot be ignored, and public transport provides this feature of universal accessibility to all people. In 2002, Supreme Court issued an order to convert all diesel buses into CNG. The action aimed to reduce the pollution in Delhi. In August 2008, the average total suspended particulate level in Delhi was 378 micrograms per cubic meter. Which is around 5 times the WHO’s standard. Hence people in Delhi were inhaling 5 times more poisonous gases. To address all these issues, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) envisioned an Integrated Multi Modal Network of Public Transport System consisting of network Metro, Mono rail Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). They aimed to deliver high quality public transit so as to provide a long term solution to city’s ever growing traffic and parking problems.
Figure 1 Proposed BRT corridors of Delhi Source: TRIPP, 2005, p. 6
Planning of BRTS in Delhi
The Master Plan of Delhi (MPD), 2021 cited that the city is known for its traffic problem, poor air quality and road accidents which are expected to worsen. Therefore the master plan recommends to improve the mass transportation in the city with various modes. The idea to improve the bus system was inspired by various events back in 1995, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started a study to reduce the pollution in Delhi and a subsequent study by the transport department for the safety of cyclists, for GNCTD. In 2002 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) along with Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) and Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised an international workshop in Delhi, which came to a consensus to build BRTS in Delhi. A committee mainly comprising of Delhi Government officials, IIT Delhi and DIMTS, was formed to study the sustainable transport option for the city and this committee recommended a dedicated central lane on six corridors for BRTS. In 2004, the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) a Government of India owned engineering consultancy company, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure was given a contract to develop a DPR along with construction details for the first corridor. An order was also placed for the first six low-floor buses. In 2005, GNCTD organised another international conference to examine the design, and the suggestions of the experts were incorporated. The BRTS was first termed a ‘High Capacity Bus System’. In 2006, the GNTCD established the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to oversee the establishment of public transport systems in Delhi. In 2006, the construction of the first corridor started (TRIPP, 2008). The planning for the Delhi metro system had already started in 1998. But, it was decided to go ahead with BRTS arguing that the most developed cities in the world, in spite of having well-developed metro networks, also have bus systems that cater to a large number of people as compared to metro (Kishore, 2009). The DIMTS had the task not just to coordinate the entire public transport system of the city but also to attract the private bus operators. It takes care of operation, maintenance, monitoring, specification and standards for the buses and the performance of the staff. RITES is the project management consultant and Transport Research and Injury Prevention Programme (Tripp) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi was the technical and conceptual advisor. GNCTD and IDFC were the financiers with equities of 50:50. In October 2006, the construction work started. And the stretch from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand has been under trial sun since April 20, 2008.The main agencies involved in managing the transport sector in Delhi are 1.
State Transport Authority, which does registration of vehicles and routing of public transport services
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Public Works Department (PWD) of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which constructs and maintains roads
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DTC, which is the operator of the public bus system
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Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which constructs roads in newly planned areas
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National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which constructs and maintains National Highways
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Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which is responsible for the Metro Rail
7. DIMTS, which is a joint venture by Delhi government transport department and IDFC, and has been created for operation and management of new BRTS corridors. 8. RITES, a Government of India owned engineering consultancy company, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure was given a contract to develop a DPR along with construction details for the first corridor.
Issues and Challenges DESIGN ISSUES
Delhi BRT was designed on equitable bases for all types of vehicles, hence the road space was allocated equally without any proper design constraints. It seemed the road design was faulty. A divided 6 lane arterial road that needed widening to cope with growing traffic was actually shrunk by 7 metres. This major blunder worsened things. Cars and 2 wheelers play on cycle lanes and also higher fatal accidents. Looking at Bogota’s BRT which has 4 lane bus corridor and 6 lane road for cars and 2 wheelers against Delhi’s 2 lane for buses and 4 lanes for cars. It was a wrong implementation problem. It was observed when the pilot project was initiated that the junctions were congested during peak hours and hence the buses would pile up. The road design was totally in flaw and needed a major redesign.
BUS OPERATIONS
The frequency of the buses were very low. There were constant requests to introduce more buses on the routes as the buses were overcrowded in the evening. The drivers were untrained to run such high tech buses and also there were many cases of accidents reported which really created a negative impact on the users about the safety. The congestion at junctions due to carried mixed use traffic hampered the speed of the buses. Low frequency and slow speed were the reasons people preferred other modes and hence the modal shift was not much.
TRAFFIC SIGNALS
The traffic signals were not stable. Either they were manually being handled or the signal phasing was not proper hence the operations were inefficient. Manual and automatic systems had conflicting and dangerous signal phases. The number of accidents increased on the stretch and the congestion also increased.
SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE
A BRT system can never be developed in isolation. There has to be integration of carious transports with the system and must have supporting infrastructure like: Parking facility. Floor over bridges, etc. Also there was no coordination before between the state run buses, Delhi bus service, Delhi BRT and Delhi Metro. The officials were not able/not willing to coordinate with each other to create a multi modal transport integration.
TRAFFIC DISCIPLINE
Lane discipline which in India is not followed anywhere is a key requirement for a successful BRT. Hence due to haphazard traffic movement there were regular damage to structures. Also a large number of vehicles mainly scooters and motor cycles were entered into the cycle and pedestrian lane. Strict laws were not there to penalize the violators. A large number of accidents were reported during the last five months of the pilot project resulting a negative image among the society which created a resist against the BRT system.
CONTROVERSIES
BRTS in Delhi have been facing wrath of many people and NGOs. Constantly it has been under pressure to dismantle it down. The legality of the BRTS system was challenged in 2012. It was first challenged in Delhi High court which initially ruled that private vehicles should be allowed the use of bus lanes on a temporarily basis. It was taken to Supreme Court of India against this ruling and as a result the high court ruled in favour of the system and kept it in place. New Delhi October 18, 2012: The Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) welcomes the judgment from the division bench of Justice Pradeep
Nandrajog and Justice Manmohan Singh of Delhi Court today in the public interest litigation on Delhi bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The judgment has dismissed the writ petition without any specific order but highlights the mobility crisis and upholds the guiding principles for sustainable transportation. Still there are no orders from the Supreme Court and the results are shaky but Delhi BRTS is being on the verge of dismantling down. .Delhi bus corridor stays, for common man’s sake”. 2010-10-18. The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking scrapping of the 5.8-km bus rapid transit stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand in south Delhi, saying it was “not an irrational decision” but taken with an eye on the future 2
http://www.cseindia.org/content/cse-welcomes-delhi-high-court-judgment-delhi-brt
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LESSONS LEARNT To ensure that BRTS becomes a success in the Indian cities, and not just a symbol of urban development and status, it has to learn from the early movers in India as well as experience from the other countries. Some of these are as follows: Political Concerns: It is very difficult to implement BRTS because it is conceived as a system that reduces the percentage of privately owned vehicles, hence can face a lot of resist from the people. Strong leaders: With the oppositions against the system a strong and visionary leader is required to hold and take responsibility, as well as to deal with the oppositions. Bogota was a great example where the mayor took the lead. India can have such leaders who can change our cities. Context: Delhi has shown that the street hawkers can be accommodated can be a significant part of stakeholders which is a great thing of Delhi BRT making it more inclusive. Intensive Training: BRTS in Delhi lacked trained staff. Hence intensive training of police, bus drivers, operators, traffic and system planners and an awareness campaign for types of users is necessary to make the system work properly. Efficient traffic management and enforcement of discipline: It is essential to address key issues like traffic violations which is prevailing not only in Delhi but all parts of India. A strong driving sense and discipline is required for the system to work efficiently. A separate BRTS regulation act may be necessary to enforce traffic discipline. Efficient transfer facilities and supporting infrastructure: Facilities like walkways, bicycle lanes and feeder buses are necessary to increase the ridership in BRTS, along with park and ride facility at key interchange points and foot bridges. Integration with other modes of transport like subways, metros, rails, par transit, can prove to be very beneficial in increasing the ridership. BRTS as a part of a larger urban strategy: To be the most effective public transport system pricing the costs of congestion and pollution caused by private transportation can be done. A larger public mobility plan that includes policies aimed to increase cost of private transport such as gasoline tax and high parking fees can be imposed.
CONCLUSION No doubt, public transport is a key aspect of the city also a well implemented public transport would offer low carbon mobility reducing the pollution in the city as well as will be more sustainable. They are the most effective usage of the available land area which is a rare resource. Efficiency of mass transit can be compromised when the increasing number of private vehicles on the road slow them down. The most efficient way for speeding the bus rapid transit is to give a dedicated lanes for it and giving it a priority rather than the private vehicles. A strong opinion and interest is needed from the people is needed towards the BRT to support it and so as it gets improved. Though there are some national level issues with policies, also with the planning approach. It can be resolved looking at case studies which have succeeded as well as failed. From the planning of the project to the implementation the project undergo various changes due to political factors or personal reasons which hamper the original aim of the project. Today in India the cities lack true leaders which consider the city as own and develop it accordingly. If it is resolved the cities could actually be developed very efficiently and in a sustainable way.
REFERENCES 1. Policy Group Quarterly, IDFC, No.1/ September 2008 2. ‘BUS TRANSPORT IN DELHI’ by Tripti Bhatia & Mugdha Jain, Centre for Civil Society, Summer Research Internship 2009 3. Delhi BRT System – Lessons Learnt, http://www.dimts.in/pdf/delhi_brt_system_lessons_learnt.pdf 4. Promoting Low Carbon Mobility In India, UNEP, Darshini Mahadevia, Rutul Joshi, Abhijit Datey, 2013 5. Article: http://www.siemens.co.in/pool/about_us/about_us_home/green-mobility.pdf 6. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/brt-will-be-dismantled/article7042130.ece 7. ‘DEVELOPING BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN INDIA’ MADHURI JAIN, 2010 8. Image cover1: http://thecityfix.com/files/2010/03/DelhiBRTDHidalgoApril09_0.jpg 9. Image cover2: http://www.livemint.com/rf/Image-621x414/LiveMint/Period1/2012/08/21/Photos/BRT_--621x414.jpg
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