Aditi Singh Thakur B a c h e lo r s of Ur b a n D esig n
Studios Year 1 F o u n d a t i o n St u d i o
T hi s s tud i o focus ed pr i mar i l y on d evel opi ng the fund amental s ki l l s of d r afti ng and r epr es entati on al ong wi th d evWel opi ng el ementar y und er s tand i ng of ur ban d es i gn wi th i ntr od ucti on of bas i c s ki l l s l i ke mappi ng, anal y zi ng and pr i mi ti ve d es i gn d evel opment.
B a ch el o r o f U rban D e si g n | CE P T Un i v e r si t yy Ahmedabad, Indi a | 4 t h ye a r In dian Nati o n al i ty 31- 01-1999 Ra ghav K un j , Par i m a h a l , Ka sum p a t i , S hi ml a , H imachal Pradesh , 1 7 1 0 0 9 P hon e/ Wh atsApp: +9 1 8 2 1 9 1 5 2 0 9 7 @adi ti _si ngh .t h a k ur |
A d i t i T h a k ur
L a nguages: English ( F l ue n t ) | H i nd i ( F l ue n t )
Semester 3
Semester 4
St r e e t s a n d t h e c i t y
U r b a n Po r o s i t y
Semester 5
Semester 6
U r b a n PA R K i n g
F r o m U t o p i a s t o Het er ot op i a s
Semester 7
Semester 8
U n i t Ec o w a r r i o r s
U r b a n Po l i c y a n d R eg u l a t i on s
http://pr od ucti veur bani s m.com/categor y / eco-war r i or s -2020/
Theory Courses Year 1
Year 2
1. R e a d ing s and W riting s in Urb a n D e s ig n
1. C ritic al Thinking and Ar gumenta tio n.
2. P e op le , C u ltu re s a nd S oc ie ty
2. Urb a n I nf ras tru c tu re S ystems
3. C ontru c tion Te c hnolog y ( I & I I )
3. Climate and Culture in Built Evironments
4. His tory of C itie s
4. B rid g ing Tim e throu g h D esign I nte rve ntions 5. H is tory of Urb anis m
Academic Writing: Anal yti cal Essays | O v e r v i e w s | Sum m a r i e s | Na r rati ve Essays | C r i t i c a l A n a l yi s
Softwares: Mic ro so ft Offi ce|R h i n o|G r a ssh op p e r | Au to desk Auto Cad | Sk e t c h up | Ado be Il l ustrato r | A d ob e I n d e si g n | Ado be Ph o to sh o p | A d ob e L i g h t r oom
Manual Skills:
6. Urb an E c onom ic s and Go ver na nc e
Year 3
Year 4
1. B u ilt Ty p olog ie s
1. B e tw e e n Top -d ow n a nd Bo tto m up
2. I ntrod u c tion to L a nd s c a p e a nd E c olog y
2. Urb an L aw s a nd R e g u la tio ns
3. C as e S tu d ie s in Urb a n D e s ig n
3. Urb an D e s ig n The ory
4. E nvironm e ntal and S oc ial I m a p ac t A s s e s s m e nt
4. D a ta A naly tic s a nd Ur b a n D esign
Miscellaneous Winter school 2017 E x p loring Ma j u li I s land ; D oc u m e nting C u ltu re and Hu m an S e ttle m e nt, Maj u li, As s am , In d i a
Summer school 2019
H a nd draw i n g | Ha n d D r a f t i n g | H a n d Renderi ng |Mo de l M a k i n g | Wor k sh op t ool s fa mi l i ari ty | Lazer c ut t i n g | 3 D p r i n t i n g | Urban S ketch i n g
P u b lic A f f air: D e c od ing P rinc ip le s of Urb a n P u b lic R e alm C e p t– P olim i S u m m e r S c hool, P o l i t e c h n i c o d i M i l a n o , M i l a n , It a l y
Acquired Mapping Skills:
Experiences
O n-si te i ntervi ew s a n d communi ty i ntera c t i on s | O n -si t e D ocumentati o n
G re e ning the E c onom y : S u s ta ina b le C itie s L u n d U n i v e r s i t y , L u n d , S w e d e n ( online c ou rs e w ith c e rtif ic ate )
Summer internship at Hitanshu Jishtu Architects, Shimla office A Cultural Documentation of heritage and monuments of the Village of Morang, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India organized by Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD)
Studios
Others
From Utopias to Heterotopias Re-imagining Dharavi
Urban Porisity University Area: City's Biggest Jogger's Park
Urban Parking Ahmedabad Municipal Market
Streets and the City Safe and Accessible streets
Unit Eco Warriors eCOrridors
Summer School Public Affair: Decoding Principles of Urban Public Realm
Construction and Structure Hands-on building and material familiarity
Landscape Ecology Suitability Analysis of Shimla
Academiv Writing Sample U r b a n F o r est S t r a t eg y, Melbourne
1
Mumbai, India
- Dharavi,
Kumbharwada is one of the first settlements in Dharavi, built by migrants from Gujarat in the second half of the 19th Century. It’s home to the pottery industry, one of Dharavi's most famous local crafts. In the small gaps between their houses, artisans throw and fire pots of all shapes and sizes, from small cups for yoghurt to diya candles, larger water pots or ornamental vases. The potters brought their family trade with them, and maintain – like many in Mumbai – strong ties to their ancestral villages. They’re in constant communication (physical and online) with their families in the North, collaborating to improve kiln designs, visiting their villages regularly, and significantly, importing their clay from there. In the 1800s, Mumbai’s municipal authorities moved the potters, who had previously settled in the Southern tip of the city, to what was then its Northern fringe. In the wealthier parts of town, the smoke from their kilns was deemed a nuisance. When they arrived, Dharavi was a no-man’s land between two railway lines, dotted with a few villages, which have since expanded into one large settlement. As Bombay grew, Dharavi ended up in a more central location, prompting property speculation and a cultural, touristic and academic interest in the neighbourhood. Text cited from https://urbz.net/articles/kumbharwada-pottery-village
(the first alley)
The first Wadi is directly adjacent to the 90 Feet road, a busy commercial and vehicular road from which small streets branch into the first wadi and subsequently into the rest of Kumbharwada. The activities throughout the day range between residential and social, pottery related, and commercial. These can be seeN spilling out onto the street and open spaces and can be broadly, divided into the three time frames of Morning, Noon, and Evening. Morning activities are generally of a domestic nature such as washing and cleaning, accompanied by the movement of children going to school. Afternoon activities are predominantly pottery related such as the making, firing of pots in the kilns, painting, transporting and drying of pots. Evening activities are more of a social nature, the community can be seen chatting on otlas, children play and informal mobile vendors such as chaat walas and cotton candy walas traverse the streets. The plan illustrates these various activities that happen across the lane throughout the day.
Potter's Lane
Pehli Wadi
Reimagining Kumabharwada
Array of Courts live work+ residential courts
The following project aims at reactions of a sustainable work environment for the potter community of the Kumbharwada, where the potters can continue working in their respective coutryards without interruption from day to day activities of the rest of the community and vice-versa. The master layout is laid in a manner that each household opens into a courtyard, which contributes significantly towards increased social engagements. Provision of open spaces encourages communities like the ones in Dharavi to start up small businesses to sustain a living in cities like Mumbai with a very high cost of living.
Total Site Area = 42,268 sqm. Total Ground Coverage = 18,976 sqm Total Open = 23,292 sqm Total Built = 75,904 sqm No. of Outer Commercial = 170 No. of Inner Commercial = 43 No. of Live work = 330 No. of Residential = 1829 Residential Courtyards Community Spine
Live- Work Courtyards 0m
40m
20m 10m
30m
60m
Generation - clusters
The primary intent is to create a series of transitional spaces through out the site, where each unit rests between two different types of spaces that generate different types of activities and variations in these activities throughout the day. 2. On the first floor as well the orientation of the units remain same, where the living areas respond to the street whereas, the services respond to the street.
4. The similar pattern is repeated across the street, creating a series of corridors and streets.
3. On the second floor the units are staggered in order to genrate an appropriate response to the street in the air.
5. The similar pattern is repeated along the adjacent streets as well, creating a series of corridors and streets throughout the site.
NV OITSNREEDVUTTNSEK DSUETD SOKTSUEADN OA TUYA YU BDDOERCPUDORP NOISRE BN DA EC
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
TOILET TOILET
Live work UNIT - 40 sqm
PRODUCED AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN BY AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
UNIT 1 - 30.5 sqm
UNIT 2 - 28 sqm
KITCHEN
SLEEPING AREA
TOILET
UNIT 3 - 30 sqm PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION LIVING AREA
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
Unit layout
types of housing units Each housing unit is planned keeping in mind how the people presently live. The current dwellings consits maily of large families living in compact spaces. This living sitution restricts the conventional division of rooms based on the use. Typically a activities and Therefore, the zones for different
large room is used for different is persinalised based on needs. following units plans only show activities as opposed to rooms.
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
TOILET
SLEEPING AREA
WORKSHOP
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
TOILET
TERRACE
WORKSHOP EXTENSION
KITCHEN
SLEEPING AREA STORAGE
KITCHEN
SLEEPING AREA
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
LIVING AREA
LIVING AREA
KITCHEN
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
1.5m
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
2m
2.5m
NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP NOISREV TNEDUTS KSEDOTUA NA YB DECUDORP
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
Clustering and arrangement
1. The living spaces of the units open into the courtyards whereas, the services open into the street.
The units are linked with shared walls on the either sides of a single unit and this arrangement continues towards the top of the structure and extends side ways creating a row-house like typology of houses.
Potters' Courtyard
'K um b har n o F ar iy o ' live-work courts
The following arrangement consists of houses opening into a large courtyard that have kilns used by the potters for baking of the pots and the rest of the courtyard can be used for drying and other pottery related activities.
C'
B
A
1.
A' 2.
3.
GROUND FLOOR 1. Loading/ Unloading - Semicovered 2. Kilns + Work Court 3. Clay Pit
FIRST FLOOR
B'
C 0m
SECOND FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
2m
4m
6m
The orientationa and the staggering on the live-work courtyard is such that it recieves sunlight for th e maximum duration in the day because the activity of pottery requires a significant amount of drying time in the sun.
The following view shows one of the loading/ unloading zone on the Ninety feet road along the commercial edge where the potters of the entire community can load their orders and the semi covered double height spaces then can be used for storage of the orders when not taken dispatched.
The following view shows the stair-case bridge at one of the ends of the live-work court. This bridge becomes an interation zone for the passers-by due to its width of 4m and over-looking the courtyards, terraces and balconies.
2
U n i v e r s it y Are a Ahmedabad's biggest Jogger's Park The aim of the project is to create a network of public spaces like parks and gardens within the boundaries of public institutions mainly Universities with huge grounds and connect them through a continous jogging track loop in the University area in Ahmedabad. The city of Ahmedabad with huge population lacks publiuc spaces therefore, the intention with this project is to take a portion of space that the intitutes have and give it back to the people.
COMMON Ground
P ub l i c P a r k on the HL Commerce College campus One of the public parks along the jogging trail, is detailed out in the following illustrations. In this specific park, a part of the campus of HL Commerce is used. It was observed through on-site mapping at different times of the day that the campus was used by the people of city ( not just the surrounding areas) for morning and evening walks because of the expanse and the tree cover in the University area. The following park is also envisioned keeping in mind the needs of HL campus where, the students do not have a performace space, therefore an amphitheatre is provided for the use of students.
the pedestrian under-bridge The idea of the pedestrian subway is taken from the Garware Bridge in Pune. The pedestrian subway enables and easy access for the students and other members of the university to commute betwenn the two campuses where the students do not have to cross through the busy street traffic. This space also had a potential of become a well used public space because of the greens and the shade where people can sit and take a break. Also, there can be induced vending activity in the space as in the case of Pune.
Campus area
Amphitheatre for campus students
Recreation and leisure zone with different spaces with different enclosures.
Pedestrian Zone and continuation of Jogger's track
Over-bridge
Pedestrian Safety
S a fe crossing!
3
Floor Layout and Public space
GROUND FLOOR
1
FIRST FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
FOURTH FLOOR
SIXTH FLOOR
ROOF TOP
2
A p ub l i c s pac e ! activators within the parking
The following set of collages try to envision the public spaces within the parking building. 1. View of the Skate-boarding arena on the roof top. 2. View of the food trucks park-ing in the basement. 3. View of the vendor's zone adjoining the street.
3
Multipurpose Parking
Intent is to design a parking facility that is engaging in the process of re- scripting itself : negotiates the necessity of parking as meaningful development while integrating it with public space ; manner in which it facilitates other possible needs of the neighborhood , addresses the dynamics of the space with time to become more sustainable and contribute to urban life.
WHY AN OASIS?
Just like an Oasis is a "green spot in a dessert" which can symbolically termed as " a peacefull spot in our everyday lives ". Similarly the parking structure is considered as a dull life less structure and the different programmes thereby become the oasis in the "parking dessert". Also, the context of CG road has monotonous character across, with lack of public spaces and gathering spots, therefore this structure becomes a refuge from the monotony thereby, becoming an Oasis in the monotonous urban setting.
Ahmedabad Municipal Market
PACE FREQUENCY Frequency of speeds vary along the height of the structure that is dependent on the programme.
VISUAL CONNECTIVITY There is a visual connection within the structure and from the outside aswell.
EXPERIENTAL RELEASE The structure provides an experiental release from the surroundings while still maintaining the street connection.
GREEN RANCHES The building is green structure for air purification to purify the smoke emmisions.
CONNECTIVITY LOOP Band of public space and driveways running throughout the building
Urban OASIS
street design for Pune Pune coined as the most walkable city in India falls behind in provision of basic safe pedestrian infrastructure. This lack of pedestrian infrastructure affects the daily functioning of neighborhoods, as well as have an indirect impact on the lifestyle and health of individuals.The following project aims at increasing accessibilty and safety for the pedestrians by reducing motorized vehicular movement along with promoting regular cycle use. RE-DESIGNING THE JUNCTIONS The primary aim of redefining the junctions is to ensure a continuous and safe pedestrian mobility in the crucial transitional zone between the motors and the pedestrians. The design aims to provide a contiinual and safe access throughout the jusction where the vehicular and pedestrian movement is separated for safety and providing transitional seating and interaction spots for pedestrians.
Due to the skewed form of the junction the radical solution was to change the material and treat it as one big junction that becomes a shared space and speeds also change in this space. Uninterrupted pedestrian as well as bicycle mobility within a safe distance from the motorized movement increases safety and accessibility.
Obstructions of the footpath compels to walk on the carriage way.
!!
4
Sa fe a nd A c c e s s ible S treets
Due to absence of footpaths people walk arbitrarily in between traffic.
No definition of pedestrian or motor realm.
!
No infrastructure for bicycles.
the raised pedestrian crossing maintains the continuity of the pedestrian walkway making it accessible to all the user groups and helps in reducing the vehicular speeds at the junctions
the street furniture and the roadside vegetation add to the streetscape and enhance the social engagement of the community increasing the possiblities of the activities that can take place
the presense of ramps at the compund gates on the street ensure the continuity in the level of the footpath and the presence of bollards further ensures safety restricting the motor movement
existing
proposed
t h e followin g collag e i l l ust rates one of the resi denti al street s t hat l ac k e d p e de s t r ai n i nfr as t r uc t ur e m ak i ng i t e x t r e m e l y uns afe for t he re s id e n t s t o take on thei r dai l y chores t hat r e q ui r e t o t r ave l w i t hi n t he e ne i ghb our hood
eCO rrid o rs
vision for Gandhinagar The project “eCOrridors� uses the strategy of continuous productive landscapes to introduce productivity and enhance ecology in the city of Gandhinagar. The existing fabric of the city comprises of a large number of unbuilt patches, with an average of 20% of open spaces that is available within the most densely built sector which can be utilized in a productive manner. In addition to the existing green cover, the introduced productive patches can become a part of the larger network of corridors, that connect to the river.
k
st
re
Fo
r pa
l ia nt ons e i sid tat Re lan p
ng
i ish
F
l na io ons t i itu t st ta In lan p
t en ns m tio e s ta Ea lan p
s
nd
la
et
W
ge
g in s at en lF o rd a G
ri
pa
Ri
an
Urban Forest Corridor
t en m ns e s e Ea ard g
s
r
O
bl
ra
A
rd
a ch
e
fa
Riparian Corridor
t ge s Ve rm fa
s
rm
e
l ab
Edible Corridor
These corridors will contribute towards the conservation of green areas in the city and also enhance the biodiversity of the area by promoting movement of the urban fauna.
Ed
5
Farms
69
67
55
60
63
65
Forest
Riverside Park
Riparian
The Park
trail park - Sabarmati The 3 corridors converge at the river side. The site is envisioned as an urban park, with a range of productive activities. At present the site consists of a prominent tree cover. The next step was identification of the perennial vegetation over the years with the help of google earth and preserving it as a part of the urban forest corridor. The remaining land can then be converted for the use of farming and the riparian corridor. For minimal intervention, the park is designed as a network of trails with integrated programs that act as activators. The trails are of 3 kinds: ground trails, elevated trails and seasonal trails. The program palette for the site is chosen keeping in mind the activation required for making the park a lively place. The social programs intend to attract people to the site and architecture programs act as supplementary infrastructure to support the activities where as ecological programs aim at enhancement of the ecology along with promoting sustainability. The planting palette is chosen keeping in mind the experiential quality of the trails and the landscapes that people will walk through. The colors, height variation and the diversity of the species chosen will ensure the diversity in experiences while exploring the site.
market between the farms
The kiosk markets help to activate the J road along with opening up a part of the site to the city. The market sits at the edge of the edible corridors and provides the users with a diversity of experiences with changes in the seasons. The water catchments present throughout the site help in storage of storm water from the city and rain water for irrigation of the farms.
The view shows the foraging trail with take-away booths, where you can take home whatever you forage for a minimal cost.
Edible Corridor
Activ a ting the J Ro ad
Urban Forest Corridor
Section through the canopy walk - Summer
Section through the canopy walk - Winter
I n t h e c an o pie s ! canopy walk in the forest
The Elevated trails act as connectors to different programs on the site and form a network of paths at level above the ground, through which people can explore different landscapes on the site. This forms a network of trails that take you through different parts of the urban forest corridor and right up into the tree canopies. The forest also shows a dynamic character when transitions in the seasons, during monsoons the forest floor becomes inacccessible due to wild growth of species like Indian nettle and during the winter season the forest becomes less dense and the ground can then be accessed by the people.
Section through the river - Summer
Connecting to the ri v e r seasonal trails and board walks The riparian corridor consists of riparian edge and wetlands, and they are connected to each other and the mainland through a network of board walks which maybe submerged during the monsoon season. The wetlands help in flood management and prevention and boardwalks connect the wetlands to the mainland bringing people closer to the river with certain activator present at the nodes.
Riparian Corridor
Section through the river - Monsoon
6
Publ i c A f f a i r : D ecod i n g Pri nc i p l es Of Ur b a n Publ i c R ea l m Politechnico di Milano- Milan, Italy
Places become public when they offer a common platform for people of various localites, ethnicity, age groups and social groups to meet and interact. Every public space requires certain devices and circumstances that together establish an opportunity for people to come together. In the residentional neighbourhood of San Siro, the central spine is the most prominent public area with a series of active zones. The distinct feature of these public zones are the children of the neighborhood that become significant triggers for influencing activities around them. HYPOTHESIS Children are the locus in creating a common ground for the people in the neighbourhood. This user group along with provision of quality urban furniture, facilitated with the contextualisation of various trigger devices help in making the place more public. THE RIPPLING EFFECT Children are the centre of all active zones. Children are always accompanied by parents, or other family members who get an opportunity to interact and engage in coversation with others. The zone is further reinforced by the presence of provisions like places to sit, shade from the sun, drinking water, etc. BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER Common ground is not built but created by the people, and articulating spaces around children is the most effective way to make a neighbourhood more friendly, united and livable.
Quality urban furniture Provides equal opportunity for all to rest and meet new people. These are activated mostly with visual connection to the children play area. The swing sets and other sports facility These provisions further accentuate the use of public spaces by the kids which inturn triggers more activities in the area.
Co mp os i t s tr uctur e Hands on experience on construction and structures The following project essentially focused on learning through hands-on experience the properties and construction techniques/ methods of various materials like bricks, concrete, wood, metal and bamboo.
7
The task was to build a composite structure using materials like brick, concrete, wood, metal and bamboo. Through comprehensive engagement in the building process, we were able to learn and idenity the strengths and limitations of the building materials and understand the physics that goes behind physically building structures.
S u i t a b i l i t y A n a l ys is suitability map for Shimla Location: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
8
Area: 5,131 sq.km Population: 4,800 per sq.km Climate: Subtropical highland climate The following mappings provides an analysis of current growth patterns of the city within a time span of 11 years and attempts to propose suitable growth directions.
Inferences : The parts of Summerhill and the Jakhoo forest that are currently very active tourist destinations are likely to be preserved as the recreational spots in the city area. Since Himachal Pradesh has a strict policy against cutting trees from the forest area the current forest area is most likely to stay as it is. The agriculture feilds in the rural regions are likely to be used for further developments and also the available rocky terrain is alos likely to be converted into a developed patch.
2007
Area - 2847 sq km Population - 144 sq km
2018
Area - 5131 sq km Population - 159 sq km
2007
Grid size 5 km x 5 km
Grid size 1 km x 1 km
Grid size 100 m x 100 m
Green cover - 14 sq km Agriculture - 3 sq km Water bodies- 0 sq km Built - 9 sq km
2018
Shimla Urban Growth
Grid size 5 km x 5 km
Grid size 1 km x 1 km
Grid size 100 m x 100 m
Green cover - 8 sq km Agriculture - 1 sq km Water bodies- 0 sq km Built - 16 sq km
Previous boundary 2847 sq km Existing boundary 5131 sq km Percentage increase in area 44.51 % Percentage increase in population is 12.56%
9
Urb a n F or es t S tr a teg y , M e l b o u r n e Achieving Ecological Sustainability through Civi Engagement.
Abstract Due to an increased rate of urbanization, the cities are trying to capitalize on every piece of land available within the city boundaries. Many a time, the land is attained at the cost of urban green spaces. With this growing trend it has become crucial that the citizens acknowledge their surroundings and the existing ecology so that they can contribute towards its preservation and enhancement. To achieve ecological sustainability, community participation at the neighborhood level is a major step and for the projects to become successful, it is important that the community sees it as a part of itself and does not abandon the projects. For such projects local awareness and engagement can determine the rate of success as well as ensure smooth functioning and maintenance for years to come. The following paper aims to understand the process, different strategies, and decisions taken by Melbourne’s city government in order to execute the resilient urban forest strategy for achieving greater number of urban green spaces. It looks into different methods of citizen engagement that was able to create a “social network”; which fosters both a sustainable urban ecology and a healthy urban life.
Figure 1: An aerial view of the Urban Forest in Melbourne.
Source: https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/living-melbourne--greenprinting-a-metropolis/
Keywords
3.
Urban forest, ecology, sustainability, self-sustainability, community engagement, climate change, e-mail a tree, neighborhoods, precinct plans, vulnerable communities
3.1 City’s Initiative and Community Engagement
1. Introduction With the rising global temperatures, cities around the globe are facing many climatic changes along with extreme weather events that result in devastating effects of the social, environmental as well as economic structure of the city. The process of urbanization turns cities into an inferno of concrete structures with no breathing spaces. Urban centers generally lack open green spaces causing various problems like the urban heat island effect, water clogging, high pollution levels, and loss of biodiversity. Lack of outdoor recreational areas impact the physical and mental well-being of the citizens. Australia is also facing extreme weather conditions that are a result of greenhouse emissions due to urbanization and industrialization. The city of Melbourne has introduced the strategy of the urban forest to mitigate these extreme weather events with an aim to create a reliant, healthy, and diverse urban environment and to improve the general health of the residents of the city. The urban forest strategy of Melbourne focuses on incorporating urban green spaces within the existing fabric alongside existing parks, gardens, and shaded streets. The following model works with negotiations between different stakeholders in both public and private realm along with active community participation that aims to create a diverse, robust, and resilient urban forest. This strategy mainly focuses on educating and involving the citizens in the process of implementation as well as functioning of the urban forest and this is achieved through different strategies implemented by the city government in order to make the project self-sustainable.
2.
Urban Forest
An urban forest is a group of trees and vegetation that fall under the municipal boundary. These areas provide multiple social, environmental as well as economic benefits to the city and contribute significantly to mitigating the effects of climate change. It also helps in flood prevention along with effectively reducing the temperature within the city. “The Urban Forest Strategy of Melbourne is composed of six strategies to promote urban and ecological resilience while setting straightforward and clear targets; these include, (1) increase canopy cover, (2) increase urban forest diversity, (3) improve vegetation health, (4) improve soil moisture and water quality, (5) improve urban ecology, and (6) inform and consult the community.”
Enhancing the Urban Green Cover
The urban forest strategy was launched by the city council of Melbourne in the year 2012 which was a result of a strategic process of development of a policy framework that aims at planting 70,000 trees in streets and parks and 20,000 in the private realm in order to create a diverse, robust, and resilient urban forest. The design and execution of the urban forest strategy are based on technical knowhow along with civic knowledge and engagements. One of the key implementation strategies is the development of precinct plans at the neighbourhood scale with intense citizens’ involvement, where the plans of the precincts are developed with rigorous mapping and inputs from the community. 3.2 Shaping Cities through Public Interventions The urban forest strategy for Melbourne was developed keeping the small and vulnerable neighborhoods in the foreground. This strategy makes sure that the people are engaged and aware of the planning decisions taken by the city government. By making changes to the public spaces and vegetation cover at the neighborhood level, the city of Melbourne helped people in becoming more cognizant of their surroundings as well as their involvement made the project more personal to them. For achievement of the greater goals of forest strategy, it was imperative to educate the citizens about the urban greens and their values; this would help them to acknowledge the presence of the green areas which would induce active participation. After the implementation, the citizens play an active role in the running and maintenance. Apart from the local authorities, citizens are the ones who dictate the course of the project especially in a large scale project where monitoring each and every parcel of land becomes a difficult task for the authorities. City level projects are usually looked at from an aerial vantage with a zoomed out perspective which fails to cater to the local needs and point of views which results in lack of acceptance by the people thereby causing failure. In order to achieve desirable results, local areas should be assessed and the prevalent issues should be addressed along with the acknowledgement of the unique social, economic, political and geographic construct of each neighborhood. The easiest and the most effective way to intervene at neighborhood levels in city planning projects is by encouraging civic engagement that will benefit both the locals and the authorities involved in the process. Instead of targeting the development at the city level, the changes made at the neighborhood level like in the urban forest strategy of Melbourne, where the locals were educated on the urban flora and its advantage and further seeking their participation in the planting process also made it easier of the city to achieve its goals and ensure smooth running and maintenance.
3.3 e-mail a Tree Campaign
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In past years, the cities of Australia have been exposed to extreme weather events that have cause severe flooding and draughts across the country. These conditions have caused sudden decline in the tree population of the city of Melbourne and in order to protect the tree cover the city of Melbourne has introduced a strategy called “e-mail a tree campaign”. This campaign was introduced to involve the citizens in the process of monitoring and reporting the health conditions of different trees across the city because it is impossible for the authorities to keep a check on each and every tree in the city. Therefore, they decided to involve the citizens by the use of e-mail so that the people could inform the city about a fallen branch or deteriorating health of the tree. With most of the people in city having access to smartphone technology and internet they decided to do this with the help of the internet and codes, where they mapped all the trees in the city and gave them a unique email id so that a person who observes a problem with a trees they could email the problems to the email id of the tree. The e-mail when received by the authorities can enable them to track the tree and take respective action to revive the tree. But this phenomenon has taken an unprecedented turn which actually became extremely desirable. The people have started sending love letters and proposals to the trees and in some cases sharing their anecdotes with the tress in large numbers. This now signifies that people have attached themselves emotionally to these trees and now that the whole campaign has become so personal to the citizens, they are participating in the process more enthusiastically and actively, which further proves to be an extreme effective and successful way of achieving ecological sustainability through public participation.
Citizens of Melbourne take pride in their public parks, gardens, and green spaces which reflective of its status of one of the most livable cities in the world. Here, the city government prioritizes the city’s livability factor because of the contributions it has towards environmental, economic as well as community benefits. An urban forest contributes significantly towards reduction of energy costs, increase in the property values, decrease in health expenses and marketing the city to attract investments. These factors further help in the enhancement of the economy and contribute towards welfare of the local communities. Besides its environmental benefits, the urban forest has several social and community benefits. It ensures identity to the place by creating a sense of space and belonging to the residents where they perform different types of activities and events that further makes the place more personal. Providing space for different events, festivals, and celebrations can unify diverse groups within the community by ensuring a common ground for celebrations. Green open spaces play a major role in the unification of minority groups by encouraging outdoor activities providing physical and mental health benefits to the citizens. With the present “sitat-home” lifestyle, children tend to refrain from any sort of physical activity and have increased screen times. Different studies have deduced that green open spaces have a therapeutic effect to children’s health, allowing them creativity of mind, encouraging exploration and adventure, promoting physical activity, building resilience, and enhancing experiential learning. This connects the children to nature. Skin cancer and other sun-exposure illnesses are very common in Australia. The urban forest provides natural shade that reduces the exposure to UV radiations by up to 75%. It decreases of the city temperatures which further reduces the risk of heat-related illnesses in the community. The availability and access to green spaces and trees have positive effects on the mental health of the citizens. Regardless of a long list of benefits of an urban forest, the community’s will to accept and engage in the process of the creation of the urban forest still stands as a major barrier in the process of execution. But in the case of Melbourne’s urban forest strategy, the citizens were well informed and educated to understand the importance and the benefits of the urban forest and therefore are participating actively in the process.
Figure 3. An interactive online map that shows Melbourne's 70,000 trees, each one represented by a colored dot. By clicking on a dot, users can email the tree to update city council workers about its condition and health, or, as many quirky city folks have done, declare their undying love. – Melbourne City Council Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/features/2015/02/09/dear-tree-melbournes-greenery-replies-to-email/
3.4 Central City Precinct Plan The streets of the Central City are laid out in a uniform grid of 30m wide main streets, subdivided by 10m wide east-west streets and a number of laneways. Because of the high density in the area the streets are the main open public spaces. Therefore, trees become important place-makers of the neighborhood, creating enclosures for different activities and contributing to the human scale factor for the use of people. The first tree planting in the area took place in 1875, which did not happen with the consultation of the community members and species of trees that were planted were unable to survive and the streets couldn’t be used to the maximum potential by the residents of the CBD. “Central City’s Urban Forest Precinct Plan has been developed in collaboration with the community, which is reflected in the character, vision, planting plan and priorities defined for Central City’s urban forest.” The plan prioritizes the location and the time of the implementation of the strategy based on the community inputs and neighborhood analysis. With the help of the inputs and analysis, the vulnerable communities are brought to the foreground of the development plan because for these communities such as the migrants, open spaces play an important in social dynamics. The species planted are also decided based on the consultations of the community and also the city government at the same time provides the residents with a list of species that can grow well in the area. This makes it easier for the participants to decide and become a part of the process, thereby making the implementation process easier for the city government and since the people actively take part in the planting people is more likely to nurture the trees they have planted contributing to the self-sustainability factor.
Drivers, Benefits and Barriers
Figure 4. Proposed street layout for the urban forest.
Source: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/community/greening-the-city/urban-forest/Pages/urban-forest-precinct-plans.aspx
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Conclusion
Climate change not only has implications on the physical health but also on mental health of the people around the world, and it is a known fact that green spaces have countless benefits to the health of people. Therefore, preservation and enhancement of the green spaces becomes a major objective in the achievement of environmental sustainability. Sustainable and green solutions are need of the hour and the governments around the world are coming up with different strategies and planning solution to mitigate the effects of the climate change. For solutions that have a very broad objective and applications, acceptance by the citizens becomes an important factor. For the citizens to accept a plan it is important that they are made the part of the process and their opinions and needs are valued. In order to achieve the goal of sustainability, every citizen must play their role. By incorporating community participation in initiatives like this it becomes easier for the authority to track the progress of the program. Citizens can monitor their localities their due to their familiarity with the place and people. Since every locality has a unique problem it can be resolved fully only through community participation. With citizen engagement, the process takes place swiftly and naturally, where the authorities do not have to intervene as much and the project becomes a part of the culture of the place, where the citizens feel morally obligated to participate and behave in a certain way that helps in fulfilling the goals of project.
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