Pick a problem from one of the cases/ sites from your case weeks. Identify the various concepts that you have seen through the different weeks of the Commons that are represented in your choice of problem. Building on the idea of sustainable development, and questions of values and trade-offs, as represented through the notion of the ‘Planner’s Triangle’, explain how you (as an urban practitioner) would address and resolve the issue.
Divya Chand UFP
Picking the problem of the „Dying lakes of Bangalore‟, the text attempts to relate it to the various concepts of the Urban as discussed in the Commons under the broad categories of Inequality, Governance, Infrastructure and Economy, the ecological aspect being self-evident. The idea of what „Sustainable Development‟ would mean for a degraded lake in Bangalore is discussed through the notion of Campbell‟s „Planner‟s Triangle‟. How an Urban-space Designer/ Architect can begin to tackle with this issue in her capabilities and limitations, what values can be upheld and what tradeoffs might have to be made, is explored.
The case that lakes and their current condition in Bangalore are a „problem‟ is pretty much impossible to dispute. Earlier this year Varthur lake oozed out toxic foam onto the streets, Belandur Lake literarily caught fire, and while others didn‟t display such dramatic scenes, about 90% of the lakes of the city were surveyed to be polluted due to sustained flow of untreated sewage and industrial effluents, dumping of solid wastes and building debris. (India Water Portal, 2016). There has been an increasing rise of awareness about this issue in the media and amongst the citizens. Multiple state agencies have played their (often competing) roles in attempting to solve this problem, often failing to solve all the issues and many times just aggravating it. These multiple lakes in Bangalore were all originally a part of an intense regional hydrological system, devised in perhaps in the 16th century. Not naturally occurring water bodies, tanks and drainage channels that connected them were what formed the city‟s surface water system and also played a major part in ground water recharge. This was derived from the existing topography of the land in the area, the ridge that passes through the city and the couple of river basins on either side. With rapid urbanisation of the city, and provision of piped water-supply and sewage around the city, the network of tanks and channels grew obscure and fell out of use and maintenance. Numerous encroachments, dumping of construction rubble, solid waste, sludge as well as myriad industrial effluents into the drains and tanks led to a drastic downfall in their quality. Upgradation initiatives by some bodies converted a few of these lakes into stagnant water bodies, concretised and isolated, no longer a part of the original regional network. Many lakes are dying, some are given up and the land reclaimed for the city to develop on. While attempts are being made to „rejuvenate‟ many drainage channels and lakes, these plans are hindered by the impatient city‟s waste and neglect. The nature of this problem is truly „Urban‟. As Andrew Feeny choses to describe it, “Cities are defined by people. And cities exist as people come together to produce broad forms of wealth that can be shared. The production of this wealth is through exchange of commerce and culture, principally. I refer to this exchange among citizens, as the „urban‟.” (envisagedcity.com, 2013) The City is a material evidence of „Urban‟ activities. Considering the materiality of the Lakes/Tanks of Bangalore, one can attempt to deconstruct the various commercial and cultural exchanges, between varied groups of people, that lakes are a source and setting of. Considering a hypothetical lake in the city (derived from studies of Sankey Tank, Jakkur, Rachenahalli and Nagawara Lake), these different groups of people, (who will, from here on, be mentioned to as stakeholders) can be identified as follows: Historically Traditional User Groups: Fishing Communities Weed Collectors Dhobis, Washer-men Shepherds (Cattle Grazing and washing)
Contemporary Users in Immediate Context: Residents of newly constructed developments around lake Informal encroach;ents Municipally Sanctioned encroachments Migrant construction workers Domestic workers Leisurely users of Lake surroundings: walkers, birdwatchers etc. Maintainers (Cleaners, gardeners, security-guards)
Larger Associations: BBMP BWSSB BDA Local neighbourhood citizen‟s group City wide action/pressure groups Local organisations Lake Development Authority Environmental activists Corporate funders and partners
This large bunch of stakeholders interacts with each other is numerous ways in the urban realm of a lake. The nitty-gritties of these exchanges and interactions would illustrate well in the following discussion where-in the text breaks down the problems emerging from and around the lake and tries to make sense of it through broad urban concepts: Inequality: The aspect of hierarchies of different identities around a lake bed is distinctly observable in the Rachenahally Lake compound. The Development program for reviving the lake was proposed by experts (Vishwanath), mentored by MGIRED (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy & Development) the campus of which is located on the lake‟s bed, and active work by a local citizen action group called JalMitra comprised of well-off residents in the neighbourhood. Well informed and pro- active, they have been instrumental in rejuvenating the lake ecologically, for purposes of fishing and the general environment in and around the compound with plantation drives, deweeding, aeration of lake, maintaining parks and walking tracks etc. Since they‟ve been the key actors in securing CSR funding and negotiating with government bodies, they hold a certain monopoly on how the lake is managed. They are keenly against any informal encroachments around the lake, especially by the migrant labour communities. Their washing-cleaning activities in the lake are also looked down upon. They have almost no agency in the decisions taken about the lake. In contrast, there are multiple buildings and houses that encroach the 75m ban set by NGT around the lake edges, but these are sanctioned by BBMP and hence are not questioned. The fishermen community, though not the most powerful, are still revered as they play a direct role in maintaining the ecology of the lake. In Nagavara, an apparent case of environmental racism is seen as “One side of it makes for the perfect outing spot — with a boating facility, children's play area and beautiful landscaping, there's plenty to keep visitors engaged. The other half is an eyesore: It's covered with hyacinth and sewage inflow has polluted the water.” (The Times of India, 2015) The visitors‟ side of the lake, which is managed by a private partnership instead of the civic authorities, is only open for some time of the day with an entry fee. While this side has „beautiful landscaping‟ and many recreational facilities, the community of fishermen thriving on the lake complain for lack of produce due to fuel from boats and other untreated sewage in the lake that is not cared for. Governance: The complexity of the problem of governance of lakes and the surface water network in the city can be understood from 3 recurrent Urban governance themes:
The management, planning and discourse around this issue has shuffled through many combinations of all the shown variations of Scale, Sectors and Systems, When the city decided to take up rejuvenation, BDA took up the rejuvenation work and afterwards handed over the projects for maintenance to BBMP. BDA is said to have less accountability or incentive to deal with complex issues of livelihood or ecology. (The Hindu, 2011). BBMP doesn‟t do a great job in maintenance, and local citizen action groups(non-state actors) have been most effective in lake conservation and rejuvenation projects. City level Lake Development authority, National Lake Conservation Programme etc. have also been effective in planning and policy level impacts. Several stakeholders with distinct interests take the conversation about lakes to many different sectors and the impact of these on different systems is seen. Ground water is major source of water supply for much of the city and its level and quality around a lake is severely affected by the lake itself. Sanitation is an issue as the lack of enough sewage treatment facilities and networks or wetlands makes people dump untreated sewage in the lake or drainage network. Construction waste management in this area is also an issue, The livelihood and economic conditions of all traditional user groups depends on the lake and any sort of rejuvenation/upliftment calls for major economic resourcing. Infrastructure: While the Lake is a major infrastructure in itself, it calls multiple forms of supporting infrastructural needs to function suitably.
Decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants, like the one in Jakkur, along with a well conserved wetland is essential in maintaining the quality and quantity of treated water flowing into the lake. A proper sewage disposal network for all neighbourhoods close to the lake so that direct dumping does not take place. Formation of bunds and embankments to hold the lake water and providing navigable walkways around the lake for access. Gardening and plantation around the lake Facilities for public utility and recreation as well as for fishing/grazing communities around lake Social and economic infrastructure for upkeep and maintenance
Economy: As talked about above, multiple communities depend on lakes for their livelihoods. Any kind of development and conservation work requires major investments as well. With the increasingly densifying and growing context of the metropolis, the value of land around these lakes is fast increasing. The „purpose‟ of this lake in this context needs to be valued economically to be sustained. When the BDA started working on these lakes, it did not really focus on the livelihoods or ecology, but about the economic potential. So lakes “being developed by the BDA are in areas where a real estate boom is imminent or where newer BDA layouts are coming up. And a lake view, complete with entertainment, is a real estate deal clincher like no other.” (The Hindu, 2011) When it was realised that models like the Nagawara Lake/Lumbini Gardens were not the best for over-all value of the lake, Privatisation of these lakes was discouraged. But corporate funds were still needed so CSR donations are still relied upon majorly. Recreational zones, amusement parks, restaurants etc. around the lake are just ways to make the maintenance feasible for managers of the lake. These processes might force traditional fishing, grazing, deweeding etc. communities out of business.
Through the above discussion, it is observable that a single water body in the city can be an amalgam of various conflicting conceptions and various conflicting uses. Each stakeholder and entity has a unique set of values that they attach to this urban entity. Some of these values might be Utilitarian, in that the lake is a means to an end for a stakeholder, where they need it for sustenance. Some other sets of values might be purely Hedonic, where the lake is envisioned to be consumed as a luxury, recreation and a resource for sensual gratification. Values could be assigned by communities, associations, individuals, spiritual bodies or economic entities. How then should a city come up with solutions for a problem, when the values and visions for an urban entity are not just diverse and varied, but also conflicting. The aim is to achieve a balance in interests that lets all parties thrive in the present, without compromising the needs of the future. The idea is to come up with a solution that holds good for a significant amount of time. Campbell holds that three major priorities lead to three perspectives on the city: Overall economic growth and efficiency; Social Justice, Economic Opportunity, Income Equality; and Environmental Protection. He holds these as three vertices of a triangle and with each edge talks about the conflicts that arise with distinct priorities. Only when all three priorities are addressed equally that true sustainable development can be achieved, and that is what one should strive for according to Campbell.
Architecture??
Psychology??
He says that as Urban Practitioners we should choose our entry point into the solving any problem through one of these vertices and then attempt to address all three issues to our best, collective, capabilities. Campbell also mentions, but does not elaborate on other important views of the city, the architectural, the psychological and the circulatory. This theory was proposed generically, but in its proposal talks specifically of urban planners. He addresses directly the Urban Economic Planner, the Urban Environmental Planner and the Urban Equity Planner in his text, all at three different corners of the triangle Let‟s try to explore how a problem-solver from outside the triangle, approach it in attempts for achieving sustainability. An Urban-space Designer/Architect is trained to look at every problem as a design opportunity. And as Paddy Harrington outs it, design “start[s] with desire”. The simple desire is to address the problem and try to resolve it. Design is most frequently instigated by clients and their needs, unlike planning which begins with goals, objectives, programs of action, and activities. So while the role of the planner is to specify “outcomes”, the role of the designer would be to realise these outcomes, the HOW of it. And, while planning is controlled by rules, procedures, goals, and
pre-determined results, Design is controlled by principles, product specifications, client values, and client response. To understand the role a designer can play as an urban practitioner, let us consider he/she is called into design a Revitalization Plan for a dying lake in Bangalore. It is doubtful that a bureaucracy would ever employ a designer directly. For this case, let us assume that a local pro-active Citizen‟s Action group (of the likes of JalMitra) has invited our designer to come up with this plan for their lake, a realisable vision that they can take to development authorities and funding agencies, to convince them to initiate the project. They would also use this designed plan to communicate to the public around and beyond the Lake‟s vicinity to help them envision a brighter future for this dying resource, and contemplate the role they could play in making it happen. The immediate client for the designer is the citizens action group. This group is comprised of individuals from residential and institutional set-ups close to the lake. They are enthusiastic folks who want a decent open pubic space near their home/work space, somewhere safe and pleasant where they and their families can spend some time each day, a place for jogs, walks, playing in the park, or just being close to nature. The primary intent is for an enriching spatial experience. (outside the triangle) They are well-aware, educated folk who know the deteriorating environmental condition of the lake. They know the harmful effects of this to their health and to the city‟s ecology in general. They feel responsible to take action about this and want to make sure „their‟ lake is contributing positively to the environment, and want to make sure they are not contributing to it‟s death. (Environmental Protection) Whatever funds they contribute and collect individually, members of the Action Group know that it would not be enough for the large project and hence they have decided to approach the state authorities as well as some CSR initiatives. They have to make sure the project they present is an efficient financial model. There needs to be an aspect of this that ensure economic growth and sustenance for the project in the coming years, to make seem appealing and feasible to their funding partners. (Overall economic growth and efficiency) A lot of indigenous communities as well as migrant labour groups live in informal settlements surrounding the lake. While the members feel they might be security issue in creating a safe community recreational space, they do not want to invite trouble or want to make life uncomfortable for so many people who haven‟t bothered them till now. Also, most of their drivers and domestic workers, whom their life depends on, live here. The local fishermen‟s life has been more adversely affected than theirs with the lake dying, his livelihood is under threat. They know that someone with so much at stake will only help realise the project in all positive ways and they have an intent to collaborate with him. (Social justice, Economic opportunity) Accordingly, they also want to make sure the plan that is formed seems appealing to all the stakeholders around the lake and is pleasing to them so that no conflict arises in this attempt of positive change. (Psychology) They have divulged their concerns to the designer and are counting on him to come up with a physical and spatial manifestation of the solution to their multifaceted problem. The job of the designer is now extremely complex, but one of the first tasks would be to establish an hierarchical order of priorities, as to what concerns the design has to deal with most importantly. While answering these concerns, trade-offs would be made but the idea is not let anything go completely, or the project might fail.
If I was the designer in question, this is how I would go about coming up with the design. Although my main task (as assigned by the client) is to create a good spatial experience, I would begin by thinking about the environmental problems, as they are the major source of the problems here. Simultaneously as the environmental issues are tackled, a pleasing spatial experience would come up which would appeal to the clients. The next attempt will be to make all this economically feasible, and maybe some aspects of aesthetics and spatial quality be sacrificed for this, as that can always be incorporated later, as and when funds are available. There will be an attempt to collaborate with the indigenous communities near the lake in providing them some stake in the design process, and it will be attempted that their contribution makes the project more feasible environmentally, and economically. The attempt is to keep the whole design process really public and interactive, without getting into jargon and complexities so that everyone feels like they are a part of the realisation of the project, and its appealing to them. The above paragraph is a designerâ€&#x;s utopian dream of a project process, but one can only try!
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES: Campbell, Scott. ''Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities?: Urban Planning and the Contradictions of Sustainable Development.'' Journal of the American Planning Association. (1996). "The difference between planning and design (and their application to the urban)." EnvisagedCity. March 17, 2013. Accessed October 20, 2017. "Weeds, sewage stifle Nagawara Lake - Times of India." The Times of India. Accessed October 20, 2017. Wirth, Kennedy. "How Bengaluru's lakes got a second chance at life |." Citizen Matters, Bengaluru. August 31, 2017. Accessed October 21, 2017. Bora, Sangeeta. "This Bengaluru lake falls prey to 'development'." Http://www.deccanchronicle.com/. May 29, 2016. Accessed October 21, 2017. Mirror, Bangalore. "Rachenahalli Lake gets a citizens’ helping hand - Bangalore Mirror -." Bangalore Mirror. August 16, 2015. Accessed October 21, 2017.