Leaderspeak | Woes of Metros
Metro cities would need new governance model in post-COVID world Metro cities of the world account for 22 per cent of the world population (1.6 billion) and 60 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). When we talk about the best of any facility in a nation, we look towards their metropolises but the pandemic has exposed their weaknesses. The pandemic has allowed us to fix the problem of our metropolises and make them enviable again
A
survey done in the United States of America shows that as many as 40 per cent urban dwellers are thinking of shifting to suburbs or less populated areas. However, this may be too early to assess the real situation in the USA or elsewhere. And, this seems to be farfetched for now in Indian scenario
26 June 2020 | www.urbanupdate.in
because of the lack of basic services in villages and small towns. People living in cities cannot think of staying in villages and small towns for several reasons and lack of amenities for good living would top the list.
Cities-The Hot Spots
The pandemic has been particularly devastating to cities everywhere as their density provided fertile ground to the virus to spread fast. But the pandemic
has also told us that everything is not fine in our cities and they require fundamental changes. Urban planners love density because many urban systems thrive on it. Take the example of skyscrapers, shopping malls, metro systems in cities; they would falter if a large number of people do not use them. But density is also a good friend of contagious diseases. Our cities like Delhi and Mumbai, which are among the densest in the world, have been suffering the side effects of the pandemic. To stop the contagion, all governments have suggested physical distancing. Is it possible in a city like Mumbai? It may be possible in high-income areas where the houses are big and people can choose to maintain distance. But what about slums like Dharavi in Mumbai or Seelampur in Delhi? In these slums, people live in close quarters and share public amenities including the toilets. It is increasingly challenging to avoid physical interaction and maintain total isolation and physical distancing in a high-density built environment and urban spaces. None of us knows the further ramifications of the pandemic on cities and urban living but the learning from it can pave a way for possible transformation that the existing built environment needs to undergo to make the cities truly livable, healthy and resilient. It will also impel policymakers to rethink the way cities are being planned, designed and inhabited. And, the role of city leaders will also change especially in the cities where they are just for ceremonial purposes. Local elected
