A ROUTE TO URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

Urbanization is certainly the future but a question mark hangs over what kind of future the city can look forward to. Despite technological advances and an explosion in wealth, human societies are becoming increasingly divided, socially and economically. Urbanized humanity is also placing increasing burdens on the planetary ecological support systems and without marked changes in patterns of consumption many ecosystems will not survive. This paper has argued that cities can provide a rich and varied quality of life for all of its citizens, but that this depends upon changes being made to the ways in which cities are funded and governed. Technological advances may assist in solving some of the challenges for cities, but they are not a panacea. What is needed is a new debate on the future of cities that will challenge many of the present political and economic norms. The possibility of a continuation of present trends of unsustainable economic growth, increased social fragmentation and environmental degradation is neither an acceptable nor sustainable option. Without change, human societies will find themselves having to survive in a polluted world where social relations are severely damaged and economies have collapsed.. The adaptability of the city is unquestioned. It is the adaptability of its citizens, decision-makers and urban policy within that city that will be put to the test in the pursuit of sustainability. If citizens can collectively recover the character of cities as a source of democratic reinvigoration and creative energy, solutions to the challenges of sustainability may well emerge.

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A ROUTE TO URBAN SUSTAINABILITYAbstract

The character of the city has been changing for as long as people have been urban dwellers. Unquestionably the city has long been the backdrop for much human activites. In the past few decades, the environmental and social consequences of the concentrated patterns of human activity in the urban environment have been highlighted and debated, with the suggestion that present living arrangements in Western cities are unsustainable.

This paper offers some insight into the ways that the city and its form have changed over the years. It also outlines how the power over, and responsibility for, the changes in the city has shifted as the functions of the city also shift. The city should not be dismissed in the search for another more sustainable, alternative form. On the contrary, the characteristics of the city should be recognized, capitalized and built upon. Cities convey something special about civilization itself that should not be spread too thinly and reduced to banal, lifeless, endless sprawl. This paper suggests that it is important to recognize and support the character, content and distinctiveness of cities before modern economic and political trends destroy their essence through commodification and standardization.

Urbanization is certainly the future but a question mark hangs over what kind of future the city can look forward to. Despite technological advances and an explosion in wealth, human societies are becoming increasingly divided, socially and economically. Urbanized humanity is also placing increasing burdens on the planetary ecological support systems and without marked changes in patterns of consumption many ecosystems will not survive.

This paper has argued that cities can provide a rich and varied quality of life for all of its citizens, but that this depends upon changes being made to the ways in which cities are funded and governed.Technological advances may assist in solving some of the challenges for cities, but they are not a panacea. What is needed is a new debate on the future of cities that will challenge many of the present political and economic norms.

The possibility of a continuation of present trends of unsustainable economic growth, increased social fragmentation and environmental degradation is neither an acceptable nor sustainable option. Without change, human societies will find themselves having to survive in a polluted world where social relations are severely damaged and economies have collapsed.. The adaptability of the city is unquestioned. It is the adaptability of its citizens, decision-makers and urban policy within that city that will be put to the test in the pursuit of sustainability. If citizens can collectively recover the character of cities as a source of democratic reinvigoration and creative energy, solutions to the challenges of sustainability may well emerge.

Key words: commodification, standardization, reinvigoration adaptability, sustainability

Name of the Author : Nandini S Kulkarni

Designation :Lecturer, (PIADS) Priyadarshini Institute of Architecture and Design studies.

Address :191, Gandhinagar, NAGPUR. (M.S.)E mail ID :nandini.kulkarni191@gmail.com

The changing character of the city

Cities and society have developed and flourished in an almost symbiotic manner. From the beginning, cities were places of manufacture and commerce, often developing in locations suited to a particular economic activity.

With the concentrated population, diversity of skills and growing demands, cities stimulated economic growth. Often this was led by the consumption patterns of a society.

The social role of the city

The essence of cities is that they have always contained a large number of diverse and intense connections and activities; where people live, work, shop and play, meeting the needs of economic production and social reproduction. They bring together people from many different backgrounds and cultures. This can be purely in terms of physical proximity but also in the creation of space for fusing ideas, styles and activities. They are centres for many cultural forms. Cities have been the driving force for innovation, social improvement, cultural activity and diversity (Figure 1.1).Urban space has always been a place for the community rather than the individual, and public buildings, such as those for government, education, culture and commerce, play an important role in providing a focus for citizens and communities. They provide emotional attraction for both citizens and visitors, embodying political and cultural activities, giving significance and providing landmarks in time and space. They link the past, present and future, become reassuringly familiar to local people and stimulating for visitors.

The changing form of the city

Historically, cities have had complex spatial layouts reflecting the multiplicity of human exchanges. They have been alive with the richness of patterns and symbols that fulfil many psychological and spiritual needs. For example, the sense of enclosure and spatial definition provided by medieval walls satisfied more than just a need for defensive protection; they also provided psychological stimulation and physical comfort. The need to pattern human surroundings is as valid today as it was in medieval times. The layouts, landmarks and public spaces all contribute to each city’s distinctive sense of identity (Figures 1.2 and 1.3)

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The city as a myriad of diverseand intense activities - thedriving force for cultural activity:

From cities to urban sprawl.

The last two centuries have seen a transformation in cities from being relatively contained, to widespread urban sprawl. This has been a worldwide phenomenon. The decisions taken in the worldwide mega and metro cities, as seats of government, international markets and the locations of many corporate headquarters, are often of greater significance than decisions taken by governments at a regional or even national level. At the same time some older industrial cities( such as Weavers and Bidi industry of Kamptee near Nagpur M. S.) have seen their influence dwindle as manufacturing becomes less important As production has moved location or closed down, there has been a trend of population migration away from the cities to the suburbs, smaller towns and semi-rural areas or adopting some other means of earnings ( Chitar oli on Nagpur)The combined actions of economic power and planning have undermined the importance of distinct spaces and landmarks that originally contributed to the establishment of the character and spaces of cities. Many urban patterns and traditional connections have been weakened or lost, slashed by mega redesigns that ignored centuries of evolution. Cities have been scarred by major road networks, which occupy large areas of land, fragment and blight neighbourhoods destroying local social interchange and disconnecting travellers from their surroundings .Sprawl, car traffic, zoning and major redevelopments have

destroyed the fabric of streets, buildings and spaces, often replacing diversity with large single-use structures which can have a hostile or imposing presence. In the process of modernization, urban communities have lost the richness of patterns and symbols that made each city distinct.

Suburban sprawl has meant that the edge of cities is often blurred with miles of semi-suburban semi-rural hinterland of shopping malls, office parks and housing developments that constitutes neither city nor countryside. The traditional connection of the exchange of goods between cities and their neighbouring countryside is also lost with resources being shipped from all parts of the world to urbanized communities.

Commodifying cities

Today’s modern landmarks reflect the values of commercialism, where offices and retail units have replaced the library and the town hall, often in physical stature as well as importance to the city (nowadays expressed in terms of financial returns).. Active citizenship is discouraged and replaced by the role of consumer or, at best, passive voter. Power is concentrated in the hands of large companies, and government largely acts in their favour.Recent trends in global economics and telecommunications, place no longer matters. With no apparent need for a physical focal point for activities, it would seem that cities could suffer dramatically. The possibilities of teleworking and Internet-based consuming would appear to make it possible to return to a more rural lifestyle. However, this runs counter to the international trend of increased urban living.

The pace and scope of development has often been driven by property developers, with no interests within the city.( Dynamic peri-urban development of Nagpur Because of MIHAN Project) Privatization and budget cuts have limited the role for public planning and construction leaving the private sector as the main initiator and producer thereby determining the character and priorities of developments. The role of city authorities is mainly in support of the private sector, striving to attract investors, to support property development and increasingly to encourage the private provision of services.

Almost universally, the policy aim of cities is to attract international capital to invest, higher-paid executives and professionals to settle and tourists to visit. The main benefit for some city authorities has been an increase in property tax income (Hackworth and Smith, 2001). Cities are now being sold as a commodity to be consumed, rather than a place where production, living and consumption take place.

Where art and culture was primarily to decide the quality of life, there in these cities we have cars and privatization of services .

It is claimed that such developments will strengthen the local economy and make it more attractive to visitors. The architecture of such buildings is often grandiose and disrupts the existing urban fabric (Figure 1.5).. Economically they usually do not develop the local economy. They may draw in visitors; however, they often only pass through local neighbourhoods that have been blighted or socially changed (Gratz and Mintz, 1998).

Often the new housing is not part of the wider community but is exclusive, in gated developments, which cut existing connections and restrict access to residents (Figure 1.6). City-centre housing should be neither a dormitory for the rich nor an isolated enclave for the privileged. Successful cities should provide a diversity of housing, all with good quality surroundings, including homes for families, affordable properties to rent and buy.

Gated housing developments are on the increase not only in Nagpur,India

Sustaining cities in the face of changeThe future form of cities and the strategies that they should adopt in a global economy and information age is still being debated. Urban sustainability should be based on the principles of allowing present generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet. Redevelopments that only address a superficial image do not provide any socio-economic or environmental solutions. In contrast to the strategy of city-image enhancement, sustainable development offers a very different approach.

A foundation to urban sustainability is the overriding objective to achieve a high quality of life for the whole community within a socio-economic framework that minimizes the impact of the city on the local and global environment. There are number of ways for how environmental sustainability can be achieved:• use of renewable energy and a dramatic increase in energy efficiency• recycling and reuse of materials• food production within cities• an end to edge-of-town retail, leisure and business development to protect the countryside and retaining jobs in citiesIn this context there has been much less consideration of the social, economic, political and cultural policies that underlie the process by which urban sustainability could be attained.

Achieving urban sustainability

Fundamental to achieving progress towards sustainability is an economy that concentrates on well-being and quality of life for all. Essentially, the economy should be regarded as being inextricably linked to the livelihoods of its residents, rather than simply as the production, consumption and possession of commodities. The relationship between the economy, society and the environment needs addressing with (Figure 1.7).From an ecological perspective it is also important that the economy is local. If there is much greater local sourcing of resources and materials from within city regions rather than from undifferentiated global markets and a dramatic reduction in the waste and pollution exports, then the connections between cities and their surroundings will be strengthened. As cities reclaim their clear and distinct character of dense activities, population and connections, with a built form rooted in sociability and inclusion, this will aid the countryside to re-establish its own ident

The distinction between city and countryside needs to be redefined without returning to the simplicities of medieval walls. While the countryside should be accessible to city residents, the countryside should primarily be a place of work and life which are connected to the landscape. If rural dwellers are oriented to a city lifestyle based on car commuting, the land becomes merely an object of consumption and the attractive nature of the land is compromised with traffic, pollution and increased road infrastructure

The need for meaningful citizen participation

Crucial to the development of a sustainable city is the commitment and will of the population. There is a growing trend in government to conclude that the market is an accurate reflection of individual choices and an appropriate way of influence decisions. There is an emphasis on people as consumers rather than as citizens.

Sustainable cities need active involvement of the people; they need active citizens .Policy-making and decision-taking need to be focused at the local level. Active citizen involvement implies a fundamental change to politics and political structures. Local government needs to be more than modernized; it needs to be transformed into a vibrant dynamic and challenging forum of debate, based on public involvement.

Conclusion: Do cities have a future?Urbanization is certainly the future but a question mark hangs over what kind of future the city can look forward to. Despite technological advances and an explosion in wealth, human societies are becoming increasingly divided, socially and economically. Much of the strain of these social divisions is focused on the cities.

This paper has argued that cities can provide a rich and varied quality of life for all of its citizens, but that this depends upon changes being made to the ways in which citiesare funded and governed. The primary focus of the city needs to be its people, operating at a human scale, rich in symbolism and with spaces and places for social interaction. Technological advances may assist in solving some of the challenges for cities, but they are not a panacea. What is needed is a new debate on the future of cities that will challenge many of the present political and economic norms.

The possibility of a continuation of present trends of unsustainable economic growth, increased social fragmenta

tion and environmental degradation is neither an acceptable nor sustainable option. Without change, human societies will find themselves having to survive in a polluted world where social relations are severely damaged and economies have collapsed. The adaptability of the city is unquestioned. It is the adaptability of its citizens, decision-makers and urban policy within that city that will be put to the test in the pursuit of sustainability.