Amar City of Joy : Kolkata

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1 Cultural Capital of India City of All Cities City of Football in India Amar City of Joy : City of Bridges in India City of Palaces Literary Capital of India Paris of the East City of Furious Creative Energy The city of since its start as the commercial capital of the English East India Company in 1690, is still today the LARGEST METROPOLIS in East India with a population of 4.5million in the metropolitan region alone. Having served its numerous synonyms to its people through the tides of time, the city has inevitably secured a position in anyone s heart who has come and lived here. But again, over the years the city has witnessed its dark sides also. Unplanned haphazard growth over the years have ultimately taken a toll and a recent survey by the SIEMENS GREEN CITY INDEX ranked as a city below average along with its other Indian compatriots Mumbai and Bangalore. The news obviously came as a huge blow for all lovers and right now it s a high time to do something for our beloved city and save it from degenerating further. In this endeavor of trying to save the city the first point that I would like to emphasize is NOT TO APE OTHER DEVELOPED CITIES OF THE WORLD LIKE LONDON OR SINGAPORE ( many of the present visionaries count it as a solution). Instead we can learn from the numerous techniques that have been applied in these cities and combine them with our own indigenous methods and work towards a sustainable development. I would hence put forward a five point approach to start with the mammoth task of making GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE

2 1 A sustainable transportation system With increasing population and changing lifestyles(which has led to increased vehicular ownership), the streets of present a picture of increasing traffic congestion and increasing levels of pollution. has a well established public transportation system with bus, metro, tram, auto and ferry services. This is an important component of a sustainable development. Most of the buses, local trains and autos that are presently operating are outdated and thus increases the levels of pollution. Most of the bus and train services are also short of the demanded capacity. This has led to people switching over to private means of transport thus aggravating congestion and pollution. Expansion of the capacity of bus, train and metro services: e.g. adding extra bogies to the local trains. Using modernized vehicles with technical control on exhaust fumes. Since most of the major roads are being used above saturation level, sustainable means like cycle tracks and skywalks can be successfully used in the newly extended satellite towns of Rajarhat and Salt lake if not in the oversaturated roads. Cycle tracks Expanding services A green skywalk

3 2 A major Green drive Most of the Indian metro cities have the problem of very little green cover resulting in vast stretches of concrete jungle. started with a strong vision of a city level green cover with the Maidan situated in the heart of the city. Other than that, though few in number, a few parks have been established under the initiative of the municipal corporation. Recent population pressures have deprived the city of its choice of a green cover. High levels of pollution has resulted in dwindling number of road side trees. A recent report by The Times of India showed how faulty pavement design is causing damage to the existing trees. Planting trees along roads A public initiative needs to be augmented for planting roadside trees. A more green urban planning approach towards creating green public spaces. Introducing green roof concepts as part of building byelaws: it is highly improbable that big real estate and corporate companies can t afford one! Detailed pavement and road design layouts to promote urban greenery City parks Roof garden

4 3 Reusing heritage structures It has been well proved by now that reusing existing buildings is a more sustainable approach compared to new construction. Safeguarding our cultural resource is also our responsibility as architects and planners. has at present a vast resource of historic buildings which are at present lying unutilized at various prime locations of the city like Strand Road and hence have a huge scope of being turned into both economically profitable and sustainable ventures. Low awareness among the authorities regarding adaptive usage of heritage structures coupled with lack of initiative. Abandoned warehouse in Strand road An extensive inventory of the existing cultural resources. Learning from other successful examples like Mumbai and many European countries regarding utilisation of these resources.

5 4 Save the East Wetlands The wetlands act as a very vital ecological balance for the city. It has been the most successful and the world s largest natural sewage treatment facility for the city, Presently the authorities are reclaiming the wetland areas for development. Enough damage has already happened to its ecological balance and the local fishermen and farmers. A strict control over recent developments. Promoting sustainable development like fisheries and ecotourism. 5 The RAMSAR designated East Wetlands Encouraging Green technology The last but not the least approach is to promote and develop green techniques, like green architecture, using energy saving appliances, promoting rain water harvesting etc.. Wishing all the readers (who have been still reading my report ) a Very Happy Festive Season!!! -Vaswati Chatterjee, -Master of City Planning, IIT Kharagpur -Word count: 900(approx.) -All images have been taken from the net