INDUSTRIAL TOWNSHIPS

Over the last sixty years, cities have been designed with the assumption that human life will increasingly be centered around cars. Many countries have mindlessly transplanted western city designs and solutions under the mistaken belief that if it works for wealthy cities it would work for them. As a result, city residents are getting accustomed to diminishing returns from daily city living due to the transplanting of city planning solutions, which lack local context.

Cities are designed for safety and yet we need policing to restore confidence in citizens living in the city. We design cities as models of development and yet the access to their facilities and amenities is inequitable and undemocratic and the vibrancy of their community living is fast disappearing. That's the reason we need regulators to unsuccessfully manage unhealthy balance sheet of these cities. Add to that, cities increasingly require grants to sustain their infrastructure while the common taxpayer grudges the benefits of his hard earned taxes being selectively utilized to create inequitable city solutions. This leads to a non-participative and a complaint-led behaviour, which results in lack of respect for public property and its abuse. Cities have become gas, energy and resource guzzlers. Sustainability is now only a fashion statement that is never made accountable. Anything new, any claim about energy efficiency is swallowed without audit. No one is held accountable to his or her promises. Then there are issues of waste, fresh water, energy, education and human health. The cities today promise a quality of urban life to the citizens in a manner that none of them are satisfied with what they get. Our city living costs require two income families and yet our zoning plans never allow for responsible parenthood and working at the same time. Neither are the cities safe, nor are people healthy nor is the city profitable. Such a model of development is anything but sustainable. We, in fact are eating our grand children's inheritance. 

We at Metrovalley after 6 years of research have come to the bewildering conclusion that urban planning, unless emerging out of participative and contextual understanding of people can have deep and divisive effects on the society. That's the reason, Metro Valley spent considerable time and effort to understand the needs, wants and aspirations of people across age groups, income and education segments to create a pro bono strategy for development of modern day cities, which are lead by example solutions due to their unique culture dependent economic solutions. The fact that this effort has been attempted on an existing city plan is what made the job daunting and the results unique and interesting.

Focus Areas

• Social Issues of Gurgaon
• Environmental Issues of Gurgaon
• Impact of road planning on safety of the city
• People's expectations from Gurgaon
• Needs of different age groups in the city
• Social equity and urban designs
• What can be termed socially enabling infrastructure
• Appropriate urban plantation solutions
• Regenerative landscape strategies
• Zero Waste business solutions
• Pedestrian psychology on busy streets
• Solutions for creating Multimodal hubs
• Employability and job creation
• Creating an entrepreneurial environment
• Water solutions for a parched city
• Relevant transport solutions
• Needs of adjoining villages
• Psychology of migrants
• Causes of slums and sprawl in Gurgaon
• What makes places vibrant and inviting
• Fathoming the urban class divide
• Health and well being: perceptions and realities across age groups in Indian cities