Comments on: The great Indian story

By: Sunir Parikh

Sunir Parikh — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:59:11 +0000

somehow it feels that india started developing after 1991 only…with intermittent breaks here and there…as a result, nobody really knows what way the development should go…this lack of knowledge coupled with lack of good intentions has created all the mess that we are in today…further, people themselves are not educated or aware enough to know these things…no wonder somebody said about india: india is a functioning anarchy…

By: Pradeep Srivastava

Pradeep Srivastava — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 11:53:54 +0000

This project is like a Haven for Noida Development.

By: bhushan

bhushan — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:44:50 +0000

very well said Akshay. Nothing is more stark then in noida, all island communities having their own power, water, free space, etc.. Country can’t develop on back of the gated communities.

By: Pratishtha

Pratishtha — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 04:46:45 +0000

@Peter Widdrington: very well said!

By: Jake Herson

Jake Herson — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:02:48 +0000

Akshay – I’m curious who some of these clients are that understand this and are working with you to change ideologies. I think they deserve recognition for voluntarily taking a leadership role in a positive future for the country.

By: Akshay Deshpande

Akshay Deshpande — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:47:45 +0000

One of the greatest challenges that we face as Urban Designers and Masterplanners is to design a public realm which is truly public. While in most countries, the city authorities are primarily responsible for the provision and maintenance of public spaces and infrastructure (streets, parks , plazas etc); the picture is quite different in India where private players develop townships for millions of people. The typical approach of developers is that since it is their money that goes in the design of the development; they want only that people who buy into their projects to have access to these 'public amenities'. This means the majority of Indian population who cannot afford to buy homes in these cities is left out; which results in patchwork development where inside these gated townships everything is beautiful and well maintained but the moment you come out of these modern 'fortresses' there is absolute chaos. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/world/asia/09gated.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 In many cases, even these gated ‘paradises’ are facing huge problems. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/at-bangalores-gated-enclaves-the-chaos-outside-comes-knocking-at-the-door/ The truth is that, due to the existing Urban policies which absolve the government and the developers of any responsibility towards the people, even the rich are not immune to this impending chaos. The existing policies have to be revised and this cannot happen if everyone only thinks for themselves. As a part of our design process we always try hard to convince our clients that by designing public spaces which are accessible to all shall make them more lively and successful. It is quite gratifying when we work with clients who understand this. Such projects have the potential to transform the existing ideologies; the success of these projects would act as a catalyst to bring forward this change that is desperately needed. For generations, we have learnt to live together as one nation despite our differences of income, status, religion and age. There is a serious need to revisit those values. Only then, we can have cities which people cherish and care for.