Looking for Urban Form by Physical Planners

Urban form an outcome of utilization of urban space by the people resulting in distribution of density and infrastructure. A recent discussion on the sustainable urban form held at Ahmedabad by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and their partners SPA Delhi and CEPT Ahmedabad tried to showcase their physical planning talent. They emphasised on the physical density of space and infrastructure planning which considered to be important for the resulting urban form. The city urban form - a study initiated by the UK based reserach group through tried to present the thesis that urban form is resultant outcome of various factors, physical, social and economic, the national level institutes failed to conceptualise the studies. The analysis though seems to be undergoing the directions for such urban form studies are dominated by the physical urban planners. The cities and their form is not outcome of intellegent planning but is result of urban geographies, economy, sociology and behaviour of the people. The policy decisions are used to guide the plans but its people who choose to the manner they want to use their lands. The planning communities have failed to scientifically explain the present urban form rather jumps too fast on making the new plans and policy. The analysis for the present city forms were missing in the current studies at the national level, the content of the works intended to prepare the National urban form guidelines didnot have any scientifc basis except the physical interplay between the density which is an outcome of land utilization. The stress on the allowing or restricting the mixland use in the cities are discussed at length, but with little theoritical backing explainations were hard to give.

The cities in India have been focussing on the infrastructure plans in the city development plans which in any case cannot be regarded as authentic planning excercise. Its neither traditional nor looking for sustainable approach to planning, just become a funding tools for the state. The current applied sciences should intervene the planning process in order to save it self from the intellectual lethargy while studying the cities. The planning community have failed to explain the city form and directions with the scientific methods, rather they are good at explaining the policies by using the same methods. The structured approach to planning systems are missing and yet the decisions are taken too fast. Take for example the recent planning of Dholera SIR in Gujarat, where in the physical planners are going for 2 million plus cities, where in its expected to populated in coming years (100 years!!). This is within reach from Ahmedabad, a million plus city, how this would be feasible to relocate or expect huge migrant movement out of nothing. The physical planners have already beguin to plan for the people, wherein nobody exists and look for heavy investments by realtors. The claim of the planners in this context is huge masterplan indicating the role of state which has evidently emerged as real estate agent. The lack of people participation and information is resulting in utter chaos in planning system, some results are good, but most are expected to be poor thought for the future.