Sustainability and the City - Center for Urban Green Spaces

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Green InfrastructureTranslating global lessons to Indian citiespeople who subsequently see greatertransparency in how and why urbangreen spaces are managed. A numberof key factors can therefore beidentified that support urban greenspace management environment.Each individually provides scope fora proactive forms of management,applied collectively, they constitutea long-term and sustainableapproach to development. Theindicators include: a sustainablesource of funding; an evidenced andthoughtful strategic managementplan; knowledgeable officials toexecute management objectives; anengaged population; buy-in frombusiness and advocacy groups; anda visible political will to ensureenvironmental sustainability.APPLICATIONS OF GI IN INDIAThe opportunities noted abovehighlight how a range of investmentscan be implemented within urbanareas to provide economic, social andenvironmental benefits. However,whilst best practice examples offerinsights into successful applications ofGI in the UK, Europe and the USAthere are questions over whether theycan be applied in India. Using NewDelhi as an example, but also drawingon evidence from Chandigarh,Chennai and Bengaluru, it is possibleto propose that GI can meet the needsof urban India.New Delhi offers an interesting casestudy as it highlights at least threedistinct epochs of planning; OldDelhi illustrates the organic natureof development, while Lutyens NewDelhi presents, in stark contrast,uniformity in street design, Europeanstyle boulevards and formalised greenspaces. The third era is currently beingseen in development of Gurgaon,Dwarka, Noida, and the new citiesof Faridabad and Gaziabad. Each isattempting to complement modernitywith GI to provide liveable places forDelhi’s expanding population, withvarying success.City-scale GI in Delhi is mostnoticeably linked with the investmentscentred on India Gate and theParliament area. The GI resources inthis area, and that of the wider Lutyensdevelopment, provide a number ofbenefits for the immediate location butalso, and perhaps more importantly,for the wider city. GI in the form ofstreet trees, formal parks and largepublic spaces provide resources tomitigate climatic variations, whilealso creating locations for social andeconomic activities. Aesthetically theyalso act as a focal point for the city’smodern expansion. The investment inNew Delhi forms the basis alongsidethe Yamuna River and the CentralRidge Reserve Forest of the city’smajor GI network, the value of whichis magnified as the city continues togrow. The Asian Development Bankand Asian Green City Index bothdiscuss how greener cities includingNew Delhi, are more sustainable,economically stronger and healthierthan those with lower percentages ofGI, such as Hyderabad.However, smaller scale investmentslike urban street trees offer equallyimportant benefits alongside urbanscaleGI. Street trees act as focalpoints for commerce, personalwell-being and climate control.Furthermore, given the nature ofpollution in New Delhi street treesbecome increasingly important inintercepting vehicle pollution, andcontrolling and mitigating rainfall andsolar radiation. This raises a questionover the lack of re-investment in streettrees seen in the urban extensions ofNoida and Dwarka where trees havebeen removed to enable developmentbut have not been replaced. Thus,while the city presents strongsustainability rhetoric regardingtrees (see Fig. 1) this is not alwaysevident in the implementation of newdevelopments. Research has shownthat the governments of Chennai andChandigarh support the value of urbanstreet trees arguing that investing in16 urbanature
Green InfrastructureTranslating global lessons to Indian citiesGI has a greater proportional valuethan other forms of investment.New Delhi could also benefit fromexplorations in green technology.Greenpeace India is campaigning topromote solar energy, but could alsobe taken further to include greenroof and wall technology. Given theissues with solar radiation and watersupply green walls/roofs could actas effective interception and storageunits in extreme weather events.They could also lower the costs ofheating and cooling due to climaticstabilisation properties. Investingin green technology could alsolower the reliance on serviced watersupplies helping to reduce waterscarcity. Working with sustainabledrainage systems and more efficientcontrol of water bodies, such asthe Yamuna River, could enable amore sustainable resource base tobe maintained to serve the urbanextensions of Delhi. Locations,including Bengaluru, could alsobenefit from more sustainable andinnovative forms of water supplyand management. In an era whereIndia’s climate is reported asbecoming dryer, but subject to moreextreme storm events, investingin an effective water managementsystem has long-term economic andenvironmental benefits.CONCLUSIONA number of case studies highlightthat investments in urban greeninghave a positive long-term impact onurban development. GI offers climatemitigation, promote social well-beingand provide economic returns. If, inthe future, planners in India engage GIas the basic network that underpinsurban functionality there should be aprogressive shift towards an integratedenvironmental-development approachto planning. Expertise of urbanecosystems, human-environmentalinteractions and explorations of how GIcan deliver more meaningful economicreturns than grey infrastructure are allpart of this process. Indian cities shouldat a minimum retain, and hopefully,enhance their existing GI networks bydeveloping an integrated network ofsupporting ecological resources shouldprovide a longer-term viability forfunctional cities. •National Urban Green Spaces Fellowship ProgramAPPLICATIONS INVITEDEligibility Selection Criteria Fellowship• NUGSFP is open to any personenrolled as regular Masters/Doctoral student at any recogniseduniversity/institution of India.• Must have secured atleast 55%marks in the graduate/postgraduatelevel (as applicable) inany of the disciplines approved forthe purpose of NUGSFP.• Should not have scored less than50% marks (overall) in Class XII/Intermediate level examination.• Should be a citizen/resident of anyof the SAARC nations.Subject to the applicants meetingeligibility criteria, Fellowship proposalswill be scrutinised on the basis of:• Relevance of the project in termsof generating new knowledge andpossibility of it being subsequentlypublished under CUGS OccasionalPaper Series.• Possibility of project beingsuccessfully completed within aperiod of 3-4 months from the dateof approval.• Relevant course work/publications,if any.• Each Fellowship carries a grant ofupto INR 35,000.• Each grant shall comprise of amaximum of INR 30,000 for fieldwork expenses (at actuals) andan additional INR 5,000/- forreport preparation and other minorcontingency expenses.• Project grant can be enhancedto Rs. 50,000 for exceptionallycreative proposals.Application complete in all respects should be sent to Coordinator-NUGSFP, Center for UrbanGreen Spaces, Aravali Foundation for Education, Aravali House, 431/D22, Chhattarpur Hills,New Delhi-74. Shortlisted proposals shall be considered by the NUGSFP screening committee.Successful applicants shall be intimated withing 90 days from the date of submission.For more details including application format please visit www.cugs.inJuly 201317
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