Manali and its Sub-Region - Government of Himachal Pradesh

Annexure 72Annexure1Outline Proposal for Vision Document Project:Observations and IssuesMovement NetworksRenewing the UrbancoreUrban SpaceStructure and CivicinstitutionsSub-regional potentialBy virtue of being an internationally known tourist node, a commercial distribution center anda base settlement for the upper reaches of the Himalayan ranges, Manali town is invaded bya disproportionate number of automobiles, trucks and public passenger modes. Additionally,the presence of NH21 within the heart of the town brings in high levels of noise, atmosphericpollution and traffic hazards into the core of the town. Indiscriminate parking by tourists andcommercial vehicles has destroyed the peace and tranquility of the inner streets and spaceswhile the resurgent commercial base of the town has eaten into residential areas. Thepresence of taxi and bus parking in the heart of the town has further severed Manali from itslifeline, the Beas River. The need for introducing a traffic re-routing and parking strategy isclearly evident.The visit by the team was facilitated by the SDM, Manali, officials of Town PlanningDepartment from Kullu and the Nagar Panchayat, Manali who accompanied the teamthrough the visit for the inspection of various proposed and existing projects and helped theteam develop an overview of the functional components of the town. Independently, the teamalso surveyed different housing areas, inner commercial streets, institutions, tourism andheritage magnets in order to develop an understanding of the urban structure, potentialurban spaces, streetscapes and anomalous urban form resulting from the peculiarities ofManali's administrative boundaries. Manali appears to be a fit case for an intensive urbandesign based renewal including a re-design of the central area that has already been partiallypedestrianized by the authorities, exhibiting a long term urban design vision for thisinternationally renowned tourist destination.The architectural character of the town leaves much to be desired in its present form asManali has been subjected to extensive commercial abuse, subsuming local architectureand its indigenous urbanism. It is a right time in Manali's urban history for a comprehensiveUrban Design Vision that will at once promote orderly development while strengthening andimproving livelihood options of local communities as well as effecting aesthetic improvementin Manali's visual qualities. The imminent changes in the town present opportunities to createa new public space structure along with the potential to showcase the Civic institutions ofManali in strategic locations as part of this new space system.Though nestled in a valley in the midst of high peaked mountains, Manali town as a functionalentity is dependent on a sub-region consisting of valuable environmental and agriculturalresources along with a series of smaller settlements that surround it on the left and rightbanks of the river. Apart from the intrinsic social networking of the indigenous population,agriculture, trade and tourism link these settlements into a functional sub-region.Consequently, the developmental futures of these settlements are directly connected to theeconomic and environmental health of Manali town. The present tendency to concentrateinvestment in the Manali valley needs to be addressed from this view-point in order toachieve a relatively balanced development scenario that not only safeguards the fragileecological assets of the valley but also strengthens this network of settlements through astrategic sub-regional development scheme. In other words, one needs to maximize thedevelopment potentials of Manali town while reducing the negative impact of futureurbanization over the inviolable environmental resource base.The underpinning of such a sub-regional strategy should include the following:a. Environmental Design Strategyb. Development Dispersal Frameworkc. Regional Public Transport Networkd. Integrating Multiple Tourism Options