Redesign or perish

Major changes can be seen in architectural practices with regard to designing of individual spaces (namely, homes and buildings) but not in India’s cityscape. Be it design, construction or the ambience, urban spaces need to continually adapt to modern needs and methods. Changing social behaviour too needs to be accounted for as it impacts the social space in a big way.

While buildings are being designed to take in green features, the overall urbanscape is still largely oblivious of influences being dictated by the new technology on modern mode of life and apathetic towards preserving antiquities.

Cities to be efficient, sustainable and functional, need civil engineers, architects, town planners and designers to work together. Its absence was best exemplified in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pointing out the flawed work of Tendersure which has led to shrinking of road space in the central business district of Bengaluru, but only two years after the work has been on.

Unfortunately, town planning has hitherto been the missing element with Indian cities. Barring Chandigarh, Jamshedpur and Bhubaneswar, no city has followed a plan, if ever one was charted prior to its founding.

But with globalisation having set in, architects and city planners are urging a rethink. It has also become imperative in the wake of emerging technologies that have begun impacting the practices.

- The Hindu