Construction industry magazine India

1. Urbanisation: Can We Reconnect our Cities with Nature

3. In pre-modern times, people in Indian cities still coexisted peacefully with nature. Sadly, in the current real estate Infrastructure development in India scenario, we have definitely witnessed an increasing separation between nature and individuals.

4. In the pursuit of their development and urbanisation agendas, our cities have seen high-rise buildings replacing backyards, parks and forested areas. However, it is wrong to blame solely real estate developers and municipalities for this scenario. They are effective reacting to the growing demand for such buildings.

5. Let us take the city of Pune as a case in point. In previous times, this city had a much smaller geographic spread and there was no real need to increase it. Pune was supposed to be city for retired people. The city and its trade activities coexisted very well with a strong agrarian component both in the central and peripheral regions. 

6. In fact, the British viewed Pune - or Poona, as it was known in earlier times - as a region of political unrest and resistance against their rule. Pune began growing both in terms of population and geographical spread only after India attained independence in 1947. Then came Pune's Technological Revolution. Pune transformed from a relatively small city to a full-fledged metropolis

7. When Pune was still relatively small and untouched by the rampant urbanisation we see here today, there was negligible impact on the natural wealth for which it was once so famous. Today, we see its once generous share of green open spaces eaten up by both low-rise and high-rise housing developments, landfills, commercial complexes and shopping centres.

8. As a result of this process, city dwellers become disconnected from nature. It is true that there is a lot of awareness and concern about the need to reestablish a healthy environment, and healthier cities. However, it is also true that most real estate development taking place today is about amenities and facilities, and that any vegetation that is factored in is merely aesthetic and ornamental.

9. Construction magazine is an inseparable element of a city - a city without buildings is inconceivable, and deforestation is inevitable. In fact, the very genesis of buildings lies in mankind's need to protect itself from the wild animals inhabiting forest areas with strong, impregnable structures. Today, wildlife has been more or less wiped out from our cities, but economic inequality has given rise to new threats of forced entry and loss of life and possessions. 

10. An experiment to achieve exactly that is reaping astounding results in cities like Singapore, where a natural ecosystem is being re-introduced into the urban fabric. It is astounding what such a vision of futuristic urbanisation can achieve. Clearly, concrete and coexist with abundant greenery and one must not necessarily negate the possibility of the other.