Is Delhi prepared?
Cities offer a platform for cultural, social, physical and economic co-existence and conflict . In the past planners designed cities for socio-cultural growth and interaction. Modern cities in the developing world have passed through a consistent change in planning concept , due to a paradigm shift from a place for socio-cultural conviviality to a political, economic and technological playfield. While European towns changed from artisanal and oligarchic to industrial, democratic and presently corporatist towns, Indian cities evolved through the colonial era where planning revolved around transport for trade and movement and on the other hand totally based on an impoverished and agricultural economy. These towns flourished or abolished by the signature of monsoon and natural resources in the area. The planning was based on social and cultural needs of community living in a unit called mohalla and chowk. As different communities have ruled the country , the cultural and religious requirements became the basis of growth of towns.
Unlike European countries, which had assembly places like town halls and auditoriums, Indian cities used religious places for formal gatherings and congregations. Gardens and rivers were used for informal social interaction. Though presently, towns of India are still areas of co-existence, but increasingly less and less of conviviality, and much more a place of conflicts and complexities. In the pre-colonial era the function of cities was well defined. Clear definition of urban towns came to India during colonial rule. Objections of such demarcation were totally based on maximum use of rich natural resources of India for purposes of trade. And that was the basis of developing transport networks of railways and national highways in addition to water and sewerage networks. Townships grew around these networks and nodal cities.
Paradigm shift from planning for socio-cultural and religious chores as the main focus of the master plan approach, to creating special provisions for economic activity and industrial growth has become much faster in the present decade. Liberalisation of economic reforms have further brought about total change in concept of township planning and development. Population explosion on one side and demands from market oriented economic activity on the other, the trade nodes created by British expanded further as there has been hardly any effort in investing in basic infrastructure for rapid growth of these nodal urban centres. India hosts a numbers of such centres known as mega cities. Taking cognance of the fact that before 1940, only one city in India had a population more than 1 million, by 1991,there were 23 such cities and they are presently close to 40. Around 70% of increase in urban population in the last 10 years have occurred in Class I cities (with population above 1 lakh). If the trends of migration are seen, during last decade migration has been concentration of maximum economic activity only in metropolis due to existing infrastructure of road and rail network. Delhi is one of those metropolises and now a megapolis.
A City that is Delhi
Geographical and climate settings
The National Capital Territory of Delhi sprawls over 1483 sq km (148,300 ha) between latitudes 28o 24'17'and 28o28'52' North and South West. The Gangetic Plain and the Aravalli Ridge converge at Delhi, giving mixed geological character with alluvial plains as well as quartzite bedrock. The climatic regime of Delhi falls under the semi arid type, as influenced by the considerable distance of the city from the sea and prevalence of continental winds during major portion of the year. It is characterized by extreme dry conditions associated with hot summers and cold winters. It also experiences heavy rains primarily during monsoon. The temperature ranges between 18.7 o C (mean minimum) and 40.3 o C (mean maximum). The normal annual average rainfall is 714.6mm. As a result of its extreme climatic variations, almost three fourths of the year(nine months) is not conductive for living out doors or in temporary shelters due to heat, cold, rains and disease vectors.
Due to its geographical location and political status, its road and rail form a north - south corridor, which connects all the states together.
The evolution of Delhi can be linked to circumstantial development and time. It can be classified as historic, induced and spontaneous. Historic is based on cultural and religious beliefs, e.g.Shahjahanabad and traditional community based villages. Induced developments were a result of urban pressures, policies or plan-making mechanisms, e.g., migration from portioned Pakistan and migration due to jobs in central Govt or PSUs. Spontaneous development constitutes informal residential areas - considered illegal by city managers. Additionally, development in Delhi is linked to four different periods. These periods are pre-colonial (before 1911), pre-independence (1911-1947), post independence (1947-1961) and Master Plan period (1961-1981). During each of these periods migration to Delhi has been circumstantial. Pre-colonial period as already stated was based on traditions, cultures and religious lifestyles promoted by invaders. Pre-independence was related to migration of the British and development of trade. Post -independence was based on migration from partitioned West Pakistan. Master Plan Period refers to temporary migration from rural areas in search of employment. Presently, it has become an alternative, central place for international trade as well as seat of power. The increase in Delhi's population from 4.1 million in 1911 to14.37 in 200 ia the highest inn the world. Major increase during the master plan period has been in last two decades from 5.2 million to 13.4 million.(Source Delhi 1999 A Fact Sheet)