Tag Archives: MMRDA

Taming street-people: India’s grand civilizational project

Posted on July 18, 2011 by

A status message by a friend on Facebook has had me thinking for many weeks now. He wrote: Ranchi is an amazing city. In my first 30 minutes there, two schoolchildren, one bike rider and a goat tried to kill … Continue reading →

Posted in Car-free streets, Equity in Planning, Indian National Movement, Mumbai, Planning History, Ranchi, Safety, Skywalk, social spaces, Street Vendors, Suburban Rail | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Governmental “informality” in India

Posted on November 9, 2010 by

I referred, last week, to this paper by Ananya Roy which argues that informality and the collapse of rule of law in India is not a result of the disdain that ungovernable masses have for law, but a result of … Continue reading →

Posted in commonwealth games, Delhi, Informality, Mumbai, Yamuna Floodplain | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Ringroading and Mumbai’s spatial structure

Posted on October 22, 2010 by

Mumbai is currently undergoing historic but unnoticed changes that might possibly alter its urban structure beyond anyone’s imagination. It’s monocentric structure that aligned the entire city towards the downtown in South Bombay is likely to change very soon. Indeed, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Highways, Land-use Planning, Metropolitan Government, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, New Towns, Suburbs, Transportation Planning | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Metros and social justice: the case of Mumbai

Posted on September 5, 2010 by

Amitabh Bachchan, the famous Bollywood actor, recently stirred up a controversy when he complained in his blog about the intrusion of his privacy due to the construction of the Mumbai Metro near his mansion “Prateeksha” in Juhu. The city responded … Continue reading →

Posted in Equity in Planning, Metro, Mumbai, Rehabilitation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Promises, promises…

Posted on August 3, 2010 by

My analysis of two news reports in Mumbai this week promising drivers of personal vehicles the opportunity to “zip over” congested roads. Continue reading →

Posted in commonwealth games, Delhi, Highways, Induced Demand, Mumbai | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

So much for transparency…

Posted on July 30, 2010 by

In Delhi, after the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) reported scams worth 20 crore rupees in construction projects for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Chief Minister has passed a “gag order” on her colleagues in the cabinet to keep the … Continue reading →

Posted in Delhi, Mumbai, Transparency, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Creating Streets for Hawkers and Walkers

Posted on July 19, 2010 by

Mumbai’s planners do not necessarily view skywalks as a solution for improved safety, but rather, increased pedestrian flow. The idea is to move pedestrians up and away, making room for everyone else down below, including motorists and illegal street vendors who encroach on footpaths. But to pit walkers against hawkers is to ignore the real problem. A real solution would preserve the vibrancy of Mumbai’s street-level marketplaces. Most importantly, it would be about getting pedestrians to their destinations, not about getting pedestrians off the roads so that motorists have a free pass. Continue reading →

Posted in Car-free streets, Mumbai, Needs Assessment, Pedestrian Needs, Safety, Skywalk, Street Vendors, Transportation Planning | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments