...Monday,Tuesday and all the other days ending with Y.
I had written somewhen about how the metro has revived CP. A lot of people now drop in to shop and walk around the area - something that was unimaginable five years ago.
Now with the opening of the Gurgaon and Badarpur lines many other markets are within reach - Khan market, Lajpat Nagar and Dilli Haat. The latter has already seen a huge increase in footfalls within a month of the metro line being launched.
One of the problems in markets was parking space and people would avoid going to CP for this reason. Many prefer a tradition market like Karol Bagh or Lajpat Nagar but were often dissuaded by the traffic on the roads. But with the metro this is no longer an issue. Also since the trains run regulary and on time (unlike buses) one can choose when to go and shop.
Add the traffic restrictions around the Commonwealth Games this a good time to hop onto the metro. No more blue lanes to avoid and the shock of watching traffic cops actually do their job :)
Showing posts with label Reinvent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reinvent. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29
Friday, August 27
35 years of Global Warming
No. Am not saying that the earth has been warming up for 35 years.Someone used this term in a research paper in 1975. And we have been thinking, talking and debating ever since. Most of us still disagree about the extent to which man is causing climate change and many of us concede that as an individual we cannot make a change.
If we look at our day to day activities, I am sure that we can identify one thing we could change every month that would have a positive impact on the environment.
In unrelated news the Gurgaon Metro line will open in September. Maybe we can ditch our cars each time we have to go mall shopping :)
cartoon: www.zunal.com
Saturday, June 19
Your Big Idea for our cities ?
From ITO, when you come onto the Ring Road just before the NOIDA toll road one can see a structure that looks like a cross between a flyover or a new metro line. In fact it is neither. This is the first elevated road that the city is building to cut commuting time to Lodi Road.Initially this was a Commonwealth Games project designed to bring athletes from the Games Village to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. But post the Games it will be used by regular traffic travelling from that side of the city to central Delhi and beyond.
But do such projects designed for a specific purpose work long term? With the kind of money invested in them, it is time to think whether they actually help make our cities better? Or should we look at other options?
Slate has an interactive project asking their readers to contribute ideas to make their cities better. And many have written with ideas.
Our cities too are facing similar challenges. Most of the us live around abysmal conditions that we think will never change. We just build higher walls or move to better colonies. But every morning when we travel to work there it is again. Staring back at us.
However a little bit of innovative thinking and learning from experiences of cities in other parts of the world would help improve our daily experience of living and traveling in the city.
What is your big idea to transform our cities?
Cartoon: www.polyp.org.uk
www.speechlessthebook.org
Thursday, June 10
Walking Around
Delhi used to be one of the few cities where we had wide enough spaces to walk. However in the last six months in the name of the Commonwealth Games there is always digging happening making it difficult to walk long stretches without having to get onto the road.
But if we were serious about walking spaces we would have made sure that they are not encroached or damaged. In last 20 years with the cars we have acquired, we have given up walking. When we say walking most of us assume a stroll in the park. We do not really think about walking to the market or to a friend's place. The rare exception is for Metro commuters who may have to walk a distance to their station but this is not something we welcome.
Aah the weather. That's the other excuse. But then winters are pleasant enough for walking yet we do not stay out on foot for long. We can plan picnics on weekends but no walking please. A friend who is a European once pointed out that inspite of the fact that most cities in India have pleasant weather at least 6 months in a year we still do not want to give up our cars even for short distances.
In Europe there is conscious effort to walk rather than take a car. Since their cities are small they have found interesting places to walk. In fact many of them have done this kind of exercise every weekend for over 20 years. Be it rain or sunshine they make it a point to walk sometime during the week.
Who knows after the Games are over and city becomes normal again, we might can try and make a habit of walking around in the city?
But if we were serious about walking spaces we would have made sure that they are not encroached or damaged. In last 20 years with the cars we have acquired, we have given up walking. When we say walking most of us assume a stroll in the park. We do not really think about walking to the market or to a friend's place. The rare exception is for Metro commuters who may have to walk a distance to their station but this is not something we welcome.
Aah the weather. That's the other excuse. But then winters are pleasant enough for walking yet we do not stay out on foot for long. We can plan picnics on weekends but no walking please. A friend who is a European once pointed out that inspite of the fact that most cities in India have pleasant weather at least 6 months in a year we still do not want to give up our cars even for short distances.
In Europe there is conscious effort to walk rather than take a car. Since their cities are small they have found interesting places to walk. In fact many of them have done this kind of exercise every weekend for over 20 years. Be it rain or sunshine they make it a point to walk sometime during the week.
Who knows after the Games are over and city becomes normal again, we might can try and make a habit of walking around in the city?
Saturday, May 29
A new map for NY
The MTA is unveiling a new subway map for New York.
The present map was released first in 1979 and although additions have been made, it was felt a that the city needed an update. There have been complaints that the map was difficult to read and an alternative version was available at Kick Map.
The biggest challenge in making any map for a Metro is what extra information to include apart from the train stations themselves. The London Underground Map is the most famous example of an abstract design that has no relation to the city geography and yet it has worked well.
New York used to have a similar map in 1972 but New Yorkers did not understand how to use it and got confused. So it was replaced with a map in 1979 which had neighborhood names & landmarks. But as time went by more subway lines were added and other information such as bus routes and ferry lines made it difficult reading. Hopefully the latest map would solve this problem.
The Delhi Metro Map has been continuously evolving but the map itself needs a lot of work in simplifying information. On the Metro website one can hardly read out the stations. The first rule of maps which is that it should be easy to read has been ignored. Hopefully the map will see better days in the future.
Funnily enough the new map would have a 30 percent larger Manhattan Island to accommodate the several lines criss crossing the island. Wonder how geography enthusiasts and map lovers would react to a New York with a larger island in the centre ?
The present map was released first in 1979 and although additions have been made, it was felt a that the city needed an update. There have been complaints that the map was difficult to read and an alternative version was available at Kick Map.
The biggest challenge in making any map for a Metro is what extra information to include apart from the train stations themselves. The London Underground Map is the most famous example of an abstract design that has no relation to the city geography and yet it has worked well.
New York used to have a similar map in 1972 but New Yorkers did not understand how to use it and got confused. So it was replaced with a map in 1979 which had neighborhood names & landmarks. But as time went by more subway lines were added and other information such as bus routes and ferry lines made it difficult reading. Hopefully the latest map would solve this problem.
The Delhi Metro Map has been continuously evolving but the map itself needs a lot of work in simplifying information. On the Metro website one can hardly read out the stations. The first rule of maps which is that it should be easy to read has been ignored. Hopefully the map will see better days in the future.
Funnily enough the new map would have a 30 percent larger Manhattan Island to accommodate the several lines criss crossing the island. Wonder how geography enthusiasts and map lovers would react to a New York with a larger island in the centre ?
Thursday, September 10
Its back to Mumbai vs Delhi
HT Brunch has an interesting cover story comparing the cities - Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. As usual the funniest piece is the best - Ruchir Joshi on Cal. Sam Miller writes a pretty boring essay on Delhi. It should have been written by a first generation immigrant. That's what the city is about today - the millions who came in in the last decade have changed how we live and work.
But the silliest piece is on Mumbai. Jerry Pinto protests about how one cannot make schemes for a tribal girl sitting in Sujan Singh Park. Never Mind that the in financial capital of India a handful of people decide how the country's economy should be run and 3 directors(or is it 5) Bollywood have been deciding the colour of our dreams for decades.
Then he goes on to laugh at the concept that Delhi will ever give up its power without actually realizing that the comment is as much for Mumbai - like all urban centres power is centralized in Mumbai. That is what cities are about. But then the writer starts to get depressed about how cities are "artificial constructs" and are built when people are tired of farming.
I love this kind of pop analysis from Mumbaikars. I have another simplistic example to match their argument.
Take a ride on the 9:45 metro with me. And you will see democracy at work. I do not know about the 21st century. Dilliwalahs do not think that far ahead. We are in transit and ready to move to the next opportunity.
But let me tell you this. The next 20 years this is an exciting place to be.
But it might be difficult for a Mumbaikar to come on the ride. He has to wriggle out of the suburban train first and jump over the portholes in his city before he can catch the Metro.
But the silliest piece is on Mumbai. Jerry Pinto protests about how one cannot make schemes for a tribal girl sitting in Sujan Singh Park. Never Mind that the in financial capital of India a handful of people decide how the country's economy should be run and 3 directors(or is it 5) Bollywood have been deciding the colour of our dreams for decades.
Then he goes on to laugh at the concept that Delhi will ever give up its power without actually realizing that the comment is as much for Mumbai - like all urban centres power is centralized in Mumbai. That is what cities are about. But then the writer starts to get depressed about how cities are "artificial constructs" and are built when people are tired of farming.
I love this kind of pop analysis from Mumbaikars. I have another simplistic example to match their argument.
Take a ride on the 9:45 metro with me. And you will see democracy at work. I do not know about the 21st century. Dilliwalahs do not think that far ahead. We are in transit and ready to move to the next opportunity.
But let me tell you this. The next 20 years this is an exciting place to be.
But it might be difficult for a Mumbaikar to come on the ride. He has to wriggle out of the suburban train first and jump over the portholes in his city before he can catch the Metro.
Tuesday, September 1
My colony resembles CP...
...during the night.
Don't get me wrong. We are not opening an all night mall here. It just that the parking in my housing complex resembles the parking problems in CP.
Each time you drive in after eight there is hardly any space. Add to that continuous digging that swallows a couple places where cars could have nested in the night.
This was not the case when DDA decided to build Colony No 77. Planned in the 70s this was completed before the Maruti boom. It has seen a 500 times increase in cars with almost every house having at least two cars. From zero that is. How can you plan for so many cars? DDA needs to be complimented for that.
But now it seems we need a different solution. A multilevel parking perhaps.
Of course that is how CP seems to be solving the parking problem. They will have a 15 storey parking which is completely automatic. Robots and all. Who will I fight with then?
Let me suggest a multi level parking with a robot at the next Resident's Welfare meeting. The expressions on their faces would be priceless.
Don't get me wrong. We are not opening an all night mall here. It just that the parking in my housing complex resembles the parking problems in CP.
Each time you drive in after eight there is hardly any space. Add to that continuous digging that swallows a couple places where cars could have nested in the night.
This was not the case when DDA decided to build Colony No 77. Planned in the 70s this was completed before the Maruti boom. It has seen a 500 times increase in cars with almost every house having at least two cars. From zero that is. How can you plan for so many cars? DDA needs to be complimented for that.
But now it seems we need a different solution. A multilevel parking perhaps.
Of course that is how CP seems to be solving the parking problem. They will have a 15 storey parking which is completely automatic. Robots and all. Who will I fight with then?
Let me suggest a multi level parking with a robot at the next Resident's Welfare meeting. The expressions on their faces would be priceless.
Tuesday, August 25
Mumbai most polluted
This might confuse you. With half the number of vehicles Mumbai has overtaken Delhi as the most polluted city in India. In effect each vehicle in Mumbai is 4 times more polluting than a vehicle in Delhi.
How did this happen? The assumption is that Mumbai's roads are more congested and Delhi has more vehicles running on CNG. However I am not sure whether the building of flyovers has really helped Delhi. The traffic jams still have not gone away and standing vehicles still cause pollution.
The expanding of BRT is going to increase use of public transport, although this will take some time. On the first road modified for BRT connecting Chirag Dilli to Moolchand, one can see how more people prefer the buses since the dedicated lines make for an easier ride.
I think a large part of the reduction in emissions is also because of the Delhi Metro. Today when I took the Metro to Janak Puri, it was normal trip. I did not even have to think - should I take the car or the Metro? When I got off, I remembered the time when it was a long hot bus ride at the end of which you were fighting through the crowds to get down.
In Mumbai there is no respite for someone who wants to avoid using the car. Yes there is the famed suburban train system but it is run down. The trains have to be upgraded and also new routes have to be planned in alignment with directions that people travel to work. With more work shifting away from town, people need options. Maybe the Mumbai Metro has such routes planned for the future. Till then this is a crown it has to wear.
How did this happen? The assumption is that Mumbai's roads are more congested and Delhi has more vehicles running on CNG. However I am not sure whether the building of flyovers has really helped Delhi. The traffic jams still have not gone away and standing vehicles still cause pollution.
The expanding of BRT is going to increase use of public transport, although this will take some time. On the first road modified for BRT connecting Chirag Dilli to Moolchand, one can see how more people prefer the buses since the dedicated lines make for an easier ride.
I think a large part of the reduction in emissions is also because of the Delhi Metro. Today when I took the Metro to Janak Puri, it was normal trip. I did not even have to think - should I take the car or the Metro? When I got off, I remembered the time when it was a long hot bus ride at the end of which you were fighting through the crowds to get down.
In Mumbai there is no respite for someone who wants to avoid using the car. Yes there is the famed suburban train system but it is run down. The trains have to be upgraded and also new routes have to be planned in alignment with directions that people travel to work. With more work shifting away from town, people need options. Maybe the Mumbai Metro has such routes planned for the future. Till then this is a crown it has to wear.
Tuesday, July 21
In the city lies a bamboo forest...
... and behind it are the slums.
Well that seems to be the policy of the Delhi government to hide away the underbelly of the city. Just plant some trees and make all the "poor people" disappear. I hope the bamboos grow tall enough. Riding on the Metro one can see a fair distance.
As with the 1982 Asian Games, many groups have also been relocated to create new infrastructure. Often these groups move to the fringes of the city to settle again. Year later those fringes will come under a NEW MASTER PLAN and they will be forced to move again.
Every big event in the city ends up becoming an excuse to waste money to beautify it. This means that only rich and middle class life should be seen. Driving along the roads you should only see malls and apartments, bungalows etc.
Many centuries ago the Empress of Russia wanted to visit Crimea. Her minister Grigory Potemkin knew that most villages were in a bad shape. Catherine would be horrified with them and heads would roll. He ordered the construction of fake settlements along the river she would travel. As the royal ships floated down, one could see happy villagers enjoying their rural life.
Why not make plastic and woodcut outs of the ideal city images and plant them along the roads leading to the stadiums. These images would have new houses, clean roads and blue skies. Driving past at sixty kilometres an hour no one would notice. In fact we could also leave them in place after the games are over.
Instead of such schemes as planting bamboo (which is not even common in this area) what about building affordable housing for these people? Is that not a better option in the long run?
Last year I had a chance to film such a project in Kolkata. The city administration had finalized a plan to clean the canals and open sewers. However families that were living in slums near them were reluctant to leave. Most of the women worked as house helps in the neigbourhood and did not want to be shifted far away.
What was decided that they would be shifted into low cost apartment blocks a hundred metres away. These houses had bathrooms and a working sewage disposal system - something they never had in their makeshift homes. The houses are owned by the women and they are paying lower interests on the loans provided by the government. Since these are apartment blocks, overall the area occupied by the families has come down.
If this can happen in a city like Kolkata where there is a space crunch, why not Delhi?
As with the 1982 Asian Games, many groups have also been relocated to create new infrastructure. Often these groups move to the fringes of the city to settle again. Year later those fringes will come under a NEW MASTER PLAN and they will be forced to move again.
Every big event in the city ends up becoming an excuse to waste money to beautify it. This means that only rich and middle class life should be seen. Driving along the roads you should only see malls and apartments, bungalows etc.
Many centuries ago the Empress of Russia wanted to visit Crimea. Her minister Grigory Potemkin knew that most villages were in a bad shape. Catherine would be horrified with them and heads would roll. He ordered the construction of fake settlements along the river she would travel. As the royal ships floated down, one could see happy villagers enjoying their rural life.
Why not make plastic and woodcut outs of the ideal city images and plant them along the roads leading to the stadiums. These images would have new houses, clean roads and blue skies. Driving past at sixty kilometres an hour no one would notice. In fact we could also leave them in place after the games are over.
Instead of such schemes as planting bamboo (which is not even common in this area) what about building affordable housing for these people? Is that not a better option in the long run?
Last year I had a chance to film such a project in Kolkata. The city administration had finalized a plan to clean the canals and open sewers. However families that were living in slums near them were reluctant to leave. Most of the women worked as house helps in the neigbourhood and did not want to be shifted far away.
What was decided that they would be shifted into low cost apartment blocks a hundred metres away. These houses had bathrooms and a working sewage disposal system - something they never had in their makeshift homes. The houses are owned by the women and they are paying lower interests on the loans provided by the government. Since these are apartment blocks, overall the area occupied by the families has come down.
If this can happen in a city like Kolkata where there is a space crunch, why not Delhi?
Tuesday, September 23
How Green is your City ?
Streetcar, San FransiscoSustainLane has come out with a study that ranks cities according to their sustainability. While Portland ranks the highest, New York, Chicago and San Fransisco are also in the top five.
One of the criteria for measuring this was environmental costs of traveling in the city and commuting options. As they put it :
...affordable and convenient public transit will pay dividends for a city, having positive impacts on childhood asthma rates, traffic congestion and associated stress, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gases.
Of course this is not a new argument and many times when switching to better fuels (unleaded petrol & CNG) we have heard them in India. However there is still a negative attached to public transport in India. People want to stop using it as soon as possible and move to personal transport. It is still affordable to use personal transport as long as you are willing to suffer the traffic snarls and smoke.
In the US while cars may be cheaper, the parking and toll charges are so high that it is often cheaper to use public transport. Also the time saved in commuting is significant and you don't suffer from driving stress.
Then why is this not happening in India? Primarily most public transport systems - buses, trains, autos and cycle rickshaws are not coordinated. Out side the metro station near my house there are host of cycle rickshaws waiting to pick up commuters and ferry them to their homes. But this is temporary system - they are often pushed away by the traffic police during peak traffic hours. Then the commuter has no option but to walk home. The next time he will use a car than the metro if he has a choice.
Buses timings are not in tune with trains. And this is true of not just of Delhi but even Mumbai and Kolkata where a suburban train/tram system has been operational for at least 70 years. They still haven't figured out a system where a person could walk from his bus to the station and catch the 8.40 local to Andheri. Most of the times the buses are late because of jams near the station.
In planning transportation our mindset is till to widen roads for personal transport not to look at reducing use of such vehicles. We do not want efficient public transport since most planning is done by people who drive cars to work. Now why would we want to give up an opportunity like that !!
Sunday, January 13
Pragati Maidan redux
With Auto Expo tickets now available at Metro stations it is so much more convenient to get to Pragati Maidan. While over 1 lakh people went to see the show on Saturday, 70,000 of them came via the Metro ! This is a huge number for the station at Pragati Maidan which normally handles 10,000 commuters daily.
Remember the time when going to the Book Fair or any other event at the Pragati Maidan was a nightmare. You either had to park your car (or get down from the bus) miles away and walk to the entrance. The main road was always shut down to traffic from one direction and you could see long lines of people walking towards the Gate No. 2. Till two years back, one would think twice about venturing out to such an event.
With the metro opening a station inside the complex, commuters don't have to worry about the long walk. They get off the station and bang they are in the middle of it all. That is why the added rush for Auto Expo this year. Other international events have actually begun to attract attention like they used to 10 years back. A similar thing had happened with CP once the Metro connected it up with West, East and North Delhi.
Lets just hope they remember to keep a Metro connection when they shift Pragati Maidan to its new location.
Remember the time when going to the Book Fair or any other event at the Pragati Maidan was a nightmare. You either had to park your car (or get down from the bus) miles away and walk to the entrance. The main road was always shut down to traffic from one direction and you could see long lines of people walking towards the Gate No. 2. Till two years back, one would think twice about venturing out to such an event.
With the metro opening a station inside the complex, commuters don't have to worry about the long walk. They get off the station and bang they are in the middle of it all. That is why the added rush for Auto Expo this year. Other international events have actually begun to attract attention like they used to 10 years back. A similar thing had happened with CP once the Metro connected it up with West, East and North Delhi.
Lets just hope they remember to keep a Metro connection when they shift Pragati Maidan to its new location.
Sunday, December 2
Concert in Central Park
Went to the opening of the SAARC bands festival in CP
when the first band came on - advaita - the crowds were a little disappointing
i guess four o clock was too early for some of us
but pretty soon the entire Central Park filled up
from the college crowds
to forty year olds who were reliving their rocking years
in the last two years
ever since the metro connected up
the north, west and east of the city to CP
the place is filled up with all kinds of folks
in the evening
out shopping or just like that
a decade ago this was not possible
having spent so many years
crisscrossing the inner circle
i have seen the traffic grow
knocking off the
shoppers and college kids
to places like Priya
or Saket
now with two of the theatres
Plaza and Rivoli
refurbished
new stores opening up
and the metro operating
the crowds are back
the central park
has also been done up
with a performance area
and informal seating arrangements
on grass
As we walked out of the concert
to head for the metro
hearing
the echoes of strings
i thought
this was going to be a sweet winter
when the first band came on - advaita - the crowds were a little disappointing
i guess four o clock was too early for some of us
but pretty soon the entire Central Park filled up
from the college crowds
to forty year olds who were reliving their rocking years
in the last two years
ever since the metro connected up
the north, west and east of the city to CP
the place is filled up with all kinds of folks
in the evening
out shopping or just like that
a decade ago this was not possible
having spent so many years
crisscrossing the inner circle
i have seen the traffic grow
knocking off the
shoppers and college kids
to places like Priya
or Saket
now with two of the theatres
Plaza and Rivoli
refurbished
new stores opening up
and the metro operating
the crowds are back
the central park
has also been done up
with a performance area
and informal seating arrangements
on grass
As we walked out of the concert
to head for the metro
hearing
the echoes of strings
i thought
this was going to be a sweet winter
Sunday, July 8
How the Metro helped reinvent CP
Hindustan Times has this article on how CP is booming again partly due to the Metro.
Remember the time when the shokeepers were protesting against the metro construction and how it was taking away their business. Well apparently all that has changed. Business is up since Metro brings in people from all parts of the city. An additional clientèle are students from Delhi University who drop in often.
Remember the time when the shokeepers were protesting against the metro construction and how it was taking away their business. Well apparently all that has changed. Business is up since Metro brings in people from all parts of the city. An additional clientèle are students from Delhi University who drop in often.
Unlike in the past when CP was considered an upper-crust market, now all classes of people come to shop here ”, says 70-year-old Satish Sundra of Ram Chandra and Sons, the city’s oldest toy shop.
Since the Metro attracts middle class travelers, it is interesting to note that most shopping complexes and markets along the Metro have reported an increase in footfalls. Easier to use the metro, shop and get back on the train than wasting a couple of hours to park your car and retrieve it.
Since the Metro attracts middle class travelers, it is interesting to note that most shopping complexes and markets along the Metro have reported an increase in footfalls. Easier to use the metro, shop and get back on the train than wasting a couple of hours to park your car and retrieve it.
Friday, January 19
walking at the central park
now that CP metro has got completed
they opened up the central park
it is beautifully laid out
with lots of green areas
and there is an amphitheater
if you walk around and look hard
me and A
had to go to check out some audio systems
in CP
we wandered around window shopping
went to the people tree (they 've got new stuff)
at regal building
then onto keventers and wengers
we figured now with the metro
trips to CP have become like as if it is next door
and one can actually spend time there
without worrying about beating the rush hour traffic
going back home
we had to stop over in karol bagh
the funny thing was although i live nearby
i've never been to karol bagh station
located bang next to the main road
from the station you just walk down to the ajmal khan market
the crowds and never ending rows of shops
recently one had stopped going to both these markets
because there would be traffic snarls
and no place for parking cars
but today travelling to these places is a breeze
another advantage : if you use the metro
what with the entire process of getting to a station
and then going about your work etc.
you end up walking at least 1.5-2 km everyday
thats great for you
now thats a thought for most of us dilliwalahs
they opened up the central park
it is beautifully laid out
with lots of green areas
and there is an amphitheater
if you walk around and look hard
me and A
had to go to check out some audio systems
in CP
we wandered around window shopping
went to the people tree (they 've got new stuff)
at regal building
then onto keventers and wengers
we figured now with the metro
trips to CP have become like as if it is next door
and one can actually spend time there
without worrying about beating the rush hour traffic
going back home
we had to stop over in karol bagh
the funny thing was although i live nearby
i've never been to karol bagh station
located bang next to the main road
from the station you just walk down to the ajmal khan market
the crowds and never ending rows of shops
recently one had stopped going to both these markets
because there would be traffic snarls
and no place for parking cars
but today travelling to these places is a breeze
another advantage : if you use the metro
what with the entire process of getting to a station
and then going about your work etc.
you end up walking at least 1.5-2 km everyday
thats great for you
now thats a thought for most of us dilliwalahs
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