Cost of urban expansion

MOST of Us Have Heard the Story of Aladdin’s lamp, the tale of a poor boy from ancient china who is picked up by a sorcere from the maghreb to retrieve a magic lamp that grants Every desire. Aladdin overpowers the sorcerer and lives happy with the lamp.

Metaphorically, We Treat Our Cities Like Aladdin’s Lamp. They seem to provide always we wish for, but unlike the lamp, which grants only what is asked, cities also give us what we do do’t ask for. We get success and stress, Fame and Failure, Power and Pressure, Love and Loneliness, Income and Isolation, Comfort and Constion, Solutions and Confusion, Goods and Garbage – The list goes on.

We View Cities as Oceans of Opportunity, Ladders to Success, and Engines of Growth. But what if this relatives grow is leading us towards self-digested? Aladdin’s lamp remains unchanged in the story but can ever-expanding sites like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad Sustain Their Their Vitality, Or will they one day their sheeen and decline? Can Our Decision-Makers Plan for the Future?

Unlike Rural Economies, Which Draw from Direct Resources Such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Mining, and Fisheries, Cities Thrive on Secondary Sources like services, sales, sales, mARKENTING, MANAGENTING, and Governance. Urban centers are primarily consumers, especially of Finite Natural Resources Such as Land, Water, Coal-Generated Power, Sand, Stone, Soil, and Timber.

Can Ever-Expanding Cities Like Bengaluru Sustain their Vitality? , Photo Credit: File Photo

The per capsity consumption of these resources in cities far exceds that in rural areas – not just through directed direct usage but also through indirect means: Purchasing manuftacchards, residing in contesting Buildings, Traveling in Fuel-Powered Vehicles, Relying on Air Conditioning, Dining out, and Engaging in Countless other activities.

Is Limiting Urbanisation Essential for a Sustainable Future? This is a debatable question. Even if it is theoretically possible, will we do it? Current trends do not sugged any slowing down. By 2050, India’s Urban Population is Projection to Reach 68%. If we Continue with our existing Economic Models, Lifestyle Choices, Governance Structures, Pursuit of Wealth, And Renentless Chase for Comfort, Urban Expanyssion will eccelerate.

The least we can do – for the sale of future generations – is to adopt simpler, more sustainable lifestyles.

Take bengaluru, for instance. Most Policies, Proposals, and Administer Eforts Focus on Solving Urban Problems – be it traffic, garbage managment, or water supply. While these initiatives are negaments More projects lead to more jobs, attracing more people, which, in turns, creates new challenges that Demand Further Solutions. This cycle results in endless meetings, seminars, reports, and conferences by the government.

This is not to deny the possible benefits of more seminars, but to sugges to implement the available ideas first, think differently and try a paradigm shift. We need to sustain our cities as liveable cities first, to Sustain them Climatic.

(The writer is an Urban Designer, Heritage Conservationist and Ecological Architect in Bengaluru)

Published – February 21, 2025 07:41 PM IST