The rising need for efficient redevelopment As cities grow and their basic requirements correspondingly increase, new avenues need to be recognised and developed

The rising need for efficient redevelopment

As cities grow and their basic requirements correspondingly increase, new avenues need to be recognised and developed

There’s a beautiful saying, which states that there is only one unchanging aspect about the future, and that is change. Everything undergoes change. When the elements change, we call it seasons. On an individual level when people undergo physical change, we call it age. On a larger level, when communities or nations decide to change, we call it revolution. When cities decide to change, we call it development and in some cases, redevelopment. As cities grow, their basic requirements correspondingly grow. To accommodate those requirements, new avenues need to be recognised and developed, or where this is no longer possible, the old order has to give way to a new order. And in this sense, redevelopment is inevitable. Moreover, it is the order of the day. So, by virtue of this aspect, as a default, it can be deemed a necessary step towards the growth of a city where land resources are limited. And when it comes to accommodating an ever increasing populace, Mumbai, as a city is definitely hard pressed for space. Thus redevelopment of old, dilapidated structures and avenues have to be considered as mandatory. Also, in cases where structures have already gone beyond their use-by date and can actually be posing a threat to their inhabitants, Redevelopment is the best way to salvage the situation. And, if done efficiently, redevelopment can actually prove to be a blessing. There are many aspects, which need to be considered seriously when it comes to building the new structure. Right from the time, when the people involved decide to go in for the new construction to the time of walking into the new premises, a whole lot of situations need addressing. Firstly, every individual involved needs to be conformable to the venture. Of course, a group of people shouldn’t be holding the larger majority at ransom, just because a few things aren’t in accord with their personal interests. One has to remember that it is a collective step and the larger picture has to be kept in mind. But having said that, there might be situations, where even a single person’s concern and discord might be really genuine and actually be beneficial to everyone concerned. So, this initial situation needs careful addressing. And, as in a large number of cases in Mumbai, where the overall number of tenants is less than even 20, it makes a lot of sense to empathise with every individuals concern with proper care and understanding. After all, rapid progress can be achieved, when every single member is in conformity with the eventual goal. The next step is to ensure that the new development will alleviate the existing situation in more ways than one. And this means bringing in a better infrastructure than what is in place. When it comes to new apartments, infrastructure can mean a host of things. Prime amongst them are sound construction and energy efficient structure, water resource management, sewage and waste disposal, transportation along with on site plantation. Sound construction and energy efficient structure Today, any new construction has to consider the costs of building materials, construction equipments, labour, etc. And these are very high figures. At an average, a structure takes anything between two to three years to see the light of the day. There are huge finances involved and that too over a considerable period of time. And this cost is only going to rise. Thus, one needs to understand that the new structure has not only to be primarily very safe for all its inhabitants, but also be long lasting since even minor repairs or plastering and painting of the premises come with a heavy price tag. Also, with the spiralling oil prices and conventional fuel resources like coal fast depleting, structures will need to be designed in a manner whereby they can generate a part (or if possible the whole) of their daily energy requirements, since electricity is a commodity, which will always be much more in demand as compared to its supply. Again structures will need to be more site-specific. In cities like Mumbai, thermal insulation will need to be considered much more seriously as temperatures continue to rise, thanks to overall global warming. After all air-conditioning of premises is a major electricity consumer, which will have to be made more cost effective. To do this, the system needs to function efficiently. And insulation is a major step in making mechanical ventilation more efficient. Water resource management Water is a resource, which will have to be handled preciously. Already there is a huge water shortage and with the rainfall being way below average, there is always the situation of the impending water cuts looming large. Also, the fact remains that the supplying lakes to the city, even at their overflow levels still fall short of the requirements of the city. It is mandatory for all new constructions to have a rainwater harvesting system in place. There is simultaneously a pressing need to install rainwater harvesting wherever possible in existing structures. This will, on one hand increase the catchment areas of the city and at the same time considerably reduce the run-off on the streets. Remember, a part of the contributing factors to the flood situation in Mumbai is the water run-off from surrounding structures. Water recycling is a big part of water management and needs to be taken up at a war footing. Just take a look at the number of cars being washed in your premises and calculate the amount of water that it takes to wash each car and when you multiply this number at the scale of a city, it is an alarming number. This is water and it is premium. The ideal situation is that cars should be washed only with recycled water as also premise cleaning and gardening. Water recycling is something that each individual and societies need to do some serious rethink upon. Further aspects to consider Sewage and Waste Disposal Mumbai generates waste to the tune of approximately 10,000 tonnes per day. This waste is routed usually to landfills or in case of sewage to the sea. Both are environmentally hazardous. If sewage pollutes the sea, landfills as the name suggests are land-Intensive and pose a threat to the soil conditions. Space in Mumbai as we all know is scarce. As the population in the city grows, the waste generated per day will only increase. Where do we look for the next landfill? New constructions need to have a solid waste management system in place. But existing structures still rely on the municipal disposal system in place, which itself is overburdened. For a city to be healthy, waste disposal is a major area of concern. Even the onsite solid waste management system can only be effective if waste is properly source segregated. There are ‘waste to energy’ technologies now available for effective waste disposal at apartment and township levels as well. These can be suitably selected and employed as per site conditions and demands. Examples of biogas generation through anaerobic digestion for small townships are in place in cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Guwahati. ‘Waste to energy’ technologies not only help in reducing the load on the main waste disposal system, but also simultaneously contribute significantly to the reduction of fossil CO2 emissions. Transportation Commuting from one place to another is a big issue in Mumbai. An effective transportation system is indispensible to the future of this metro. A major part of it has to do with the individual. For starters, travel only if you must. If one can telecommunicate, then please avoid physical commuting. Again take the car out only if you must, because mindless car usage leads to an increase in oil prices resulting only in inflation. Remember we live in a city where there is a high density of people per square kilometre. So even if we may be able to monetarily afford a car for each member of the family, we just don’t have enough roads in the city to accommodate all those cars. So, the next time while sitting in the car at a traffic jam and cursing the others ahead, please give a thought to the fact that you are a part of it as well. A heartening fact is that more and more car owners are opting for public transport or opting to ride in two-wheelers. Also with the monorail and metro coming up, increased usage of these facilities will help reduce the burden on the roads and speed up the flow of Traffic. Onsite plantation The city is in dire need for an increased green cover. Increased onsite plantation will help reduce the undesirable effects of air pollution. And as food scarcity assumes a global proportion, with farmlands giving way to concrete jungles, more and more cities worldwide are adopting urban farming measures. This way, food is not only grown locally, thereby reducing fossil CO2 emissions through the elimination of Transportation, but also has an increased crop gain via avoidance of food loss in transit. People in certain cities practice ‘square foot farming,’ whereby they grow food on their terraces or balconies. Increased planting of trees and shrubs will not only prove beneficial health wise, but also improve the aesthetics of the neighbourhood. These are very important and crucial issues related to a healthy growth of a city. As general awareness amongst individuals keeps growing, all it needs a sustained willingness and commitment to the larger picture. This is the first article in a series on this subject. Mistry is a Mumbai-based architect