Urban Planning and the future of Cities in India

-Authored by Nagaraju M, CEO & Cofounder, Rentprop4U The Indian Economy stands a chance for survival in its race towards disruption of the socio-economic status quo; harnessed by the fast-paced growth of its urban agglomerations which evidently contribute up to 70% to the nation’s GDP and have become hubs of economic activity through industrialization and digital transformations in every sector. Thus, we rely on the future of our cities, to put forth active participation in the eradication of poverty and slums and further improve the country’s economy by accelerating living standards, bringing equality in the job and social structures. This can only be done by addressing the issues that our cities are facing, like water shortages, power cuts, slum areas, improper waste disposal and treatment plants, inadequate drainage and sewerage systems, rising temperatures as a result of pollution, draining water bodies and building settlements in low lying areas causing floods and land erosions and so on. UNDP reports claim that India is one of the most disaster-prone areas, due to its high risk of floods and earthquakes with nearly 70% of the population in danger, especially in urban areas. A major cause of these downfalls is the improper planning of cities. Due to the mass migration, cities outgrow their potential and undergo a deficit of resources to be provided to its inhabitants. Cities should be planned in a way to accommodate future growth and expansion. With migrations from rural areas into cities increasing at alarming rates, it should take a collaborative effort from the government and private corporations to build on the infrastructure, thus providing necessary steps to ensure affordable homes, education and distribution of basic amenities accommodating the idea of one nation, one race and one status. Alleviating distinctions between employment in formal and informal sectors should help us move forward into a smart and sustainable urban future. The UN-Habitat reports that urban inequality in India rose from 34 to 38% in the period 1995 to 2005 (UN Habitat, 2010). The panacea to the unorganized urban developments: At the heart of the problem lies the inefficiency of urban planners and urban management specialists and the lack of proper knowledge being imparted to them, to push for an integrated land use and infrastructure planning, which relies on a project-based approach rather than the Master plans set for long periods. The cityscape and landscaping of our habitats are currently directed by a total of 5000 planners; even so, India is in dire need of 1, 60,000 planners by the year 2031. With the average floor space of 4.3sqmt allotted per person in cities like Mumbai, it is no surprise that the city is overcrowded. Skilled planners can contribute to the re-densification of our cities by implementing an increase in floor space index. National think tank NitiAayog and the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs are planning to increase floor space index (from 1 to 1.5 at present) across 53 cities with a population above 1 Mn if they are able to determine the possibilities of expansion. Furthermore, the Indian Government is moving towards planned urbanization through various strategies such as embracing the development of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridors, while plans are underway to connect the Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai Corridor. Apart from developing new industrial cities, these corridors encourage the improvements in infrastructure, enabling the exchange of goods and employment generation and bridging the gap between rural and urban settlements. The government has also undertaken initiatives to improve the city infrastructure which will stimulate the growth of our economy. Some of these schemes include AMRUT which ensures the adequate supply of drinking water, improvements in transport infrastructure and open space creation, Swachh Bharat-a vision of a clean India, ensuring the management of solid waste disposal and public hygiene and Smart Cities-an urban renewal mission to integrate technologically advanced command control centers, wastewater treatment, road improvements, city beautification, etc. The Indian Government is cognizant of the shortage of affordable homes and has instigated the scheme Housing for All also known as Pradhan MantriAwasYojana, which targets to build 20 Mn affordable homes for the urban poor by 2022. The beneficiaries of this scheme can avail 6.5% on interest subsidy on home loans for a period of 20 years under Credit Link Subsidy Scheme. Recent tax reforms such as 100% tax exemptions for second-home buyers, GST rate cuts from 12% to 5% for under construction properties and tax deductions for TDS on rental income of up to 2.4lakhs, also enables middle income individuals to contribute to the growth of cities. Individuals can play a significant role in building better urban cities by investing in builder floor apartments which will yield them a rental income as well. Another major contributor to the technological advancement of our urban cities would be property management companies that provide confidence for investors to invest in the real estate sector. Property management companies will give assured rent for the properties and commercial spaces according to the industrial standards. The industries will garner these x-factors to provide a hassle-free experience to investors and customers.