Building better cities
The Hindu
Anupama Mohanram on why we must revisit the sustainability of high rise developments
The current Covid-19 crisis in the country leaves me thinking about the way our cities have developed. Last year, during the first wave, nearly 80% of the cases in India were from only 30 cities. During the second wave too, our big cities were the first to be affected. There is a definite link between the way our cities are today and the speed at which the pandemic spread. Our cities are crowded, filled with buildings, and overflowing with traffic. The percentage of green cover has rapidly depleted and there is no place for us to walk in peace, or even enjoy an entire day outdoors. One of the major factors behind the spread of contagious diseases is of course, high population density. The continuing migration of people to cities has resulted in rapid population growth. As land in cities is limited and expensive, the only way to accommodate the increasing population is to build upwards. This has led to the countless high rise building developments we are seeing today. Earlier, where one family would occupy five grounds of land, now there are 10 families, if not more occupying the same area. Such dense developments make it harder to maintain social distancing and prevent crowding.More Related News