Weekly Roundup 008 – 18th to 24th April

FEATURE REPORT/ ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

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‘Managing politics of urban planning’
Authored by Bimal Patel, urban planner and president of CEPT University
In the context of the controversy around the newly drafted Mumbai development plan being scrapped, Bimal Patel gives his opinion on the state of urban planning in India. He says, ‘Good ideas are not adopted simply because they are good. For them to be adopted, powerful people have to believe in them. Powerful people have to be convinced of those ideas. Key opinion-makers have to be engaged with, educated and brought on board. Broad coalitions have to be built. Sincere, but misguided, experts have to be convinced or isolated. Vested interests have to be exposed. Public opinion has to be formed in favour of good ideas by engaging with the public. This is political work. Urban planning requires technical as well as political acumen.’ He couldn’t have said it better.
Read the whole piece here. Published by livemint.com.



ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK

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‘Trees in Hard Landscapes: A Guide for Delivery’
Developed by  the Tree and Design Action Group (TDAG)
‘Trees in Hard Landscapes: A Guide for Delivery’ is the companion document to ‘Trees in the Townscape: A Guide for Decision Makers’ (featured and shared in an earlier weekly roundup post). It explores the practical challenges and solutions for integrating trees in 21st century streets, civic spaces and surface car parks. These are arguably the most challenging environments for growing trees, but are also the areas that can derive great benefits from their inclusion.
Download your copy here











VIDEO/ PODCAST OF THE WEEK

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‘Walkability – planning from the sky vs. designing on the ground’
By Gracen Johnson

Walkability – planning from the sky vs. designing on the ground from Gracen Johnson on Vimeo.

Gracen Johnson is a young urban planning graduate who decided to move against the grain of conventional wisdom for young grads. Instead of chasing a big job in a big city, she moved across the country to a small city that actually has a reputation for joblessness (and kindness). Smaller cities interest her both personally and professionally.
This video explores the contrast between walkability from a bird’s eye view and from the ground. Johnson touches on David Sucher’s three steps to achieving the basics of a pedestrian friendly streetscape.