Are Skyscrapers ideal solution?
It is a popular concept that to
overcome paucity of land in big cities, you should go vertical – i.e. build
multi-storied buildings called ‘skyscrapers’. But this is hardly a right
solution. Why? Because suppose you build a 100-storeyed Tower. Who will be the
occupants? Obviously, the wealthy and super-rich (in our Mumbai, you can site
the example of ‘NCPA apartments’ at Nariman Point which are the most expensive
residences in the city). And because they will be living in a mini-city within
a city, their mindset, attitude and behaviour will be vastly different from
other common people. They will be cut of from Nature, mother earth, sounds and
smells, and street food. They will be snobbish and self-centered and will shun
mixing-n-mingling with ordinary people. (I quote the words of an American
tourist in support of the above tendency. Said he “Look my boy, In Boston, no
one will talk to anyone unless he is from Boston!”
2. Thus the city’s residences
will be compartmentalized in to posh, middle class and pauper zones (slums).
The finer virtues of good neighbourliness, responding to call for help and
feelings for the down-trodden will not be there. The cumulative effect will be
disturbing – vertical buildings will destroy the social fabric of a city.
There should be more ‘greener
areas’ to oxygenize the city, more tree cover , more playgrounds, cleaner lakes
& rivers/sea and more open spaces (maidans) to serve as lungs of the city.
We should make sure that we don’t lose the community spirit and diversity that
is the soul of the city.
3. In Mexico city, the buildings
are built without any plan with the result that they do not connect to the
society or the people and are very unaesthetic. Architecturally, they are
‘lines of houses’ without any facility. You see luxury apartment blocks right
next to slums – triggering class-conflicts due to close proximity, resulting in
law and order problem.
4. In contrast, horizontal
buildings are better. They have a traditional look, are more likely to
withstand earthquake impact and offer more escape routes to occupants in case
of sudden disaster, like fire, gas-leak, terrorism, etc.
5. Summing up: The ideal plan for
a city is not to have super-wealthy and ultra-poor sectors but to have a modest
middle-class as they are more likely to spend their money in the city, thereby
keeping the city govt’s exchequer in the black (plus side). (Unlike the rich
who prefer to fly to other big metros/foreign countries for their shopping spree
and spend their money, thereby enriching the local economies, much to the
disadvantage of their own city’s kitty.
7. Nov. 2007
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