Decentralise to decongest: Experts discuss how to make Bengaluru livable

Creating at least eight satellite towns with high-quality urban amenities around Bengaluru is the best bet for creating a better and sustainable Bengaluru for the future.

This was the crux of an engrossing panel discussion entitled 'Ease of Living: Better Urban Planning for a Better Bengaluru' held during the DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit here on Friday.

The panellists — BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, urban planner Naresh Narasimhan and Brigade Group's executive director Nirupa Shankar — agreed on the need to cap Bengaluru's population and create opportunities in the rest of Karnataka.

"In the last 10 years, Bengaluru has added one Singapore to itself. The population has grown from 84 lakhs to 1.35 crore. This has put a lot of strain on the city's infrastructure," Gupta said. "Singapore cannot add new people or vehicles beyond a certain number. This does not happen in Bengaluru. A new residential township can be designed for transport, water and all amenities before people move in there," he explained.

Narasimhan called for creating at least eight satellite towns around Bengaluru with high-quality urban amenities. "I do not see any reason why Bengaluru should undergo development any longer. It is time to put an end to rampant growth and limit the population," he said. "Bengaluru needs to be decentralised."

Speaking about how bad Indian cities are designed, Narasimhan said that Particulate Matter 2.5 — an indicator of air quality — is just 2 in New York while the global standard is 10. "The PM 2.5 in Bengaluru is 196 as against the Indian standard of 40. It's much worse in New Delhi where the PM 2.5 is around 600," he said.

Nirupa concurred, saying it was high time that large satellite townships were built with all amenities. "The government should partner with private companies to create townships over 100-500 acres with offices, houses, malls, hospitals, schools and social infrastructure. These should be mini-cities within a city. This can only create a livable city with no traffic congestion or air pollution," she said.

The discussion was moderated by DH columnist Gautham Machaiah.

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