SMALL TOWN AN ANTIDOTE FOR URBAN DISEASES
Anil Chotmarada
The present day scenario of our urban situation is quite indicative of a large number of ills due to which there is a lot of unrest amongst the populace. An Indian urban dweller is under a great strain because of environmental factors. There is intense overcrowding in cities which has led to over stretched infrastructure at all levels, be it physical, social or economic. These ills range from tension on the street because of lack of space to tension in the house because of the same reason. It is imperative that curative and preventive antidotes be found at the earliest if we want our country men to lead a healthy physical, social and family life.
The unmanageable urban sprawls generally take birth because of a complex set of reasons and causes. These reasons and causes are deep rooted and need to be fully appreciated if the urban sprawl and degradation is to be contained. Unfortunately, planners and managers tend to resolve problems piece-meal not going into the fundamental issues which are the generators of urban sprawls. The urban managers tend to resolve issues which are superficial and with solutions which are very often cosmetic and not really structural. Urban complications do not take place in a single day; these problems are born over time and by factors and influences which are very wide ranging. As these problems are related to human beings who are by themselves very complicated organisms, the structure of these problems becomes very intricate. Furthermore as these problems are created by the manipulations of institutions created by humans, the problem becomes more complex. With these compound problems the resolutions are even more complicated and very often contradictory. Usually the solution to these problems lie beyond the domain of professionals, making their solution an issue of emotive bias.
Out of the number of factors which cause urban congestion one of the major factors is migration from the hinterland to the urban situation. In this case at least there is a clear transition phenomenon which gets bye-passed because of the direct rural urban movement instead of the rural - small town - urban movement pattern. In a situation where the migrant population moves directly from the village to the city there is such a drastic social and economic transition that it is not conducive for the well being of the city. The small town, at least in this context, can be a substantial factor in mitigating some of the ills of the urban situation primarily as a stepping stone in the process of migration and as a counter magnet for the purpose of decongestion of the urban situation.
The urban problems generally because of over population and poor economic condition lead to an unhygienic living and working environment. This over population as an outcome of a large number of people from the hinterland moving for ‘better’ living conditions to the city can be checked if the so called better conditions are provided elsewhere. As the village does not have the potential for the expected infrastructure it is incumbent on the intermediate spatial organisation to provide the appropriate condition for this progression. From this line of thinking the small town becomes a strong ground in checking migration but only if the expected infrastructure is available in the small town.
The element of transition on the economic and social front can also be checked through the medium of the small town. This is possible because both the social and the economic conditions are closer to the village situation than the village - city social and economic equations. The success of this idea however is dependent upon the availability of the features sought for in the city. These are generally in the form economic upliftment of the migrant, availability of glamorous lifestyle and so called better living conditions in terms of enhanced civic services. If these are made available in the small town, there can be the creation of an effective gateway for migration check.
It is also important that the small town not only check the flow of migration but has also the potential of retaining and holding back its own population. It is quite natural that while the villagers would be willing to accept the small town as a step up in the ladder of his growth the old time resident of the small town would again the looking at the city as the next step in his growth. For checking this the small town must offer the platform for meeting of economic and social aspirations which will not only create a situation whence a resident would not like move the city but would also attract a city dweller to is fold, thus creating a counter magnet to the city.
The small town will be successful only if it becomes a mini city with all the advantages of the city without the problems of the city. It also needs to be an extension of the city to be worth living and working in. This suggests that the small town must have very strong communication skills with the city in terms of road, rail and telecommunication. For the economic stability the small town needs to be connected very well with the city, offering the convenient facility of easy physical movement and also the possibility of easy telecommunication with the city as it is not possible for any human organisation to survive in isolation. Easy physical links would also provide the possibility of the small town to act as suburbia. This would create the possibility of a large number of people working in the city but living in the small town thus bringing about urban decongestion.
The small town as an independent entity offers numerous advantages over the city or metropolis. These advantages are primarily because of the scale of the entity. The dehumanised conditions of the city become human when the scale is reduced to the more human level. The small town has a more human face in terms of social interfacing, economic equalities and cultural similarities which naturally provides a better family, social and work environment. With the less number of people, lack of economic conflict and healthy social relationship there is a breeding ground for the creation of a high quality of living standard.
The small town does however need the right kind of infrastructure to be able to provide the appropriate grounds for a healthy life style. These facilities are in the form of features which meet the aspirations of the residents. All human beings want something beyond the basic triad of needs. To curb the attraction of the city there is the need to provide in the small town the same facilities which are available in a city. These facilities need to be in the form of the glamour which the city offers.
With the advent of highly developed telecommunication facilities whence through internet and satellite television all information can be instantaneously transferred from any place to the remotest corner of the country, it is possible to connect all parts of the country, far to talk of the small town to the nearest city. But these systems must work. In the Indian context just forty kilometres from Delhi an Indian may be sitting in the farthest corner of the city as far as telephonic access to the city is concerned!
Similarly, unless proper road and rail links are established between the small town and the city it may not be possible to decongest the city. If the mass rapid transport system between the city and town is an efficient mode of transport and the intra city transport systems are efficient it may be easy to convince city workers to live in the town. This step by itself is a great boost for the decongestion process as the suburban family takes away from the city a lot of pressure in terms of decongesting through decentralisation of the educational, recreational, health and cultural functions which in turn generates a large shift of populace as a ripple effect.
Another feature of the small town which needs improvement for it to be an effective alternate to the city is civic amenities. Small towns in India are generally without proper facilities of water supply, sanitation, storm water drainage, good roads, and other such like facilities which make a town a convenient place to live in. Beside these failings another serious drawback is the lack of proper building legislation. While it is true that most developmental growths in habitats are organic and take place over time, it is also a fact that new development is haphazard because of either lack of legislation or because of the lack of will to implement the laws by the local administration. Mixed land use and inhabitable spaces do in no way encourage people to live in small towns.
Proper building legislation and its effective implementation is probably the key to a healthy and attractive life style in a small town. In a habitat just the residential component can generate a self sustaining economic environment in terms of giving birth to commercial, recreational, educational and health facilities. Therefore if people can be attracted to live in a small town which has proper links with a city, economic prosperity for the town will follow.
In conclusion, one of the problems causing illness to our cities -- over population -- can be ameliorated by creating in the nearby small towns the breeding ground for an environment which is more habitable than the city and provides all the conveniences of the city. It is imperative that the planners and others concerned change their mindset by accepting the possibility of contemporary technology providing some of the solutions especially in the context of making available physical and telecommunication links with the city. The small town needs to be made into a mini city to improve the city.
Anil Chotmarada is a Faculty & Director in Gateway College of Architecture & Design, Sonipat-131001, India.