Road v/s Street

Our first 'Urban Design' lecture was a brainstormer! Khare sir was at his dramatic best. He started with a lecture on Chicago. Chicago was the experimentaion lab for early modernists and is a developed city today. Some were gawking at the high rize buildings, some were scribbling and the last bench was happily snoozing.

After showing us all that was worth seeing in Chicago, he critically analysed its architectue. The buildings consumed a LOT of energy, there were soaring at the city center whereas the outsirt land lay neglected.........and my favourite.......they had only streets, only roads.

How do you distinguish the two? While we attempted to answer with our mental images of the two.......Khare sir interjected, "Arre Bhai! Street to woh hoti hai jahaan chunnu munnu cricket khailte hain, Jahaan sheila aunty papad sukhati hain aur Dikshit uncle scooter theek kartain hain."

A street is an organic being where life spills out from the adjoining structure. It is at best a pedestrian element where you can enjoy the sights,sounds and smells as you walk by. India has had a history of vibrant streets but that is changing fast.......

The automobile demanded a Road. All activity had to disappear into the tall buildings nearby for fear of being crushed. It is a dead thing to be passed away in zooming speed.

While he was closing the session he said, "We talked of Chicago today, but as urban design students look around you and be amazed. Is there any other city on the face of this earth like Jaisalmer? Can they build another Banaras? What good is a Tunde Kabaab when eaten outside Aminabad?"

Indian cities are fast changing bue to globalization. A lot of sensible planning and efficient buildings are eroding away. It is time to get up, take notice and change the way we design.