OPINION Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport Project Fifth, this study has shed little light on various ‘non-technical’ factors that are responsible for not implementing many past proposals having similar recommendations. Some of the ‘non-technical’ factors such as lack of political willingness, duplication of duties and responsibilities among different agencies and different acts and culture of ignoring traffic rules and encroachment of streets and footpaths in different ways are all to be primarily addressed first for smooth implementation of those recommendations. A threefold urban design strategy of decentralisation of business activities from urban centres, improvement of transitional spaces between streets (footpaths) and ground floor activities of buildings on both sides of the streets, and strict enforcement of traffic management, all supported by flexible design guidelines, incentives and consensus (involving different stakeholders) can reverse the present situation of traffic chaos in Kathmandu, thereby leading to sustainable urban transport. Validity needs to be clearly chalked out - SONA T , . First of all the Society of Nepalese architects is highly indebted to SPACES for providing a platform for its members to voice their opinion on the contemporary issues on architecture, urbanism, interior design and many others, as the situation demands. We have been updating our members, readers, students and many other enthusiasts through the last two issues on the development in the architectural front related to society activities. But this issue has a little more dimension added to it, whereby we are allowed to add our concern on the issue of the Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport improvement project conducted jointly by MOPPW and ADB, which must have been an arduous effort to plan and project a workable proposition to mitigate the present urban chaos, as the entire city through the jumble of concrete, brick, hawkers, and narrow network of roads, bottle necks and many other pile-ons has become a real mess. Ar. Debesh Bhattari (debesh.bhattarai@gmail.com) General Secretary, Society of Nepalese Architects The task is very difficult and maybe it is more like pointing a telescope to the moon and wondering where it hits. The clutter has already reached a threshold and the solution might require an investment reaching up to trillions of Rupees. I can imagine limiting the central core of the city to certain limits as envisaged in the report, but the validity of the boundaries to seek a sustainable urban transport for years to come in a country in dire straits like ours, has to be clearly chalked out. The precious investment we make does matter a lot, which is evident with the recent foundation laying of the overhead bridge in the New Baneswor junction by the PM of Nepal. It sounds like the overhead bridge meant for pedestrians had more room for shop-keepers than the pedestrians and consequently, the pivotal issue of security breach with respect to the Assembly Hall (earlier Conference Hall) across the road and the limitation of the six lane highway arose. We do require a safer passage for pedestrians in the crossing but the mere placement above or below the ground may limit the very essence of urban road planning. The nodal points across the city, segregation of vehicular movement in and around the core area, creating pedestrian only area in the urban centre, running smaller vehicles for transiting and maintaining air quality within the city are few of the commendable starters. But limiting the ownership of private modes of transport can be very difficult unless some serious effort is made to create a reliable transport network. The very idea of bringing the big sized bus to the core by limiting the smaller mode of transport may fireback as the present road condition has hardly any room for the same unless it is widened. In addition, creating a parking facility on the western side of Tundikhel may create one more bottle neck in the already congested section of the city and shall snatch the only remaining public breathing space of the urban core, thereby inviting a disastrous response from the civil society. Finally, a city like Kathmandu, where new boundaries are built every other day by endless acquisition of the arable land for housing development, can only have reactive planning efforts. The proactive approach can only happen if the urban road networks are guided by Kathmandu Valley Urban Planning parameters, where the Society of Nepalese Architects can take a leading role. In fact, a section of the Society’s experts are already doing a serious homework to understand the present urban mess and the Society is very eager to get a larger participation to formulate the basic guidelines for the urban framework. The Kathmandu Valley urbanscape, which did not falter till the mid-fifties of this century, lost its true glory in a mere three decades. Now there is an even bigger responsibility to all the sections of society to act judiciously. The present effort to improve the transport system in the core should definitely be a milestone to understand at least the chaos, if not solve it completely. We have to do a lot of home work in the years to come. www.spacesnepal.com 84 <strong>Jan</strong>uary-<strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>2011</strong>
<strong>Jan</strong>uary-<strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>2011</strong> 85 www.spacesnepal.com