Spaces Vol 1 Is 6

ANALYSIS
Text & Images: Ar. Sarosh Pradhan, SPA
KATHMANDU VALLEY
a vision with the outer ring road
We often forget the hills
surrounding us – when we
get busy developing our
little plots, our little boxes,
our infrastructure – our valley. Perhaps
the lack of a cohesive vision blurs the
potentials of a valley, which still boasts
of seven world heritage sites and erodes
off a unique identity, which we should
develop further. It may be worthwhile
to step back a little and reflect on the
uniqueness of Kathmandu before we try
giving any solutions to a growing
metropolitan city.
Climatically a haven, the landscape of
the Valley is an enchanting feature. The
organic development of the city so far
has superseded any strong master plan.
The inner cities of Kathmandu,
Bhaktapur and Lalitpur have stood out
in terms of character, scale and the
uniqueness of a culture having historical
roots. But what about the present
happenings – does it have any reflection
of that uniqueness…or is it just trying
to arrive at a common minimum
denominator for survival?…of solving
functional equations.
It is without argument that the city grows
– and should be treated as dynamic. The
process of growth of a city can be
nurtured just like the growth of a little
baby to adulthood. Basic understandings,
with room for maturity and greater
potentials need to be kept in mind while
suggesting any new venture. The Outer
Ring Road could be one such spark
which could infuse an awareness of
planning with broader issues in mind. The
Outer Ring Road could become a
catalyst to change and used as a planning
tool for positive development and
awakening of Kathmandu Valley to the
21 st century.
IMPORTANCE OF A WELL PLANNED ROAD
Cities are designed with the traffic in
mind. The order and movement patterns
within a city reflect, to a certain extent,
the quality of life. If you look at our
inner city - the pedestrian comes to our
mind; which in turn reflects the scale of
the built environment. But, put in fast
moving cars and trucks (travelling slowly)
within the inner city presently – an image
of saturated chaos grows louder. Thus
as the Kathmandu metropolis expands
Someone’s sitting in the shade
today because someone planted
a tree a long time ago.
- Warren Buffet
(which is invariable with all major cities),
it is urgent to have certain broad planning
principles in place. This in turn would
pave the way for a broader understanding
of planning, services and infrastructure
which are critical for a healthy
development.
A good road is a lifeline for transportation
from one end to another. It increases the
scope of transaction of arriving at new
places for development with the added
value of focus of new destinations.
Above: Saturated chaos.
Below: Past townscapes of Kathmandu –
lessons we could learn from the past
identity / character and concepts.
90 SEP-OCT 2005 SPACES