11/14/2013

15:43:52 a11/p11

LEARNING FROM BOMBAY

1. Despite the recent underground metro lines in Delhi Bom!"# rem"ins the onl# cit# in Indi" $ith "n e%tensi&e s#stem o' pu!lic tr"nsport. (his is " huge !ene'it 'or the "&er"ge citi)en. It helps mitig"te the other horrendous neg"ti&e things th"t "re h"ppening in our cit#. *. (his pu!lic tr"nsport in Bom!"# $"s not "n "'ter+thought. It $"s "n essenti"l element in the DNA o' the cit#. Bom!"#,s phenomen"l gro$th st"rted in the l"te 1-./,s + the 0ue) 1"n"l h"d 2ust !een opened "nd the Americ"n 1i&il 3"r h"d cut o'' the suppl# o' cotton to the mills o' L"nc"shire. (he British decided to cre"te this cit# "s their g"te$"# to Indi". 0o the# constructed t$o m"2or r"il$"# s#stems !oth st"rting "t the southern end o' the isl"nd cit# + $here the port o' Bom!"# is loc"ted. (he t$o '"stest "nd most prestigious tr"ins in the countr# s"id it "ll4 the 51"lcutt" M"il6 o' the GI7 8Gre"t Indi"n 7eninsul"r R"il$"#9 $hich too: !usinessmen to 1"lcutt" "nd the 5Frontier M"il6 o' the BB;1I 8Bom!"# B"rod" "nd 1entr"l Indi"9 $hich c"rried troops up to the <h#!er 7"ss. =. Both these r"il$"# lines tr"&elled roughl# p"r"llel to e"ch other do$n the length o' Bom!"# isl"nd. 0t"tions $ere constructed "long the $"# "nd people !eg"n to li&e "round them + thus so$ing the seeds 'or Bom!"#,s su!ur!s. 8(r"ins pl"#ed " cruci"l role in the de&elopment o' ur!"n Indi" E&en tod"# in most sm"ll to$ns "cross the su!+continent the 50t"tion Ro"d6 is usu"ll# the pl"ce o' the gre"test "cti&it#9. >. In short the cruci"l pl"nning decisions o' Bom!"# $ere t":en !# * r"il$"# engineers 8in"d&ertentl# so to spe": since the# h"d other more "m!itious o!2ecti&es in mind9.

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15:43:52 a11/p11

?. 0uppl# preceded Dem"nd Result4 &er# '"st gro$th @ !ut no report o' "n# sAu"tters. .. No$ " m"ss tr"nsport s#stem is essenti"ll# line"r + !# de'inition. (o pro&ide "n economic"l ser&ice it needs " corridor o' high+densit# dem"nd. An e&enl# spre"d spr"$l o' lo$+densit# dem"nd c"n ne&er sust"in "n economic"l pu!lic tr"nsport s#stem. B. Cousing in " cit# is not "n isol"ted pro!lem. Migr"nts don,t come to cities loo:ing 'or housing. (he# come 'or $or:. -. You tr# to li&e "s close "s possi!le to #our $or: pl"ce + or to some pu!lic tr"nsport th"t $ill t":e #ou to #our $or:. (his is $h# !uses tr"ms "nd tr"ins "re o' such cruci"l import"nce to l"rge cities. D. (od"# $e "llo$ cities it gro$ h"ph")"rdl# 8unstructured !# "n# m"ss tr"nsport s#stem 8MR(9 + "nd then much l"ter $e tr# to inl"# "n underground tr"nsport s#stem. Not onl# is it &er# e%pensi&e to do so !ut the s#stem pro&es &er# e%pensi&e to sun !ec"use o' the l"c: o' "n# corridor o' high+densit# dem"nd. 8Delhi,s ne$ Metro us " c"se in oint/. 1/. Ro!!er B"rons. 11. London + (r"ins r"n !e#ond C"mpste"d. 1*. 0u!sid# on MR( E 0u!sid# on Cousing 1=. 0c"le o' gro$th. ? to - million @ t":en !# surprise. 1>. (he 'uture gro$th o' Bom!"# must !e structured !# the MR(.