Chapter 7 Solutions — India's Urban Landscape

Questions and Activities

1. 1.
   What are some common features of cities?
2. 2.
   Can you think of a city or town near you that has grown in population? What could be the underlying reasons for the urban migration?
3. 3.
   With reference to the epigraph at the beginning of the chapter, who are the participants in the making of the city and what could be their contribution?
4. 4.
   In what ways can urbanisation affect rural areas? Do cities also depend on rural areas? If yes, how? In what ways can rural and urban areas help each other develop?
5. 5.
   What is urban planning? What are the risks of ignoring sustainable urban planning as cities expand into villages and forest areas?
6. 6.
   Observe your own neighbourhood. What signs of good or poor planning do you notice? How do they affect daily life for you and others?
7. 7.
   Imagine you are an urban planner, what are the things you would consider to plan a city? Do groups like children, the elderly, and people with disabilities get easy access to parks, toilets, and public transport? What changes would you introduce to make it more inclusive?
8. 8.
   Suppose your town, village or city has 100 people. Draw a rough map of the place on a graph paper. Imagine each square on the paper represents a specific area of the place, like residential neighbourhoods, parks, schools, factories, post offices and so on. Now, distribute the 100 people throughout the area. You can decide where the people will live, whether they all live in the residential…
9. 9.
   Observe the satellite view of Mumbai and Gangtok, respectively. Find out their population density and likely reasons for the difference.
10. 10.
    Find out how the city of Beijing, China, tackled the problem of air pollution. Prepare a report outlining measures that can be taken in India to mitigate air pollution in cities.
11. 11.
    Talk to a family or community member who has moved from a village to a city. Ask them the reason for the same and their experience, challenges and opportunities. How does city life compare to rural life?
12. 12.
    Learn about urban planning in other cities around the world. In what ways can some of those aspects be adapted for a city near you?
13. 13.
    Explore and suggest action points with respect to urban planning in cities to mitigate the challenges below and write a report. Two have been completed for you. Waste Management: Conducting a 'Segregate at Source' awareness drive in residential areas with demos on dry/wet waste disposal and composting. Traffic congestion: carpooling, high taxes on vehicle purchase, etc. Inadequate safety of…
14. 14.
    Find out about a slum rehabilitation program where people moved from slums to proper housing in your city. What do you think its possible benefits could be for the communities there?