4.9 SOCIAL SERVICES AND AMENITIES

4.9.1 INTRODUCTION

Social amenities are essential to the establishment and smooth functioning of any settlement as a social entity. These amenities, primarily in the form of educational, health and community facilities are essential services that a city is obliged to extend to its population, for the facilitation of a basic standard of living within the city.

The success of these amenities depends on the factor of serviceability, in proportion to the population of the city that is the proportion of population of the city that is served adequately by these amenities. It is also essential that there be, a hierarchical structure of the facilities, which would be provided as per the scale of the settlement, starting from neighborhood facilities, to city level amenities. For instance, in the case of educational facilities, the provision of nurseries at each Urban Village level, Junior High schools at a higher level, followed by High Schools and Colleges at the levels of the city, or the country.

The hierarchy, or the grade, of any service is established as per the quantum of population it is expected to serve. This leads to a pyramidal structure where, the highest order facilities are fewer in number and serve the largest quantum of population. Accordingly, the number and scale of component facilities and infrastructure that go into the making of each one of the different hierarchies of facilities too vary significantly.

The provision of these facilities is eventually done by the Competent Departments in the required hierarchies, to encourage and facilitate the parent social function to permeate into the population. For instance, the establishment and acceptance of education as an important component of the social process, necessitates the provision of different hierarchies of educational facilities, to cater to all the component age groups of the concerned population.

Montessori schools, primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and colleges are all inter - linked and are part of the national strategy for human resources development.

Similarly, the other factors affecting the “social existence” of any population are the factors governing its health (physical and mental), and, the facilities for managing the law and order of society.

4.9.2 EXISTING SCENARIO OF SOCIAL AMENITIES

4.9.2.1 COMPONENTS OF THE EXISTING SCENARIO OF SOCIAL AMENITIES

The existing scenario of Social Amenities could be broadly categorized under the following sub - heads, as per the nature of the facility and the degree of obligation the city authorities are subjected to for the provision of these facilities, to the resident population.

Social Amenities

The facilities that could be grouped under this category would be the following:
Schools, Health facilities, Fair price shops, Parks and gardens.

Public Utilities

The facilities that could be grouped under this category would be the following:
Public toilets, Post boxes, Police posts, Bus stops.

4.9.2.2 OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EXISTING SCENARIO

The factors shaping the overall characteristics of the existing scenario of Social Amenities could be grouped under two broad heads as follows:

Local and administrative factors

The factors that would fall under this category are the following:
Ownership characteristics, Land availability criteria, Intensities of development in different areas of the city, currently, Intensities, and nature of use of the existing facilities.

Planning methods and attitudes

The factors that would fall under this category are the following:
Mutual co - relation between the different components of the Social Amenities segment, Lack of coordinated strategic planning between the different constituent components for their allocation, (ad - hoc methods of allocation), Lack of the desired hierarchy, in the structure of amenities existing in most parts of the city.

• The city of Thimphu has gradually evolved from a small agglomeration of population in the current Core area, to one covering an area of approximately 24 sq Km with a population close to 43,000. Initially, majority of the population residing in the Thimphu city was under government service, and accordingly, most of the land was under Government ownership.
• The recent extension of the city boundaries altered this proportion significantly. The inclusion of the outer areas, which have significant portions of the land under private ownership, altered the earlier proportion of land ownership patterns within the city.
• In the current scenario, the narrow meandering valley forming the Thimphu city would be defined as an agglomeration of pockets of settlement (not development), which, have sprung up in an ad - hoc manner throughout the city. This scenario almost mirrors the method adopted in the allocation of amenities in the city, which, came to be done according to the factors of land availability and its ownership characteristics.
• Till recently, most of the noticeable development within the Thimphu city was concentrated in and around the Core area of Thimphu. Which too, shaped the pattern of allocation of amenities, according to the above - mentioned criteria, within or in the vicinity of the Core area.
• This has led to a scenario where, there is an intense concentration of facilities (even of the highest order,) in a limited area of the city. Which, exceeds in most cases, the ideal proportional ratio of facilities to population adopted for the allocation of facilities in planning exercises.
• As was discussed earlier the pattern of evolution of the Thimphu city over a period of time, has almost negated the possibility of any planned development. (With the exception of Chang Jiji housing scheme). This has again necessitated ad - hoc allocation of facilities, in areas of noticeable population concentrations.
• This has created a situation where, there are facilities of all possible hierarchies, scattered in different parts of the city, without any beneficial correlation between them.
• These are certain key issues, which would need to be addressed to achieve a holistic strategy of development for the city.

4.9.3 OBJECTIVES

Initiating Development in Designated Areas

• Sequential allocation and development of basic amenities, to prioritize potential growth areas within the city.
• Development of a growth strategy for the city, which enables “phased prioritization” of each one of the identified Urban Village areas, for the establishment of Neighborhood Nodes and their essential amenities.
• Working out a phasing strategy for the allocation of the secondary levels of utilities and infrastructure, to allow each one of the Urban Villages to reach the envisaged of development.
• Finally, development of all the proposed amenities and services, in all the Urban Village areas, to their full proposed capacities, to allow the city to function effectively as a network of self contained Urban Villages.

Facilitating a Complete Hierarchy of Facilities at Traversable Distances

Establishing the desired hierarchy of Social Amenities (ranging from the neighborhood level to the city level facilities), to achieve the envisaged pattern of development characterized by a series of self contained Urban Villages.

Achieving a pattern of Social Amenities (both locationally and in terms of their inherent hierarchy) that works in consonance with the envisaged growth strategy of a series self contained Urban Villages.

Using the Pattern of Social Amenities in the Making of Self Contained Neighborhoods

• Establishing basic amenities and facilities, which cater to all the primary needs of each Urban Village, including health, education, convenience shopping, transportation, recreation and sports.
• Using the proposed framework of each Urban Village as being made up of a Neighborhood Node, an Urban Village Core and an Urban Village Periphery (with different density and development allocations to each), to locate different grades of facilities appropriately, within each Urban Village.
• Making the higher order facilities serving more than one Urban Village or the entire city, accessible through adequate transport.
• Development of the Neighborhood Node in each one of the Urban Villages to work as a concentration of primary facilities and amenities, which would cover the essential daily needs of commerce, health, education and recreation.

4.9.4 RELEVANCE OF PROPOSALS

Why is an Appropriate Pattern of Social Amenities Essential to the Success of the Structure Plan?

The attempt being made in this Structure Plan is to identify the components of the resident culture, which form the basis of the local characteristics of social living.

The aspect of strengthening and retaining the social life of the resident culture, within the valley has been given paramount importance. Hence, the Structure Plan has been looking for growth strategies that would allow the city to grow and expand in its natural way at its own pace; yet, enable it to retain and safeguard Bhutan’s closely knit community.

It is this idea that gave thrust to a growth strategy using a set of Urban Villages as the basic unit for guiding development within the city. The social amenities and utilities would be the Nerve Center of these Urban Villages, generating social activity and interaction between all age groups of the resident population. Starting from toddlers in the nurseries and crèches, located in Neighborhood Nodes, to grown ups who come to pick up their children on their way back home from work, or those who come to collect their post, or to shop, the Neighborhood Nodes act as social gathering places.

Usage of Urban Elements in the neighborhood areas increases the visual qualities of neighborhoods.

A reversible bench

A bus shelter

A Picnic shelter

 

Introduction of elements and activities, which spur interaction, need to be used in the making of Neighborhood Nodes and other such social places.

Disappearing” book stalls along the Seine

Lights in Vallingby, Sweden

A poster column (a colonne Morris) in Paris

A shoeshine stand in Stockholm

4.9.5 FACTORS CONSIDERED FOR PROPOSALS

4.9.5.1 POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS (EXISTING AND ANTICIPATED)

The Thimphu city population is currently distributed over the extended boundaries as a set of small concentrations of population, with the major concentration being in the Core Area of Thimphu. The current facilities provided have been created considering their prior administrative status as outlying settlements beyond the previous city boundary.

The proposals adopt the growth strategy formulated for the Structure Plan and bases its proposed locations of amenities on the “population holding capacities” of the different Urban Village areas put forth in the Structure Plan. For each public service there are a minimum number of users to make it “viable.” For example, a primary school with three students in it will never cover the operational costs. Thus, there are “threshold populations” for services like education and health to become viable.

Accordingly, the actions have been broken into a set of establishment and up gradation actions over different sections of the city, as per the current or anticipated population characteristics of each area.

4.9.5.2 CONDITIONS OF ACCESSIBILITY WITHIN THE THIMPHU VALLEY

The terrain and topographical characteristics of the valley affect the accessibility criteria within the city in two distinct ways. First, is the vertical spread, even in local areas, making access difficult. Another is the horizontal accessibility between different parts of the city. The location of the city within a meandering valley makes accessibility between different parts, seem more strenuous and time consuming. This factor greatly influences the proposal when deciding on the grade of facilities to be provided in the outlying areas, like Babesa and Dechencholing areas.

Higher - grade facilities have been proposed in one or two of the outlying locations even though their anticipated population figures do not clearly or strongly indicate a requirement for the same. This is due to difficult accessibility.

A variety of factors affect the parameters of accessibility
established by an individual. These could range from simple
factors of terrain and topography to more psychologically
experienced ones of intensity of activity etc.


Clear visual corridors and views of the entire city from most parts of the city,
would give deceptive impressions of the accessibility characteristics between
different parts of the city.