STRATEGIES
There are several choices and options to select from. One is not limited to select a single strategy. We can weave a fabric of the future from various threads of our choice, but we must select those threads and the manner of our weave thoughtfully! We can use the parts of one strategy that suit us, and not abandon the others. We can pick and choose elements and components that are most appropriate to Thimphu’s planning context. The most relevant strategies are noted below.
1.3.1 STRATEGY ONE: DECENTRALIZE GROWTH
Population growth in Thimphu can be tempered by making a policy commitment to a national system of growth centers and service centers. Such a strategy would be enhanced through the decentralization of government, perhaps locating some of the directorates and departments in a centrally located administrative city, like the traditional capital at Bumthang. There also must be a significant economic growth center in the east. This strategy must be used in consonance with considered urban planning in the capital. It is not an alternative.
1.3.2 STRATEGY TWO: REGIONALIZE GROWTH
It is essential to identify the region within which the capital will wield influence and which will in turn impact upon the capital. This National Capital Region must take on a special status and be planned so that a balanced development emerges over the coming decades. Within the National Capital Region, satellite centers, enhanced traditional settlements, and new growth areas must be planned relatively close to the city, but far enough away to maintain the green environment of the valley. Existing settlements can be enhanced to accept more population. It is essential that such a region be created. Current analysis indicates that not more than one hundred thousand people can be accommodated within the present boundaries of Thimphu City, living in new high and medium density settlements, without severely damaging the environment. Thus, population is bound to spill over into the capital region, whether planned or unplanned. It makes eminent good sense to plan that growth to the nation’s advantage.
1.3.3 STRATEGY THREE: DENSIFICATION
The present population of Thimphu City, of 43,479 people, can be increased up to about a hundred thousand by densification in new Neighborhood Nodes and Urban Villages, redevelopment of the existing Core Area and developing potential infill areas. This strategy holds out many opportunities for Thimphu. It recognizes that a significant area of the city must be retained as green land and that urban life is socially richer in compact nodes and hubs. Medium- and high-density residential areas must be achieved around transport nodes where housing and amenities are walking distance from the transit stop. The Urban Core of Thimphu can be enriched and densified through urban design and landscape planning. A system of nodes (Urban Villages and Neighborhood Centres) and hubs (major commercial and entertainment centers) can be moulded in such a way to pattern density into ‘walkable communities.’ Most of all effective urban transport and high density, mixed-use nodes, spaced at appropriate intervals, are inter-related decisions.
1.3.4 STRATEGY FOUR: TRANSPORT ORIENTED GROWTH
A rapid urban bus system, plying on dedicated express lanes, is the most appropriate technology for Thimphu’s immediate future, under present circumstances. Within the city, new development must be concentrated within compact, medium- and high-density nodes where transit stops will receive enough passengers to make public transport cost efficient. Through infill and considered development, within the city boundaries, more population can be accommodated within the existing city. A movement corridor through the city’s nodes and hubs can branch out and connect satellite settlements. Existing settlements in the Thimphu region can be up-graded and their connections with the Core enhanced. In this way a significant portion of the additional population can be accommodated outside of the present urban boundary and in a balanced manner. An Urban Corridor protects the options of future generations to enhance the technology and speed of transport in the region and within the city proper.
The present street system, which is characterized by many cul-de-sacs and dead ends, must be woven into a grid so that there are more routes for automobiles to take, and less congestion at limited intersections.
There must be a clear distinction between pedestrians and vehicles. While the automobile must penetrate into neighborhoods, it must be done in a pedestrian-friendly manner. In the City Core, “parking gardens” must allow passengers to alight and walk into shopping areas without crossing dangerous streets. In the heart of the Urban Core there must be a pedestrian zone.
As the city becomes more automobile-oriented, it must be seen that the people without cars, the vast majority, are not left out! This includes the lower income groups, children and youth, and even the wives of car owners. Strategies based on data showing a large percentage of households as having cars, miss the point that the members of those households do not have access to the cars during most of the day!
With the spreading of the city, and the
advent of mountain bicycles, it makes good sense to develop cycle tracks parallel
to footways and dedicated cycle lanes, in roads, where there is no space for
separate cycle trails.