1.3 STRATEGIES FOR INTELLIGENT URBANISM
A city---a capital city like Thimphu---will
grow! That expansion can be tempered by creating a number of decentralized growth
centers and service centers, and by decentralizing government departments and
manufacturing into a well-planned national system of human settlements. But
Thimphu will grow! If it does not reach the estimated population of 150,000
people by the year 2027, it will reach that figure by 2040, or by mid-century
at the latest, and we must plan for it! If history is our teacher, it will reach
that figure earlier, rather than later! There is no escape from growth that
is for sure.
But we can temper and pattern that growth, either to our advantage, or to our
disadvantage. We are not helpless and we are not the victims of our own future.
We are the masters of our future and responsible for the outcomes. We do not
live with the trivial paradigm of whether their will be growth or not, but with
the options of how we plan and manage it. Some of the choices are:
How dense the city will be? How will the density be dispersed in a structured pattern over the valley? Will development be even-grain, and spread out over the valley? Or, will it be clustered into nodes and hubs?
Where in the city valley will the growth occur? Where will we locate Neighborhood Nodes, new commercial and entertainment hubs, public open spaces and social amenities? Will we spread them out, mix them on a grid, or lay them along a linear corridor?
What role will be assigned to the automobile? How will the domain of the pedestrian be preserved? Can the ever-increasing pollution be reduced? How can we accommodate the new vehicles coming on the roads each day? Is there a role for public transport? What type of transport should be used?
What kinds of urban patterns will be employed? What are the relationships between land use, density, infrastructure networks and transport patterns? Will we totally separate one function from another; will we mix compatible uses; will we have low densities, or a mix of low, medium and high densities?
How much of the natural eco-system and the magnificent forests and paddy fields will we save in the process of growth? Are we saving these out of nostalgia and for appearances, or are these natural features protecting the city from landslides, floods, erosion and earthquakes? What is the carrying capacity of the eco-system and what are the thresholds, beyond which disaster looms?
To what extent can the cultural traditions and patterns of Bhutanese society be preserved? How will the existing open spaces, heritage precincts and religious structures be integrated into the plan? How will we create a balanced mix of human and natural activities in well thought out habitats? Is there a balance that preserves the sense of community, neighborhoods and conviviality?
What are the hierarchies of places, which respond to the individual, friendship, households, neighborhood, communities and the public domain?