Section – 1

SUMMARY

Preamble

The people of India are acutely aware of the fact that the current status of the country's development, impressive though it is lately, has not touched and included certain sections of the society. A debate is currently raging as to which inclusive development model is best suited for the country. Each of the proposed models is claimed to be the best there is. But, no single model, no matter how great its qualities and attributes are, can be expected to prove equally applicable and successful in every Indian region or state, given the proverbial diversity of the country. It is therefore apparent that each region/state must evolve its own development model most appropriate for its unique set of eco-socio-economic conditions, culture, geography, etc. It would however be desirable and helpful to start with a conceptual framework that could catalyze the emergence of an appropriate, comprehensive, and inclusive development plan.

Also apparent is the fact that the process of preparing an appropriate regional development plan is an extremely complex endeavor, considering all the environmental, social/cultural, economic and other hurdles that would need to be crossed along the way. It would take 'adaptive leadership' to undertake and complete this challenge.

This study that the author undertook a few years back provides an engineer's perspective on sustainable and inclusive development of Indian states. It has two aims: (1) to provide a conceptual framework that could kick-off the preparation of a development plan at the regional level, and (2) to propose an adaptive methodology for the process.

Motivation

India has long been witnessing a skewed development essentially around its metros and large urbanized areas. There might have been reasons for this, but, sadly, this has happened at the expense of an all-round, inclusive development. The effects of this are all too evident today.

Migration of people from non-urban, rural areas to urbanized cities in search of improved economic opportunities is an age old global phenomenon. Even as the basic living conditions of such opportunity seekers have remained inadequate in their new settings, newer migrants continue to throng the urban centers to make things worse.

Besides economic opportunities, there are other important societal and political considerations. Given the current advancements in communications technology, people become quickly aware of better opportunities available anywhere in the urbanized world and seek them out, thus stressing the urban infrastructure to their limits. Mechanization of traditional work like agriculture, etc. has also created surplus labor that again migrates to urban areas for alternative employment (with government-sponsorship in some cases).

The negative impacts of this inevitable social process can only be mitigated by decentralized microeconomic policies designed to ensure availability of economic opportunities (both in traditional and modern manufacturing/service industries) to people at various geographical locations across each state. Such a values-driven approach should address environmental, social/cultural and economic issues and should create sustainable development that would not only provide the ability meet the needs of the current generation but would also perpetuate that ability for the sake of our future generations.

It is in this context that this presentation proposes a strategic land and infrastructure reform, and suggests an inclusive and sustainable development model that could help mitigate the current vicious cycle caused by unchecked urbanization trends focusing on mega-cities.

Fig. 1.1: Unchecked migration to urban centers that currently offer far better growth opportunities and quality of life not available elsewhere would only lead to a vicious, unsustainable urban trends.

Evolution of the Proposal

Urbanization trends worldwide have convinced researchers that future of the developing world is urban. The reason is that only urbanized areas can provide the right climate for social and business investment to ensure availability of appropriate facilities and skills to support the society and business. This does not mean that urbanization should be confined to big cities. For sustainable growth in any country, urbanization should be planned to take place equitably over the entire country, at various geographical locations including smaller towns and cities. It would be more practical to undertake such planning at regional levels, providing adequate scope for traditional livelihood options in small towns and villages (in agriculture, handicrafts, etc.) and the local cultures to simultaneously flourish.

This would simply mean this: Take urban facilities to people and not vice versa. This dominant theme, called 'Distributed Urbanization,' is at the core of this study. Only such a decentralized economy, in complete harmony with the local eco-systems and social systems, can be sustainable. This does not mean developing all the villages, but developing urban-like landscapes, each sharing an urban-like center that provides an appropriate, scalable economic environment for the setting up of a marketplace for goods and services locally produced and consumed. Such a local landscape must have proper connectivity to the shared activity center.

Fig. 1.2: Create opportunities and facilities that are currently available only in urban centers and deliver them to people within bi-cyclable distance from wherever they live. This alone would deliver sustainable growth.

Objectives

This study seeks to present a regional urbanization model that could be tailored into a structured program for the development of urban-like physical and human capital infrastructure over an entire region/country. Such infrastructure development will act as an enabler for sustainable, decentralized economic and societal growth.

The proposed philosophic model provides a conceptual framework with which the community can design an appropriate regional development plan comprising many multi-disciplinary project initiatives.

This coordinating framework can be used to manage both current as well as future projects, avoiding conflicting or overlapping areas of interest and responsibility. How this process can be managed is also a subject explored by this study.

The proposed concept of planned development on a regional scale with sustainability as a key consideration will be known by the acronym PULSE, an abbreviation for "Paradigm for Urban Landscaping of States as E co-regions."

Highlights of PULSE

PULSE adheres to the principle that development plans should be founded on the three fundamental aspects of sustainability: environment, society/culture, and economy. While region-specific sustainability issues will need to be examined at the local level, PULSE would propose a model for a land and public infrastructure reform as a vital enabler of development and growth. This model can be tailored to suit any particular region.

PULSE model aims to create a 'level playing field' for all sections of the society by providing the most appropriate, distributed social and economic environment and offer all the people the freedom to strike out on their own path to economic prosperity. It would be a formal, structured and inclusive development framework that synergizes the best aspects of various ideas already available in the public domain. It represents a bottom-up approach.

Sustainability Aspects

Factors influencing environmental integrity, societal equity and economic vitality are necessarily locality/region-specific and need to be factored in specifically for each case. PULSE attempts to achieve this in the following broad terms:

PULSE deals with a plan for perpetuating social and economic prosperity in a sustainable environment, and not a plan for short-term recovery. The approach will not only remove the inequality of opportunities between urban and non-urban centers but will also ensure economic sustainability.
PULSE would envisage integrated 'green' development of all built environment.
Use of the local hydro-geology in a closed loop, preservation of the ecosystem, biodiversity, natural resources, etc., provision of eco-friendly energy systems, etc will be important considerations so that human activities mimic the natural ecology of the planet. Efficient management of all natural resources, pollution, waste, etc. will be planned for.
Water resources planning will be a vital element of PULSE. It will be holistic in outlook, with emphasis on recycling and preservation & protection of local water bodies.
Energy efficiency will be a key element in planning and energy needs will be sought to be met by 'clean' power sources or alternative sources, like nuclear, wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, etc.
PULSE would show equal respect for every individual, whatever his/her diverse background, and offer equal opportunity for employment, wealth creation and freedom of life choices. The proposed model would create the right infrastructure to achieve this aim.
Other socio-economic aspects like, governance, health care, education, human rights, social justice, etc need to be considered, but are not elaborated here.

How these aspects could be factored in has been demonstrated in the context of Tamil Nadu.

Land and Infrastructure Reform Model of PULSE

The basic building blocks of PULSE reform model are human settlements. In modern times, providing an urban landscape wherever people live has become a social and economic imperative. In developing nations, providing differing urban landscape with a limited hierarchical structure of human settlements would be necessary from considerations of local culture, economy, etc. PULSE calls these human activity settlements Development Centers that are structured at three levels, viz., (1) People Centers, (2) Business Centers, and (3) Nodal Hubs. These centers would be identified or located based on existing facilities, social and economic importance, geography, etc.

The second building block would be the efficient networking of all development centers. These linkages are known as Logistical Corridors in PULSE, which, again, would be structured based on the traffic they would be expected to carry. The primary logistic corridors connecting nodal hubs form Development Triangulations that are configured into a lattice structure over a region/country providing for spatially distributed and efficiently networked physical infrastructure for development.

These building blocks provide the necessary environment for people to pursue their chosen livelihood option, lead happy and contented lives, and contribute to growth and harmony of the society. To this end, PULSE provides the basic and broad specifications for these building blocks. The exact configuration of the lattice structure, the networking and the design of development centers are a matter of detailed region-specific planning and design.

Key ideas of PULSE model are captured in the figures below:

Fig. 1.3: A region viewed as an assemblage of many Development-Triangulations

Fig. 1.4: Typical Development Triangle effectively connected through physical infrastructure

Fig. 1.5: Components of the basic Development Module

Fig. 1.6: Proposed logistic corridor development to encourage creation of economic opportunities

Brief descriptions of the various features are provided below:

The model would consist of three types of development centers (human activity settlements) viz., (a) People Centers (15-20km apart), (b) Business Centers (15-25km apart), and (c) Nodal Hubs (150-180km apart), each with a defined economic, social and political functions, but with uniform urban-like landscape, that would blur, and eventually eliminate, urban-rural divide.
People Centers will provide people-related services (both local government and private sector). These centers will serve as a market place for a sizeable local population and so will attract viable urban-like social and business capital investments.
Business Centers will provide the next level of market services for business and people. They will provide the right incentives for all businesses to start and flourish. These urban centers will also serve as People Centers.
Nodal Hubs will essentially be governance centers (central and local). These urban centers will also serve as Business and People Centers.
All centers would be effectively interlinked to each other through a network of Logistic Corridors (roads, railways and/or waterways) that would facilitate and ensure minimum possible movement of men and materials, in the most efficient and sustainable manner possible, focusing on public-transport-oriented development. This network should be interconnected to similar network in the adjoining regions/countries.
The interlinked Nodal Hubs would form a triangular lattice which will be called Development Triangulation for the region. Three contiguous Nodal Hubs would form a Development Triangle. Each Development Triangle will consist of a few Development Modules.
Logistic Corridors on the three sides of any Development Triangle will be the primary corridors that provide appropriate infrastructure for setting up heavy/large industries. Inside each Development Triangle will be secondary and tertiary corridors that form a finer lattice. Medium size businesses will find appropriate infrastructure along the secondary corridors. Human settlements and very small businesses (small and traditional/cottage industries such as handlooms/handicrafts, etc.) will be located on the tertiary corridors. All these corridors will be designed to foster shared public transportation systems and not to 'keep cars happy'.
Human settlements in hilly areas and forests are necessarily isolated with very little networking with the rest of the region, and, much less, with urbanized centers. They will be best served by a strategically located heliports and public helicopter services. The communication facilities in these are also vital. The logistical development in coastal areas will necessarily be linear and not spatial as in interior areas. Such special conditions will need careful planning and effective integration with the rest of the region.

Political aspects

While PULSE aims for an almost non-hierarchical social structure, a limited hierarchy for economic and political governance seems inevitable. Inherent to PULSE are political, societal, economic and other project decisions that would shape up the final evolution of the development plan.
The proposed infrastructure reform will enable effective governance at all levels. Appropriate government services will be made available to people at various development centers.
The systematic development as envisaged by PULSE will ensure equitable and organic distribution of opportunities for wealth creation and exchange across the region or state. It will also aim to provide uniform working conditions for all.
Facilities for promoting health and well-being of people would be planned at various levels, including centers for the community development, cultural expression, education and training, public safety, etc.
Although they are serious, the perceived levels of corruption should not deter the people from the planning and development process. Corruption can be subverted by a participatory planning process that is transparent and inclusive of community residents and stakeholders, as envisaged by PULSE.
If only visible sustainable development can be demonstrated even at a few select locations, there will be growing demands for replicating such development successes everywhere.

Proposed Implementation Methodology

The preparation of development plans cannot be achieved by the governments alone. It is a long term adaptive challenge for the communities in the region. This would involve engaging the public and social capital in the region in order that an optimum and equitable plan to surmount this challenge can emerge. This experience will have provided the people not just an opportunity to shape their future, but will have transformed them into an informed and strengthened civil society.

To start with, therefore, the philosophical model of PULSE may be suitably modified into a region-appropriate development model as an immediate challenge. The long term challenge will then be the design of Regional Development Plan (RDP).

Since the people have a shared responsibility for their own development, they will need to be educated and guided in various disciplines of development by a panel of experts. A Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) comprising such experts should educate, guide, motivate and facilitate people to collectively exercise adaptive leadership in order to design, shape, formalize and own the RDP. RACs will be assisted by Local Advisory Committees (LAC) to educate and guide people in various parts of the region. The work of LACs at the grassroots is of crucial importance and will be coordinated by RAC.

Once the RDP is finalized by the people, its implementation will essentially be technical problem. At this point, the governments should take over the technical development and implementation of various projects envisaged in the RDP, subject to review and audit by the people and the RAC on a continuous basis using the frequently updated information transparently made available on the public domain.

This methodology will not only teach the people to fish but also empower them to make their own fishing rod.

Governments' Role

For the proposed methodology to work, both the central and state governments should create suitable new legal environment. All RACs and LACs should be legal entities and funded by the respective states. The governments should diligently identify the facilitators in RACs and LACs. They should not in any way influence the functioning of these committees.

Each final RDP should be enacted as laws of the state and central governments.

Once the final RDP emerges, the State Planning Commission (SPC) takes over the technical process of implementation. SPC, with support from the governments, will develop, fund and implement the projects and achieve all the goals set by the RDP, suitably incorporating the on-going projects into the RDP.

Governments should not only invest in the implementation, but ask that their investment is matched/leveraged with other non-public resources. They will represent the people of India and negotiate with international funding agencies when their assistance is sought.

Any unilateral action by the governments to modify or delete any part of the RDP would be illegal and would not be missed by the empowered people. The entire community acting like watchdogs will also fight any corrupt practices.

Private Sector's Role

The private sector (both Indian and foreign entities) can provide specialized services in project development, design and implementation. They can contribute initially with providing expert technical advice to RACs and later fund and implement some of the development projects. They can even consider adopting and developing an entire city or town around which they may plan to develop their business interests.

PULSE as GRITAM in the State of Tamil Nadu in South India

The application of the concepts of PULSE is illustrated in the context of the state of Tamil Nadu. The urgent need for planning economic-opportunity-creation for the projected population growth in the state is first established. This is followed by a broad discussion on various issues that need to be addressed to prepare an RDP by applying PULSE in the context of the state. These issues include identification of possible Nodal Hubs, logistic corridors, basic infrastructure development needs, special considerations for hilly/forest areas and coastal zones, water resources development, power generation, environment & ecology, etc.

The development plan for Tamil Nadu modeled after PULSE may be called GRITAM (Grand Rdevelopment of I nfrastructure in TAMil Nadu). This discussion (albeit based on data collected a few years back) illustrates how various economic, social, political, geophysical, climatic, environmental, ecological, cultural conditions of any given region can be factored into PULSE for developing a workable development plan for implementation. It is obviously a matter for further detailed planning by the people of Tamil Nadu and this study can only indicate the broad approaches towards achieving it.

About 17% of the area of the state has hills and forests. The logistics in these areas are a challenge and it is proposed that a helicopter service be planned to connect to the nearest road/rail heads. Helipads at strategic locations need to be built. The state has a long coast line and the development in the coastal zone is necessarily linear. Human settlements here are connected to the coastal highway and railway by branch roads.

The development triangulation proposed for Tamil Nadu is illustrated in the diagrams below.

Fig. 1.7: Proposed Development Triangulation of the state of Tamil Nadu

Fig. 1.8: Physical Layout of the proposed triangulation (Scanned Image of an Map of Tamilnadu by Eicher)

Conclusions

This study presents a case for 'Distributed Urbanization' across all areas of a Indian state/region and not confined to cities. Only such a strategy can mitigate the problems of lop-sided urbanization of metros and large cities, and create an inclusive development initiative.

It presents a philosophical model of PULSE for catalyzing the preparation of region-specific development plans. Preparation of such a plan is a huge adaptive challenge for the people of the region. Only after the people give expression to their collective vision for their sustainable future can the government step in to develop and implement various projects envisaged by them. Considering the enormity of the challenge, the study presents a suitable methodology for how the planning and implementation work can be accomplished.

The essential features and components of the model have been described in detail and illustrated in the context of the state of Tamil Nadu.

The current generation in the developing world owes it to the future generations to undertake urgent and earnest initiatives aimed at economic development in a sustainable way. Now is the time to not only teach people to fish but also to empower them to design and make their own fishing rod.

Summary