CORP – Compentence Center of Urban and Regional Planning
Abstract
The ever expanding Indian cities and its population from 27 million from early 20th century to 377 million in early 21st century put forth a challenge for urban planners and managers to solve complex integrated problems and to design smart sustainable cities. Even in near future the scale of problem will be going to rise as it is estimated that about 50 percent of total Indian population, which is about 814 million person, will be living in Indian cities by 2050. Moreover, the fastest growing or changing Information Technologies are playing a greater role in transformation of urban spaces in Indian cities. Hence, the present paper is an attempt to analyse the impact of Information Technologies in transformation of urban planning process in India. The paper, in relation with the case study of Delhi, analyse the implication of IT on city structure and urban spaces. It is certain the all aspects of urban fabric have an Information Technological print in different magnitudes and scale. Cybernetic age has given us different life style, working pattern and mobility behaviour. Increasing speed of internet from 2G to 3G, 4G and even 5G; from participatory interactive Web 2.0 technologies to Web 3.0, 4.0 technology; shrinking physical spaces of financial banks from whole building to Sq. meter, Sq. feet (ATM), inches (laptop), cm (Mobile), even mm (intelligent banking chip). Such technological, social, physical and economical changes will raise many question in the mind of planner, like is the functional boundaries of cities will vanish? Is IT will bridge the gap or create the digital divide among urban community? Is IT shrinking the urban spaces or not? After analysing the Indian urban and IT policy and understanding the Delhi Urban structure, the present paper tries to answer these questions. By understanding the existing complex settlement interdependence the present paper also recommends the possible solutions that IT may facilitate or hasten the development and, whether it needs to be treated as process and not an end. Finally the paper proves the hypothesis that “IT will shrink the space by eliminating the factor of time and distance by creating virtual space, but in reality it will make urban functional boundaries to sprawl and thus expand the physical urban space”