The TREADS Initiative with the support of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) invites you to the third talk of the series Water-Centric Master Planning in India on:
Integrating Environmental and Water Sensitivity in Master Plans
Speaker: Dr. Saswat Bandyopadhyay, Professor CEPT University, Gujarat
Monday, 15th July 2024, 3:30 PM IST. This event will be held online over Zoom.
About the event:
This is the third talk in the series Water-Centric Master Planning in India. The series focuses on the instrument of the Master Plan and its associated laws, structures, and rationalities for better governance of urban water bodies. Master Plans have been perceived as an instrument to facilitate urban growth and regulate negative externalities. However, the unprecedented scale of urban growth is testing both the urban planning model and infrastructural limits for urban water management. On one hand, Indian cities are facing acute water scarcity; on the other, urban flooding is becoming a more frequent phenomenon.
As a response, master planning has been undergoing a paradigm shift, with its new Master Plans increasingly adopting various tools for water sensitivity. This novel approach is reflected in the different new zoning typologies, such as ‘eco-sensitive zones’, among others. Additionally, urban river or lake management plans and frameworks are also being considered as instruments that could supplement the Master Plans and catalyze water-centric thinking. This talk brings to the fore pragmatic challenges and opportunities in pursuing Master Plans for managing the city’s waterscapes through the experience of select Indian cities like Bhopal.
About the speaker:
Saswat Bandyopadhyay has over 28 years of experience in the Urban Development sector in South Asia with a focus on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Urban Development in cities. Saswat has spearheaded several Climate risks informed spatial planning related research projects such as, Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities, Regional Climatic Variability Studies, Risk Informed Urban development, and Regulation for Strengthening Green and Resilient Urban Forum and Housing in Urban areas. Saswat is also engaged in the roll out of national urban capacity development programs on Local Area Planning and Town Planning Schemes, Green, Inclusive and Affordable Housing Policy Landscape and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure and advancing Nature based Solutions in statutory urban planning in Indian cities.
