Abstract
A significant indicator of marginalization in Indian cities is the mismatch between infrastructure demand and supply. Accessibility studies have demonstrated how different areas within the same city enjoy variable amounts of accessibility to social infrastructure like schools and parks. Core areas of Indian cities generally enjoy good levels of accessibility while newly developing peripheral areas suffer most from the lack of adequate social infrastructure. Planning processes have failed to keep pace with market-led development. Sub-optimal levels of accessibility to social infrastructure can have negative implications on human development leading to increased marginalization of communities. This paper examines the accessibility to parks enjoyed by residents of Delhi’s Zone-E bordering Ghaziabad and Noida. It claims that the master plan mechanism in Delhi has failed to ensure equitable access to parks. More specifically, it argues that the master plan mechanism has failed to recognize that actual densities on ground are far higher than those used while planning for social infrastructure. Additionally, the presence of physical barriers like expressways exacerbates the lack of accessibility since they discourage crossing by pedestrians and cyclists. The paper concludes by suggesting ways to arrive at a more equitable distribution of social infrastructure through preparation of local accessibility plans using participatory methods.
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Notes
- 1.
In the case of physical infrastructure like water supply and sanitation, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization (CPHEEO) manuals are used.
- 2.
Alternatively known as development plan in several Indian cities. A master plan is a long term perspective plan for guiding the sustainable planned development of the city. This document lays down the planning guidelines, policies, development codes and space requirements for various socio-economic activities supporting the city population during the plan period.
- 3.
An administrative zone out of the fifteen that the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is divided into. A detailed discussion is presented later.
- 4.
For more on town planning schemes, please refer Ballaney (2013) who writes extensively on the development planning-town planning scheme mechanism that has proved to be a popular method of land development in Gujarat.
- 5.
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Munshi, T., Zia-ul-Haque, Joseph, Y. (2017). Examining Equity in Spatial Distribution of Recreational and Social Infrastructure in Delhi. In: Acharya, S., Sen, S., Punia, M., Reddy, S. (eds) Marginalization in Globalizing Delhi: Issues of Land, Livelihoods and Health. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3583-5_6
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