Chapter 2 Open Space in Metropolitan Cities: A Comparative ...shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/27659/7/07_chapter 2.pdf · cities for comparative analysis of open space

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Chapter 2

Open Space in Metropolitan Cities: A Comparative Analysis

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Over the last fifty years, the world has faced dramatic growth of its urban

population. The number of mega cities increased in the period from 1975 until today

from four to twenty two, mostly in less developed regions (Münchner Rück, 2005).

Especially the Indian mega cities are among the most dynamic regions on the planet.

During the last fifty years, the population of India (today 1.2 billion) has grown two

and a half times, but the urban population has grown nearly five times. In India, the

Census Commission defines a metropolitan city as one having a population of over

four million like, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune,

Sonepat, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nashik, Jaipur, Patna, Lucknow,

Allahabad , Bhubaneswar, Nagpur etc. A megacity is usually defined as a

metropolitan area with a total population of more than 10 million people. The number

of Indian mega cities will double from the current three (Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata)

to six by the year 2021 (new additions will be Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad),

when India will have the largest concentration of mega cities in the world.

2.1.2 Cities occupy less than three percent of the global terrestrial surface, but

account for seventy eight percent of carbon emissions, sixty percent of residential

water use, and seventy six percent of wood used for industrial purposes. The city

planning authorities in India have been proposing the increasing open space area in

their successive plans. At the same time, the implementation of these plans has been

far from satisfactory and the open space provided for or mentioned in the plans has

been used for other land uses. The urban areas have a need for open space and the

importance of it as a land use type cannot be negated. Again, the question that arises

here is that how much open space is required for a given unit of urban population. The

other need of concern is the spatial pattern of open space within a city. The first

objective of this study focuses on analyzing the spatial arrangement of open space.

This chapter shall focus on the open space availability in selected metropolitan cities.

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It may be any land area zoned for open space by a comprehensive land use plan

adopted by a city or any land area in which the preservation in its present use would:

• Conserve and enhance natural or scenic resources,

• Protect streams or water supply,

• Promote conservation of soils, wetlands, beaches or tidal marshes,

• Enhance the value to the public of abutting or neighboring parks, forest,

wildlife preserves, nature reservations or sanctuaries or other open space,

• Enhance recreation opportunities,

• Preserve historic sites,

• Preserve visual quality along highway, road, and street corridor or scenic

vistas,

• Retain in its natural state tracts of land not less than one acre situated in an

urban area and open public use on such conditions as may be reasonably

required by the granting authority.

2.1.3 The issue of required open green space per capita in urban systems has

remained controversial. In tcentury, experts in Germany, Japan and other countries

proposed a standard of 40 square meters urban green space in high quality or 140 sq.

m. suburb forest area per capita for reaching a balance between carbon dioxide and

oxygen, to meet the ecological balance of human well-being. Currently, developed

countries have tended to adopt a general standard of green space of 20 sq. m. park

area per capita (Wang et al 2009). International minimum standard suggested by

World Health Organization (WHO) and adopted by the publications of United

Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a minimum availability of 9 sq.

m. green open space per city dweller (Kuchelmeister, 1998). The town planning

standards for open space in cities vary according to the measure of local conditions.

The ever increasing demands for the building and paving in the urban area impaired

physical environment to the extent that the spatial pattern are more fragmented and

confusing, city becomes less humane in nature. The gap between the urban man and

nature has widened than ever before. Hence the city is becoming less natural, livable,

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with lots of environmental problems and cumulatively it is changing the global

environment system (Edward and Matson, 2000).

2.1.4 In India, big cities and urban agglomerations have been the magnets that

attract investment, which leads to development of industrial and service sector,

employment generation, migration and population growth. However, the ever

increasing population in the urban areas and the physical expansion of the built up

area beyond the city limits is affecting the open space availability. The metropolitan

cities for comparative analysis of open space over the years are Bangalore, Jaipur,

Mumbai and Hyderabad.

2.2 Open Space in Bangalore City

2.2.1 Bangalore is the principal administrative, cultural, commercial and industrial

centre of the state of Karnataka. The city of Bangalore is situated at an altitude of 920

meters above mean sea level. Situated at about 1000 meters above sea level, it is

known for its maritime climate where temperatures remain moderate throughout the

year. Bangalore Urban Agglomeration (BUA) extends from 12°50’26” to 13°08’58”

N Latitude and 77°27’54” to 77°46’44” E Longitude covering an area of around 500

sq. km. According to the development plan (CDP) of Bangalore, the area covered by

the parks, playgrounds and organised open space in the year 1983 was 2050 hectares,

which was 10.1 percent of the total area of the city. Whereas the open space in the

year 1960 was 17.2 percent of the total area (Vagale, L.R. 1998). According to the

accepted spatial and design standards of the land use planning, at least 12 to 15

percent of the developed areas should be devoted to the open space. Bangalore is one

of the fastest growing metropolises. The urbanized extent of Bangalore has been

continuously expanding in a sprawling manner. It was about 800 sq. km. in 1981 and

now due to heavy encroachment on the open space, it is more than 1200 sq.km. In the

year 1925, 80 percent of the areas within city limits were open space (Ramachandran

H. 1991). At present the norm for parks and open space is 15 percent of total land use

or one hectare of open space per 1000 population (state of the environment report for

Karnataka, 2003). The largest land use under the category of “parks and open space”

among all the cities in Karnataka can be found in Bangalore (2132.16 hectares). In

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Bangalore the area under parks and open space constitutes about 7.5 percent of the

total land use, implying the availability of 0.52 hectares per 1000 population.

2.2.3 Despite the city’s high-tech advances, it has been a loser on many other fronts.

The city’s excessive growth has severely affected the climate resulting in climate

change. On many occasions, the government has even relaxed regulations to

accommodate ambitious development projects encroaching on prime agricultural

lands and vital green space. The rapid and unplanned expansion may ruin the city and

make it more vulnerable to land use change. Due to rapid urbanisation, unhindered

construction activities on encroached lung space question the significance of the

existing law protecting the green cover of the city.

2.2.4 Table 2.1 shows the demographic change with the areal extent over the

decades. Migration on a large scale is expected to change the demographic scenario in

terms of size, growth rate, characteristics, and age structure. It can also change the

spatial distribution as migrants are likely to settle in the peripheral areas. This changes

the pattern of land utilisation as per the changing needs of different economic

activities and people. During the last three decades population of BUA has increased

more than three and a half times. BUA experienced rapid population growth during

1971-81.

Table 2.1: Demographic Characteristics of Bangalore UA (1971-2011)

BANGALORE UA 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

Population Size ( `000s) 1,654 2,922 4,130 5,701 8,499

Decadal Growth ( `000s) ------ 1,268 1,209 1,571 2798

percent Decadal Growth ------ 76.67 41.36 38.04 49.0

Area (sq. km.) 174.71 365.65 413.03 492.55 498.5

Source: Iyer, Kulkarni and Raghavaswamy (2007)

2.2.5 The table 2.2 shows decrease in agricultural land use suggesting conversion of

land to urban land or discontinuation of agricultural activities in anticipation of

conversion to urban areas. The urban growth not only explains the increase in the

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urban built-up area and population but also the continuity trend with much more fast

pace since Bangalore qualified as a mega city. In 1971, half of Bangalore urban land

was crop land. Over the three decades 1971-2001, crop land proportion in Bangalore

declined gradually from 47 percent to 11 percent and to 8 percent in 2001. Due to

clearance of crop land after 1981, the open land in Bangalore increased from 6 to 29

percent in 1991. Thereafter it was utilized for non-agricultural uses and declined to

negligible proportion. As a result percentage of mixed built up land has increased

from 20 to 70 percent. Area under parks and gardens has decreased from 5 to 3

percent. The decadal change in the built up area is high with the centre core

developing for public/ semi public use. Figure 1 and 2 shows the land use/ land cover

details of urban agglomeration of Bangalore and Urban sprawl map of Bangalore

respectively. The alarming increase in the built up area at the cost of water bodies and

open space and loss of greenery indicate the need to provide green belts encircling

urban growth.

Table 2.2: Land Use (In Percentage) of Bangalore UA (1971- 2001)

LAND USE/ LAND COVER 1971 1981 1991 2001

Mixed Built (Residential &

Commercial)

19.69 26.37 38.99 69.05

Layout 3.53 1.88 0.00 0.00

Airport and other Transportation 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88

Industrial 0.00 0.00 1.93 4.30

Educational 0.00 0.00 2.53 2.53

Crop land 51.53 47.67 10.84 7.70

Plantation 0.00 0.00 1.09 1.09

Forest 0.05 0.05 0.21 0.21

Parks/Gardens/Public-semi public 5.39 5.39 3.01 3.01

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Barren Rocky 0.77 0.77 0.40 0.44

Scrubland/grasses 7.85 6.69 6.60 6.56

Brick kilns and others 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Water 3.49 3.49 3.15 3.15

Open Land 5.81 5.81 29.37 0.08

Defence land 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Area (sq km) 174.71 365.65 413.03 492.55


2.2.6 Sudhira and Ramachandra (2007) have used the remote sensing data to

quantify the land use of Bangalore city broadly into four classes – built-up,

agriculture and vegetation, open land, and water bodies. Red-color area, which

represents the built-ups, has increased in 2000 as compared to the year 1992. In

figure 4, open land has decreased tremendously which means most of the open space

is now covered by either vegetation or by the build-ups. Water-bodies are also on a

negative side. In other words open-space and water-bodies were overlaid by

vegetation and built-ups. Analyzing the probable land use change it can be said that

the land use change from open land into vegetation was significant while the major

land use that contributed to the increase of built-up was by the open land use class.

The extent of land use change from non-built-up to built-up was analyzed separately

and noted that the percentage increase in built-up areas was around 30 percent while

the reduction in non-built-up area was 3 percent (Table 2.3). The analysis revealed

the nature and pattern on sprawl suggesting a radial pattern of urban sprawl. This has

resulted in the erosion of landscape elements with loss of water bodies, vegetation,

etc. This is leading to gradual loss of open space.

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Figure 1. Land use/land cover of Bangalore Urban Agglomeration, 2001


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Figure 2. Sprawl of Bangalore Urban Agglomeration (1971-2001)


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Figure 3 Land Use Classification of Bangalore (1992)

Source: Sudhira and Ramachandra (2007)

Figure 4 Land Use Classification of Bangalore (2000)


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Figure 5. Bangalore Expansion of Built-up – 1992


Figure 6. Bangalore Expansion of Built-up – 2000


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Table 2.3: Extent of Land use change among Built-up and Non-built-up


Table 2.4: Change in the Extent of Open Space in Bangalore

Year Percent of Open Space to the total land area

1925 80

1960 17.2

1983 10.1

2003 7.5

Source: secondary data analysis done by research scholar

2.3 Open Space in Jaipur City

2.3.1 In 1728 A.D., when the wall city of Jaipur was founded, its total area was

about 4.81 sq. km. By 1930-31 the limits of the municipal area further extended to the

wall of city, and the total area reached to 9.6 sq. km. In1951, due to rapid increase in

population the city area has been further expanded to 40 sq. km. During 1964, with

the increasing demand of population problems associated with urbanisation like living

accommodation, traffic congestion, lack of sanitation and other amenities etc. a

Master Plan was made. In 1965 a Master Plan of Jaipur city was prepared and 125

revenue village of surrounding areas of Jaipur city were brought in the urban

boundary. The total area reached to 115 sq. km. In 1972, 132 revenue villages have

Land use

Categories 1992 (sq. km) 2000 (sq.

km)

Percentage

Change

Built up Only build-up

area

142.54

186.42 + 30.78

percent

Non built up Vegetation, water

bodies, open

space

1449.35

1405.47 - 03.03

percent

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been inducted in the urban area and the total area reached up to 385 sq. km out of

which 153 sq. km was the urban and rest was to develop green belt around Jaipur. In

recent past in 1995 the Master Plan was revised targeting the need of the year 2011. In

addition, 6 towns and 342 revenue villages have been identified to be included in the

urban areas for city planning purpose. Now the total geographical area of Jaipur city

is 1464 sq.km.

2.3.2 Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink city of India, is the capital of the state of

Rajasthan. It is the vertex of the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur touristic triangle. It is located at

26° 92’ N latitude and 75° 82’ E longitude. Jaipur is located in one of the semiarid

zone of India. Population details of Jaipur prior to 1980 are not available. In

response to the growing population, the areal extension of the city has also expanded

by 51 times. Open Space play a very significant role in enhancing the quality of urban

environment. Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan State is a biggest and largest urban

centre of the state. The population of the city was 0.16 million in 1901 and during last

eight decades, it multiplied by more than six times. Table 2.5 shows the growth of

population in different census years. As of 2011, Jaipur had a population of 3,073,350

and in 2001, Jaipur had a population of 2,322,000.

2.3.3 The spatial and temporal growth pattern of Jaipur can be divided into four

distinct phases (figure 7). Each phase has made a special contribution to the

development of Jaipur (Gupta, 2011). Phase I is 1727-1850A.D. : by 1734, the main

markets of the town including Johri bazaar, Kishanpole bazaar, and Gangauri Bazaar

had been built; Phase II is 1850 -1930: the establishment of a railway line in 1868

A.D. fueled the growth of the city; Phase III is 1930-1970: Rajasthan University was

established in 1947 thereby southward growth of the city started; Phase IV is post

1970s: during the last three decades, major growth direction has taken place towards

the southwest and northwest directions. Figures 8, 9 and 10 help in doing the change

detection analysis. From 1975 to 1986, Jaipur city is expanding into nearby

agriculture and open areas and density of built up land is also increasing from low to

high density. Total built up land in 1975 was 10.4 percent which is 19 percent in

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1986. During 1986-91, major changes have been observed in agriculture and built up

land. Crop area has decreased and the built up area has increased to accommodate the

Figure 7. Urban Growth Pattern of Jaipur

Source: Gupta (2011)

increasing population. Also, 51.84 hectares land has been used for parks and

playgrounds in this period and 28.8 hectares land of this category has been changed

into built up land. During 1991-2003, built up area increased more, also the density

of such areas is getting higher (Gupta, 2011).

2.3.4 The open space available in the year 1971 was 330 acres that was 3.3 percent

of the developed area and in the year 1991, it was 1000 acres i.e.3 percent of the

developed area (Master plan of Jaipur, 1971-1991). As stated in the draft CDP of

Jaipur, 2001, the 1971 master plan of Jaipur had proposed around 270 hectares of land

to be devoted by 1991 to open space, out of which only 80 hectares was developed. In

1991, the ratio was of 0.21 hectare per 1000 population. There was a shortfall by 70

percent.

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Table 2.5: Demographic Characteristics of Jaipur (1981-2011)

�JAIPUR 1981 1991 2001 2011

Population Size ( `000s) 1,015 1,518 2,322 3073

Decadal Growth ( `000s) NA 503 804 751

Percent Decadal Growth NA 49.5 52.9 32.34

Source: Census of India, 2011

2.3.5 In Jaipur city, as per the existing land use analysis the area under park and open

space category is around 5.43 sq. km. in Jaipur city for a population of 3.30 million.

Accordingly, per capita open space works out to be 1.60 sq. m per person. The areas

of reserved forests and protected forests in surrounding hills that amount to

approximately 75 sq. km. are excluded in the above calculations. According to the

proposed Master Development Plan 2025, it is proposed to enhance the per capita of

open space to 8.80 sq. m. For a population projected to grow to 6.50 million by the

year 2025, even at the minimum scale, Jaipur will require to establish 58.50 sq. km. of

urban green space. From another perspective, overall, the people and planners will

have to strive for regenerating at least one medium sized mature tree as desirable

number per person in Jaipur, Rajasthan. (Pandit et al 2009).

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Figure 8. Land Transformation of Jaipur (1975-86)


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57


Source: Gupta, (2011)

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Table 2.6: Temporal Change in Land use of Jaipur (1975-1991)

1975 1986 1991

Built-up Land Area in

sq. km.

percent Area in

sq. km.

percent Area in

sq. km.

percent

High Density Area 9.78 2.53 17.58 4.56 24.90 6.50

Medium Density Area 10.86 2.82 32.76 8.49 30.36 7.87

Low Density Area 20.16 5.23 23.64 6.13 24.12 6.25

40.80 10.58 73.98 19.18 7938 20.62

Forest Land

Degraded Forest 27.90 7.23 34.56 8.96 43.26 11.21

Dense Forest 0.30 0.08 8.28 2.15 2.64 0.68

28.20 7.31 42.84 11.11 45.80 11.89

Agricultural Land

Cropped Area 129.90 33.68 141.54 36.70 129.48 33.55

Fallow land 121.68 31.53 28.68 7.43 21.30 5.52

251.58 65.22 169.22 44.13 150.78 39.07

Wasteland

Gullied land 2.52 0.66 4.14 1.07 3.78 0.98

Sandy Land 14.52 3.76 7.74 2.00 3.78 0.98

Saline Land 0.66 0.17 1.44 0.37 2.52 0.65

Rocky land - - - - 0.12 0.03

Mining spoiled land 0.36 0.09 5.52 1.43 5.64 1.46

18.06 4.68 18.84 4.87 15.84 4.10

Industrial area 34.98 9.07 42.24 10.95 44.34 11.49

Land under construction

Activities 11.88 3.08 36.36 9.43 47.70 12.36

Parks & Play ground 0.24 0.06 1.26 0.33 1.80 0.47

Grand Total 385.74 100.00 385.74 100.00 385.74 100.00

Source: Joshi and Suthar (2002)

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2.3.3 According to table 2.6, in 1975 the area under residence was 10.58 percent of

the total municipal area of Jaipur which has been increased to 20.62 percent in 1991.

Similarly area under construction activities has also been increased by three times.

Construction activities have a direct bearing on agricultural land. Because the

topography of Jaipur city is such that the north and eastern part is covered by the hills

and the west and southern part is plain which has a prime agricultural land. Hence no

expansion is possible on the hills, therefore all the agricultural area is threatened by

construction activities either for residential, commercial transportation or industrial

purpose. The table reveals that out of the total agricultural area available in the year

1975 was 251.58 sq. km (65.2 percent) has been engulfed y the concretization and it

has been reduced to 150.78 sq. km (30.07 percent) in 1991. The forest cover of Jaipur

was 28.20 sq. km in 1975 which has increased to 45.80 sq. km (11.89 percent) by

1991. This increase is also due to bane on the mining activities in vicinity of Jaipur.

2.3.5 One of the most useful strategies for enhancing the urban green space in Jaipur

would be to protect and develop adjoining forest lands—in accordance with Forest

(Conservation) Act, 1980, and after carrying out appropriate Environmental Impact

Assessment—by investing in sequential restoration and enrichment of local

biodiversity. We can significantly reduce the likely extinction liability for a city by

maximizing the proportion of indigenous forest vegetation in the landscape. Indeed, in

some cases, the urban remnants may be all that is left of particular species. Thus, it

would be sensible to implement this strategy by establishing multifunctional botanical

gardens as urban green space in forest lands around Jaipur. This strategy would be

useful for conservation of biodiversity.

2.4 Open Space in Mumbai City

2.4.1 Urbanisation is arguably the most dramatic form of highly irreversible land

transformation. While urbanisation is a worldwide phenomenon, it is exceptionally

dynamic in India, where unprecedented urban growth rates have occurred over the last

30 years. Mumbai is often described as the most ‘city like city in India’. In addition to

being the capital of Maharashtra State it is also the financial capital of India. Mumbai

was the first city corporation in the country to adopt the concept of a development

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plan in 1964. However, over the next few decades, a massive growth in population

(from less than 5 million in 1961 to over 12 million in 2001) has turned it into the

most densely populated city in India. As per planning norms, Mumbai needs 0.5 acre

of open space per 1,000 people. Roughly translated, that means each person in

Mumbai needs 22 sq. ft of open space. Within the existing built up areas of cities

uncontrolled growth of population and inadequate infrastructure may cause

irreversible loss of open space. The rapid population growth and the process of

urbanisation have resulted into changing land-uses pattern. Mumbai Metropolitan

Region (MMR) is one of the fastest growing region of India. Its population increased

from 7.7 million in 1971 to 18.3 million in 2001 and is projected to be increased 22.4

million in 2011. With the saturation of land in the city followed by suburbs, other

parts of the metropolitan region are now experiencing the fast growth. Due to growing

population pressure the total built-up and industrial area in Mumbai Metropolitan

Region has increased from 4.9 percent in 1971 to 12 percent in 1991 and is projected

to constitute 31 percent of the total area in 2011. On the other hand, area under forest

cover has declined from 30 percent in 1971 to 27 percent in 1991 and is expected to it

declines further to 22 percent by 2011.

2.4.2 Mumbai comprised of a cluster of seven islands – Old Woman’s, Collabra,

Mumbai, Parel, Mazgaon, Mahim which were separated by tidal marshes, but, by the

early 20th century, Mumbai had evolved into a mega city. It is evident that the

cityscape of Mumbai has changed considerably. Mumbai consists of two distinct

regions: Mumbai City district and Mumbai Suburban district, which form two

separate revenue districts of Maharashtra. The city region is also commonly referred

to as the Island City or South Mumbai. The total area of Mumbai is 603.4 sq. km.

with the area of 437.71 sq. km, the island city spanning 67.79 sq. km. and the

suburban district spanning 370 sq.km., coming under the administration of

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), while remaining area belongs to

Defence, Mumbai Port Trust, Atomic Energy Commission and Borivali National

Park, which are out of the jurisdiction of the BMC. With available space at a

premium, Mumbai residents often reside in cramped, relatively expensive housing,

usually far from workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass

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transit, or clogged roadways. Many of them live in close proximity to bus or train

stations although suburban residents spend significant time travelling southward to the

main commercial district. About 60 percent of Mumbai's population lives in slums.

Dharavi, Asia's second largest slum is located in central Mumbai and houses 800,000

people. The Mumbai Metropolitan Area is the largest metropolitan region in India. It

was notified by the government in 1967 on the recommendations of the Gadgil

committee, which was appointed to look into the problems of Mumbai city and

suggest the policy measures to overcome these problems. The overall population size

of MMR has increased from 7.7 million in 1971 to 14.4 million in 1991, almost

doubled in a short span of 20 years. It is expected to increase further to 22.2 million

by 2011. As expected, the greatest concentration of population in MMR is in the

Greater Mumbai region (Island city and Suburbs) followed by Kalyan.

Table 2.7: Population in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), 1971-2011

Source: Draft Regional Plan for MMR, 1971-1991 and 1996-2011, MMRDA

2.4.5 Open space have been shrinking to dangerous lows in Mumbai, putting

tremendous strain on resources and threatening human health. Only 6 percent of the

total land in the city is made up of open public space. Out of this, 45 percent is

partially or completely encroached upon. A citizen of Mumbai gets 1.95 square meter

of open space against the international standard of 11 square meters per person.

(www.governancenow.com) Mumbai experienced an axial growth in the outskirts

caused by transportation networks and hilly barriers. The polycentric structure and

development of satellite cities in the 1970s steadily increased due to land shortage in

the urban center and dramatic population pressure. The result is a complex urban

footprint, spatially polycentric with axial growth lines, a large urban core and a

dispersed urban-rural fringe. While the city seems to be growing vertically as well as

horizontally, its open space seem to be shrinking. As per the latest land user survey

data being prepared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in

Region 1971 1991 2011

MMR 7664069 14426553 22252912

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association with a private firm as part of its revised development plan, the total

accessible open space area minus the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, has been reduced

to just 1.33 percent of the total landmass of the city. The land user data, which has

been collected as part of the larger Development Plan 2014-2034 preparation, states

that the city has over 30 percent of its total area under ‘natural areas and open space’

at 128.26 sq km out of the total area of 413.93 sq km. Out of this share of 128.26 sq

km of natural areas and open space in the city, a whopping 34.8 percent is the land

purely under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which is the city's single biggest green

lung. The next major chunk (29.9 percent) is mangrove land.

2.4.6 However, locally accessible open space that constitutes playgrounds, gardens

and parks, recreational grounds, clubs, gymkhana, beaches and promenades amount to

only 4.29 percent as part of the total natural area and open space and a minuscule 1.33

percent of the total landmass area of the city. According to Urban Design Research

Institute (UDRI), the open space ratio of 1.33 percent to the total area points out that

there is something grossly wrong with the urban planning department in this city. The

ratio of usable space has dropped substantially in the past 30 years since 1981. This

ratio also effectively means that the per capita usable open space is just 0.4 sq. m.

compared to the three sq. m. which had been reserved for open space use in 1981.

Urban planners and activists point out that the drop in the usable open space area has

been more than 80 percent of what had been planned and expected 30 years back.

This is also in stark contrast to the basic requirement of 11 sq. m. per capita of open

space which has been highly recommended by the Urban Development Plan

Formation & Implementation Guidelines of 2002 by the Ministry of Urban Affairs.

While the second largest share of the city's land is being used for residential purposes

with over 25 percent share for the same, the third largest component is the transport

and communication facilities which amount to over 12 percent of the land use in the

city.

2.4.7 Table 2.8 presents the land-use pattern for different regions of MMR in 1971.

At that time nearly 4 percent area of the region was used as built-up area, more than

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one fourth was under forest cover and more than half was used for agricultural

purposes.

Table 2.8: Land-use distribution in MMR in 1971 (Area in sq. km)

Region/

Sub

Region

Built-

up

Industry

Agriculture

Forest Wet

land

Waterbody

Others

Total

area

Island

city

45.2 4.8 0 0 8.9 0 15 73.9

Suburbs 71.0 16.0 47.9 103 126.1 9.5 21.5 395

Thane 9.5 15.0 143.0 98 75.5 3.5 1.5 346

Bassain 1.3 0 206.3 180 44.3 4.3 0 436.2

Bhiwandi 1.6 1.5 443.0 200 25 16 0 687.1

Kalyan 13.2 1.0 421.0 171.2 1 24.6 16 648

Panve l 2.0 2.4 423.6 102 32 12 0 574

Uran 0.5 1.0 127.5 20 58 1.5 5.5 214

Khalapur 0.5 3.5 95.0 66 3 4 0 172

Karjat 4.3 0 191.0 105.2 0.5 8 0 309

Total 149.1 45.2 2098.3 1045.4 374.3 83.4 59.5 3855

Source: Draft Regional Plan for MMR, 1971-1991, MMRDA

2.4.8 In 1991, (Table 2.9) nearly one-tenth of the area of MMR was used as built-up

area and less than 3 percent as industrial area. Two-fifths of the land was used for

agricultural purposes and more than one-third was under the forest cover. In 2011,

(Table 2.10) more than one-fourth area of the MMR will be built-up. About 4 percent

of the land will be for industrial use and 23 percent under forest cover. The proportion

of agricultural land remains almost at the same level of slightly less than 40 per cent

(Acharya and Nangia, 2004).

64


Region/

Sub

Region

Built-

up

Industry

Agriculture

Forest Wet

land

Waterbody

Others

Total

area

Island

city

51.8 6.3 0 0 5.9 0 9.9 73.9

Suburbs 130.1 16.3 24.6 95.8 98.1 8.8 21.4

395.1

Thane 46.4 40.9 83.8 98 72.1 3.4 1.5

346.2

Bassain 26.6 1.7 160.7 200 43.8 3.2 0 436

Bhiwandi 17.9 0.4 388.7 232 37.6 10.4 0 687

Kalyan 38.1 17.4 277.5 274.5 7.3 16.8 16.5 648.1

Panvel 25.6 14.3 250.4 236.8 35 12 0 574.1

Uran 6.8 1.3 71.2 70.2 57.7 1.5 5.5 214.2

Khalapur 3.2 3.5 40.7 117 4.3 3.3 0

Karjat 4.8 0 148.4 147.5 0.5 7.9 0 309.1

Total 351 101.7 1445.9 1471.6 362.0 67.1 54.7 3855


65


Region/

Sub

Region

Built-

up

Industry

Agriculture

Forest

Wet

land

Waterbody

Others

Total

area

Island

city

56.8 5.5 0 0 0 0 11.5 73.9

Suburbs 180.2 27.9 100.5 0 0 7.6 79.2 395

Thane 176 25.8 73.3 23.5

13.7

4.2 29.5 346

Bassain 93.8 4.2 176.5 129.4 5.2 2.2 24.7 436

Bhiwandi 92.4 2.8 342.4 215.1 2.1 7.4 25.5 687

Kalyan 138 24.9 300 157 0.2 14.8 13.4 648

Panvel 170.5 4.52 180.4 160.23 8.3 16.46 33.64 574

Uran 76.7 41.1 18.4 23.2 32.4 1.4 21.4 214

Khalapur 34.36 3.3 51.3 64.7 0 8.2 10.4 172

Karja 55.28 0 138.5 106.1 0 5.8 3.4 309

Total 879.23 140.02 1074.04 1381.3 61.9 68.06 252.64 3855


2.4.9 The table 2.11 shows the changes in the actual area under different uses during

the two time periods. Nearly 202 sq. km. of land under different uses was converted to

built-up area during 1971-1991, but during 1991-2011 the area of such conversion

increases to 717 sq. km. While during 1971-1991, 57 square km of land was added to

industrial use, in the later period only 24 sq. km land is added for such use. During

1991-2011 agricultural land declines by 43 sq. km., forest land by 593 sq. km. and

wetland by 300 sq. km. (Acharya and Nangia, 2004).

66

Table 2.11: Land-use change in MMR 1971-2011 (Area in sq. km)

Land use 1971-91 1991-2011

Built-up 202 723

Industry 57 38

Agriculture -652 -65

Forest 426 -592

Wet land -12 -300

Water body -16 1

Others -5 198

Source: Acharya and Nangia (2004)

2.4.9 Figure 11 and 12 show the land use in the years 1995 and 2011. Due to growing

population pressure the area under forest cover has declined from 27 percent in 1995

to 22 percent in 2011. The map shows that the commercial area has increased towards

north Mumbai from 106 Sq. Km. in 1995 to 194.60 Sq. km. in 2011 and the

residential area has increased from 370 sq. km. in 1995 to 557 sq. km. in 2011

towards the suburbs like Navi Mumbai, South East part of Mumbai which was earlier

the open space (374.60 sq. km.) in 1995 and now has reduced to 68.83 sq. km.

67

Figure 11 Land use of Mumbai, 1995

Source: Mumbai Municipal Corporation

68

Figure 12 Land use of Mumbai, 2011

Source: Mumbai Municipal Corporation

69

2.5 Open Space in Hyderabad City

2.5.1 The Hyderabad Urban Development Area (HUDA) is around 1907 sq.km. The

HUDA area is divided into 29 planning zones (11 zones inside municipal limits and

18 zones in the non-municipal limits or peripheral areas). The city is located around

580m above Mean Sea Level (MSL). It experiences a minimum temperature of

11.60C and a maximum of 40.50C with an average annual rainfall of 73.55 cms. The

city is situated centrally between the other metropolises of Mumbai, Chennai and

Bangalore. Hyderabad, the administrative capital of Andhra Pradesh, has established

itself as a centre for sunrise industries such as Information Technology and accounts

for 10 percent of IT exports of the country. Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA),

the fifth largest metropolis in India, extends from 7°15’29” to 17°33’40” N Latitude

and 78°15’04” to 78°37’30” E Longitude covering more than 775 sq. km area and is

currently home to over 5.75 million persons. Table 2.12 shows the demographic

characteristics of Hyderabad.

Table 2.12: Demographic Characteristics of Hyderabad UA (1971-2011)

Hyderabad UA 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

Population Size (000) 1,796 2,546 4,344 5,752 7749

Decadal Growth ------- 749 1,799 1,407 1997

percent Decadal Growth ------ 41.72 70.65 32.39 34.71

Area (sq km) 298.51 371.50 726.66 778.17 780.1


2.5.2 Table 2.12 and 2.13 indicate that the large scale changes in economic structure,

the in-migration resulting into population growth/changes in the population

composition and spatial distribution are likely to affect the pattern of land utilisation

as per the changing needs of the different economic activities and people. During the

last four decades, population of HUA has increased slightly more than 3 times.

During the last three decades, HUA has expanded 2 and ½ times leading to urban

70

sprawl. Figure 13 and 14 show the land use/ land cover details of urban agglomeration

of Hyderabad and Urban sprawl map of Hyderabad respectively.

Table 2.13: Land Use (in percentage) of Hyderabad UA (1971- 2001)

LAND USE/ LAND COVER 1971 1981 1991 2001

Mixed Built (Residential & Commercial) 2.56 32.11 32.31 37.35

Layout 0.64 0.58 1.33 5.50

Airport and other Transportation 0.20 0.81 0.48 0.48

Industrial 0.00 0.00 3.84 5.58

Educational 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crop land 6.43 6.21 9.36 9.36

Plantation 0.00 0.00 1.19 1.19

Forest 0.15 0.15 1.44 1.44

Parks/Gardens/Public-semi public 2.77 2.77 7.07 7.07

Barren Rocky 3.12 3.12 1.21 1.21

Scrubland/grasses 56.09 46.22 4.31 1.99

Brick kilns and others 0.00 0.00 0.64 1.22

Water 4.86 4.86 3.59 3.59

Open Land 3.16 3.16 26.05 16.85

Defence land 0.00 0.00 7.19 7.19

Total Area in sq km (100percent) 298.51 371.50 726.66 778.17


71

Figure 13. Land use/ land cover of Hyderabad, 2001


72

Figure 14. Urban Sprawl of Hyderabad (1971-2001)


73

2.5.3 Decrease in agricultural land suggested both conversion of land to urban land

use or discontinuation of agricultural activities in anticipation of conversion to urban

areas. This is resulting in such lands being left undeveloped as vacant land or

converted into layouts for considerable period of time to speculate higher land values.

The urban growth not only explains the increase in urban built-up area and population

but also the continuity of trend with much more accelerated pace since Hyderabad

qualified as Mega City.

2.5.4 In HUA, due to clearance of scrub land after 1981, open land increased to 26

percent in 1991. There after due to utilisation for non-agricultural open land declined

to 17 percent. As a result of utilisation of land for non-agricultural purposes

(residential and commercial), percentage of mixed built-up land has increased from 23

to 37 percent. Area under parks and gardens in HUA it increased more than 2 and half

times reaching 7 percent in 1991 and got stabilized thereafter. This is mainly due to

Green Hyderabad Programme. It is noticed that the residential development has taken

place on all directions in a contiguous pattern due to availability of land in all

directions in case of Hyderabad. Haphazard urban growth and increase in built-up

area have resulted into loss of productive agricultural land, green areas, loss in surface

water bodies.

2.5.5 As case with all historical cities, the city has undergone drastic transformation

with haphazard molecular growth replacing the planned part of old city. It was

coupled with the rapid urbanisation that has taken place after independence, which

has resulted in inadequate parks and open space within the city. The study of urban

sprawl of past few decades reveals that the total built up land has gone up from

17,902 hectares in 1964 to 45,550 hectares in 1990 whereas the agricultural land has

gone down from 1,03,272 hectares in 1964 to 71,827 hectares. The total water bodies

areas has also reduced from 6,348 hectares in 1964 to 3,498 hectares. That is almost

half the open space has been eaten away and since then it has still reduced (figure 14).

2.5.6 The urban agglomerations decrease in agricultural land show both conversion of

land to urban land use or discontinuation of agricultural activities in anticipation of

conversion to urban areas. This is resulting in such lands being left undeveloped as

74

vacant land or converted into layouts for considerable period of time to speculate

higher land values. The urban growth not only explains the increase in urban built-up

area and population but also the continuity of trend with much more accelerated pace

(Iyer, Kulkarni and Raghavaswamy (2007). Haphazard urban growth and increase in

built-up area have resulted into loss of productive agricultural land, green areas, loss

in surface water bodies. At present there is less open space left in the city.

2.6 Summing Up

2.6.1 Due to inefficient land management, the land related problems are increasing in

the metropolitan cities of India. According to the World Bank report 1991, since

1950, the urban population in third world cities has risen from 300 million to 1.3

billion and by the year 2030, the cities in the developing countries are expected to

grow by 160 percent. In most developing countries, the expansion of urban population

has resulted into a rapid rise in the demand for housing, land for industry and

commerce, public buildings and infrastructure. The authorities are facing a big

challenge of supplying land at the present pace and scale due to rising land prices of

urban land. Although urbanisation leads to accelerated economic performance of a

country, the accompanying rise in prices of urban land and its conversion from one

form to another is affecting the natural and cultural resources of the city. As

mentioned earlier, the metropolitan cities in India have experienced rapid growth of

population, particularly in the post independence era. Many of them have also

experienced tremendous expansion of their statutory limits. For every metropolitan

area growth has spilled beyond the city boundary, which is expected to bring many

undesirable changes in the land-use pattern within the city as well as its surrounding

areas. This is having a serious impact on the open space in the city that is shrinking

with time. This chapter, as it is based on secondary data, indicates only broad trends at

urban agglomeration level. For detailed land use study, primary data and high

resolution satellite data will provide useful insights for sustainable development of

metropolitan cities of India.

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