All we need is a good inclusive urban design and a distinct architectural character for the city!

Smart City, Global City and Intelligent City and many more such catchy phrases have been coined these days to promote the concepts of urban development. Having remained in the exclusive domains of the few like the administrative and the political class, who are using these phrases to score brownie points in attracting industrialists and prospective investors. The common citizens still has no clue what these actually mean in real terms.
If the objective is to make Hyderabad a global city, firstly defining clearly what it means to be a global city, will open up avenues to explore the best possibilities suitable to our circumstances. Half of the solutions can be achieved by approaching the problem in a sensitive and appropriate way instead of importing alien sounding or even looking solutions. And there is no dearth of good sensible architects and consultants in India, who understand it better and have the capacity to deliver, if only we approached them with a little more honesty and considerations towards the real issues.
The city needs good footpath, better green cover on the streets, respect and accommodate the informal economic sectors, more community level green open spaces and recreational facilities, integrated and comprehensive transportation system for the city, improved electricity and drinking water supply system, paved streets even for the poorest localities, homogeneous spread of city infrastructure like sports facilities, cultural centres, and libraries, better signages and communication system, sensitive approach towards re-­‐ adaptive use of heritage buildings are just some of the key issues need to addressed simultaneously. 

The development of a city is not just about few popular central locations like the Lake side or the core business districts. Hyderabad will be a real global city, when the streetscape in Jagatgirigutta is as green, clean and beautiful as it is Banjara Hills, when Hayat Nagar in the outskirts has schools which have continuos electricity supply and have toilets for the girl students, when the poor of Rahmath Nagar in Jubille Hills get the ‘Pucca Houses’ and minimum medical facilities, as promised by successive governments.
What we need today for our city is a excellent script in the form a good, futuristic and inclusive urban design, Indian architects who have designed master pieces of highest degree of excellence in creativity and aesthetics, as the real actors, and inviting for an design and urban innovation competition as the real process to create a super hit city-­‐ a city its citizens would be proud of. Creating a global or world class city does not only mean creating few architectural marvels of real estate, but it also means providing suitably and sufficiently for the poorest of the poor of the city and also creating some of the most basic infrastructure which we generally take for granted. “A city can be judged by the way its poor live,” says the famous architect Kamu Iyer from Mumbai.
If only we can develop a master plan with more focus on physical planning of each zones, it will help the city have a balanced built form and distinct skyline. If only we can focus on our lakes and rock formations, integrate them in our development plans rather than subject them to encroachments and vandalism and isolate them as pockets not be touched, we will have a Hyderabad, as a role model for many others cities across the nation. We need a cohesive, comprehensive and creatively holistic vision for the city.
It is time now for the creative and intellectuals, the administrative and the political class, the business and the industrialists to come together and create an Indian paradigm of development, which is sensitively responsive to unique Indian context and serves the purpose of creating a built environment, cities of future, and life of dignity for every Indian. 

No item numbers please! And no carbon copies either! Surely we deserve something original

Recently citizens of Hyderabad have been given overdose of new projects being launched. The secretariat to be shifted to the new location by demolishing an old, but beautiful building. Newspapers are full of some images of spaceship type new proposed designs for Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad, and we just hope it is not the chosen final one. And the Greek or Roman Palace like structure for the proposed Kala Bharathi at NTR Stadium, staring and asking us don’t we want to grow up?

It is indeed a good initiative by the government of the day, especially when it come to creating some infrastructure for the public good. Ravindra Bharathi has played a very important role in the growth of cultural and social life of Hyderabad. Many old timers have some strong views about it being demolished and recreated. No doubt that the present auditorium has outlived its utility and needs urgent restructuring in terms of newer seating arrangements, newer and better sound systems and bigger and improved parking, but this needs to be done with sensitivity towards emotional, creative and intellectual aspirations of the very people, whom it is going to serve.

One thing that stands out and is worth appreciating is the fact the Government is talking to an Indian architect and not to a foreign one unlike our neighbouring state. Having created masterpieces like the Tajmahal and the Brihadeeshwara temple in Tanjavur, and more recently having reached to Mars on our own, we Indians have demonstrated our creative excellence, technological expertise and development capabilities to be at par with the world’s best. It is an important statement that is being made here and an important factor in today’s time when we are promoting making in India, it should also be done by Indians. Lets us not repeat mistakes of the past of and also leave no room for any uncreative and repetitive work.

Having made these observations, it is now time to focus on the solutions that have been put forward, which are not only bizarre and unceremoniously outrageous, they lack sensitivity towards location, function and context of the city where it is going to be built. On top of that, the designs do not even appear to be original. While one looks like a copy of the Infosys Building in Mysore by the same architect, the other appears to be an attempt to proclaim itself to having arrived and wanting to be noticed, just like the item numbers in recent Bollywood movies. The city of Hyderabad, which has a strong tradition of qutub shahi architecture, in the form of Charminar, Qutub Shahi Tombs, Pygah Tombs and numerous palaces, surely it deserves a better deal.

Making Sense of aesthetics in an Indian city
Srinivas Murthy G.


About three years ago I decided to make Hyderabad my home. I have been living in Delhi all my life where I was born and educated, before I moved into this city. I have been designing projects in and around Hyderabad for the last twelve years and claim that I know this city at-least on architectural and real estate front and have been witness to the hyper speed growth of Hyderabad in recent years.

There has been a lot written about how the IT boom has helped Hyderabad grow into a mega city and how it has earned its space in the world business map in such a short span of time. Though I was part and parcel of this growth story in many ways, it is was a strange realisation that only after shifting here I started thinking about its existing as a living organism and not just as another destination for business purpose.

Two things that struck me most [rather absence of them] and probably affected me in many ways are the so called “cultural scene” that I was so used to in Delhi and secondly how the architectural sensibilities of people of this historic city changed due to the fast paced development. While the first one is more specific to this city given its strong historical and cultural background that Hyderabad once boasted of, the second one is about the built environment of Hyderabad, though nothing unusual as many other cities have gone though the same fate during the same timeline.

I will reserve the first one for another time and write about the second one first, as being an architect by profession, this moves me both on personal and professional spectrums.

During the last decade or two, many of Indian cities have witness stupendous growth due to the IT boom abroad and also due the new era of liberalised economy. Hyderabad is no exception on this account. In fact Hyderabad’s growth has been watched very keenly and closely by the two neighbouring big cities of Bangalore and Chennai. There is no denying in the fact that Hyderabad has definitely taken a share of their cake [rather too big a share.] and that has raised not only eyebrow but also concerns of many politico-planners of this region. Business houses and entrepreneurs from this state have spread far and wide in the country have bagged many prestigious projects and in turn made their home state literally quite rich. And I have no complaints about this. Surely many of us benefitted and continue to do so.

Hyderabad is in many ways is like Delhi, more so on a particular aspect of architectural front. It has an equally important architectural heritage and does not stay too behind in display of wealth and effluence. It has its own South Delhi charms that you can feel in the air when you are moving around in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills with large villas and bungalows dotting the landscape. This part of town I never felt out of place, same as in Delhi. Importance is given more to the size and grandeur than the aesthetics of architectural design. To borrow from Gautam Bhatia comments on architectural scene in Delhi, the “Punjabi Baroque” is replaced by a hugely Greek, Corinthian and Roman Renaissance and if this was not enough, completed it with riot of coloured facades and glass facades to add to fetish to show off.


This is so much different from how Bangalore and Pune responded when they went through the growing years. While Bangalore is known for its small and well made designer homes Pune has some of the earliest and finest examples of housing in apartment type buildings. Architectural professional gain respectability very soon and very prominently in these cities much to surprise of many even in Delhi and Mumbai.

What is surprising in most of our cities, is the complete absence of a sense of development, aesthetics and planning. The newer versions of our cities be it Cyberabad/HiTech City, or Gurgaon or Navi Mumbai are thousands of kilometres away from being called the new world class cities.

Let us first understand what it means to be a modern world class city. Any commoner would probably say having all those facilities which the existing set up could not efficiently provide for and further improving upon them would be considered as a fair expectation. Secondly completely from an expert point of view, designing and executing the new cities in a manner that would reflect a vision for planned and beautifully designed built environment, accommodating growth without having to compromise on the standards of infrastructure to be provided or on the commitment to provide an enjoyable and safe life for the citizens.

To me these appear to be very simple and implementable principles of planning and design. Architecture and design affects everyone; it affects our mental well being and quality of life in profound ways. It is the most public of all arts. It has the power to improve the lives and transform the places where we live, learn, work and play. It touches all of us every day. Recognizing this important role of architecture, planning and design will probably bring in a quantum change in the way we will demand and make our newer cities.

My heart pains to see that even in the so called newer parts of the City, which incidentally are not more than a decade old, we still lack the some basic facility. No pedestrian safety and foot paths, no decent greenery and plantation, the roads are same old overcrowded and congested ones the way they are in Abids, Kukatpally, Punjaguta, and Himayatnagar or even in Banjara hills and Jubillee Hills. Many of the areas do not even have properly laid out black top roads, no street lights, signages is something which one can only dream of, public utilities like bus shelter and drinking water for commuters, underpasses for pedestrians drainage channels and communication and electrical services ducts, and the list appears to never ending. And on architectural front, there is a complete sense of chaos and absurdness of design elements. There is no architecture at all. They are all covered with brightly coloured and well design hoardings that make the skyline of the city. “ ab mera number hai” and the “ an idea that can change your life” are glaringly telling you that nobody cares for the aesthetical composition of the street. It is Kumar Mangalam Birla, Mittals and Anil and Mukesh Ambanis of the world, who with their huge budgets for advertising are responsible for such ghastly act of taking pleasantness out of our cities. I for one will be very eagerly waiting to see a hoarding on top of one of their spacious villas designed by probably one of the best imported architects of the world.

These newer cousins of our cities might have more posh and stylised buildings and standing as individual architectural master pieces, but as whole area is far from being called a new city. It does not look like one.
There is no sense of zoning according to the land use. There is no urban design and broad guidelines that can help develop a planned skyline for the area. There are no planned urban green spaces and large open recreation spaces where the population would like get together to celebrate festivals or participate in public meetings? And absence of these things have only made people more insensitive to this simple basic requirements of city level infrastructure and has left a deep impact on their life styles. And that is why good design and planning is required. That is why a good city matters. To quote Pulitzer prize winner Blair Kamin “Every building is a new piece of the evolving city, a new layer of the ever changing urban collage. This collective work of art, forms an unflinching record of who we are and what we do. It connects us in time and space to those who went before us even as it represents our legacy – for better or for worse – to those who come after. And that is why architecture matters.”
Do we need huge amounts of money or technological knowhow to provide for some of the basic amenities that make many other cities world over, truly world class? Just one look at any of the cities in the US or Europe, for that matter nearer home, Putrajaya City on the outskirts of KL, Malaysia, we will understand that it is a matter of simple attitude. Even Chinese Cities are many shades better though they too developed during the same period as Indian cities went through the boom period.

Why are we like this? We accept and like everything that we saw or enjoyed while we visit other countries and find it difficult to adopt the same back home. When will our planning and urban development bodies understand the real meaning of development? When will we the common citizens of our citizens get some of the basic facilities?

On the second thoughts do we really need and ever demand it? I guess NO.

I have two reasons for it. One that we all are part of that huge constituency called the MIG, who believe in SCH [“Sub Chalta Hai”] and that the rich anyway get what they want at any cost, and for the real poor probably it is not even in their list of things they would love to dream of. Second reason being most of us are not even aware of what we should have and get not only in terms of list of amenities but even the required or desired standards for it.
I for one believe that everything has a demand and supply equation and to support this argument-the mobile movement, not in the context of the 1.76 Lakhs Crores fraud, but the way of has become of one of the most essential ingredients of our lives today. I wish I had even one tenth of that amount, we could have changed at least one city. As the demand for more features and facility increases, the suppliers will made those things available and at a very affordable price.

Isn’t this true in real estate sector? Look at the facilities that every developer is offering, when compared to the demands two decade ago. Today more aware and educated buyers are at the core of ever improving supply chain system. And that is where the solution lies. We need a more aware and demanding citizen base for improving our cities and its infrastructure. It is not enough to demand what is just good for one’s own, but we should start demanding something that will be good for others as well, that will be good for the neighbourhood and good for the city. We have to start demanding from our Municipal Corporations, our UDAs and our government. And for this we need people and organisations who can initiate awareness campaign and make people aware of their cities’ basic needs and lastly but importantly aesthetical needs.

We need initiatives that help people understand the need and importance, improve built environment through the collaboration of professionals, designers, leaders and local communities. This could be done through a series of a stimulating program of talks, events, debates, exhibitions, competitions and other projects. It should strive to promote and encourage the best in contemporary urban development and bring modern and traditional architecture and design closer to people.
And with such initiatives, that day may not be far, when we will start rejecting a city the way we do our films if they are not good.
Any takers? Please write back to join me in developing an idea to empower people with knowledge and ideas to make our cities a better place to live and enjoy and lastly make them “ truly world class’ or rather surpass even that and set a new world standard “ the Indian order”.
[Images used in this article to illustrate the authors point of view, have been taken from various sources, including authors own collection. Since many of the pictures are down loaded from the web, the author wishes to record his appreciation to original authors and gives credit for the photographs used]

HAF gets a new premises

Hyderabad Architecture Foundation finally gets a new premises. A beautiful independent house designed by Sudhir Reddy-a very good and sensitive architect from Hyderabad. The new place will have space for Design and art gallery to display works of eminent architects and designers, a library and a small coffee shop.

Very soon we will announcing the official opening of the same and all those registering as members of the foundation will be invited for a special event. So watch out for this space.

Hyderabad Architecture Foundation

The Hyderabad Architecture Foundation is a leading independent centre for arts and architecture. It proposes to present an unrivalled programme of talks, events, debates, exhibitions, competitions, film shows and other awareness projects. Through numerous outreach programs, grants, and educational resources, HAF aims to inspire people to become thoughtful and engaged stewards of the world around them.

Our role is to promote and encourage the best in contemporary art and architecture, and bringing it to a wide public. Through our projects and events we work with some of the world’s most outstanding architects, designers and other influential and inspiring people.

The Hyderabad Architecture Foundation (HAF) is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote awareness towards the contribution of architecture and community design to the quality of life. HAF aims to inspire people to become thoughtful of the world around them and bring about a better public understanding and involvement. The Foundation is a small organisation with a Board of Trustees composed of individuals from a wide cross-section of interests and professions - design and architecture, the arts, media, education and business.

Architecture affects everyone; it affects our mental well being and quality of life in profound ways. It is the most public of all arts. It has the power to improve the lives and transform the places where we live, learn, work and play. It touches all of us every day. Recognizing this important role of architecture to our lives, HAF’s programs will include initiatives that help improve the built environment through the collaboration of professionals, designers, leaders and local communities.

HAF proposes to present a stimulating program of talks, events, debates, exhibitions, competitions and other projects. It also strives to promote and encourage the best in contemporary and traditional architecture and bringing it to a wide public. In achieving its aims HAF is closely working with other national and international organizations that share similar concerns.

HAF aims to
• facilitate and foster the appreciation of art and architecture, both traditional and contemporary, local and global
• inspire, provoke and cultivate new ideas and provide platform for exchange of ideas
• foster a social culture of collaboration, participation and debate
• bring out the relationship between architecture and other forms of art such as music, dance, sculpture, photography and cinema.
Objectives
• Hold awareness campaigns for architecture students, children and general public
• Provide a platform to showcase the talent and views of young architects and recognize their achievements
• Organize exhibitions , lectures and film festivals