Designing a Home!

If we create from the heart nearly everything works; if from head then almost nothing...Anon.

Every time while working on planning of a new complex or building rather home is proper term,  I always wonder to what I should give priority? Is it the Club House or Party lawns or swimming pool or Entrance lobbies which make a complex more salable or valuable or a simple strait user friendly planning of the home they will be buying? What people look in the home they are buying is very complex question! It is as difficult as understanding a woman's mind, which even God's can’t do!

Joke apart you open any news paper & see the advertise of any housing complex, the race is on to give as many amenities like I mentioned above & many more & innovative too like Yoga Room etc! Good for the customer sure but with due respect to all those who advertise such amenities & which too is important in marketing our product, somewhere the main focus is getting shifted from the home to other factors is what I feel! As at the end of the day a person is going to settle down in his four rooms which he call home & not in any such facility of the complex & we need to understand this very fact. A real comfort giving home is the one which makes you feel so, as comfort is something like winter one has to feel & not to be said in words or explain! Yet we can work out the way to have that feeling & that's where the planning of the home comes in picture. One have to understand use of every room of the home & its relation with other rooms as the combine effect is what makes the home good or bad.

Here is where importance of planning the home comes in picture. Each room should serve its purpose to fullest for example a bed room, it should not be too large or too small but it should accommodate the bed of proper size & moving space around the same. Whether to fit in sitting or other utilities comes later & depending up on the class of clientele you are looking for but majority of the people wants bare minimum this much & yes proper natural light & ventilation which is a must in which ever room you move in the home. A little privacy also is a must as we moved from wada's to apartments & obviously we have changed the culture of the community living in a way, so are our needs from the home in which we live in! Our residences are reflection of our culture, as see the old city where togetherness was of prime importance & that's why right from entrance to washing places to the chowks in the central part of wada or chawl, every space is mostly for common use! The days have changed & so as our expectations from the home &  it has to get reflected while planning the present homes. Many a times we advertise terrace flats & mostly all the present flats have a small attached terrace to bedroom or living. It’s a must as some open space adjoining to home from where you can watch your piece of sky is necessary to relax you. But does we see the utility of the same i.e. does it got some privacy or else you are standing in your terrace with cup of tea in morning & entire complex can have a look at you! Can you enjoy such scene? certainly I won’t & here is where planners skill comes in picture as to look for the smallest details like this & placing the orientation of terrace such that it will have some privacy for which it’s use is expected.

Relation of the rooms within the home is another such aspect. Each room has got its privacy as well its easily accessible to other rooms; it’s a tricky situation & there lays the real challenge of planning. As with constantly increasing prices every square inch of the flat is important as someone has to pay his/her fortune for that space & keeping this fact in mind we have to design the hone so we can give value for every single rupee of the buyer spending for the home!  Here an important thing is there is a strong need to educate or make aware the customer about this aspect of home. And for that we as developer have to acknowledge that what we are building the structure which is going to become a home for many! It’s not the amenities or the specifications around which a home is being panned but it’s around the home all the amenities are being created. As a buyer also one should understand that why he/she is looking in the home they are buying, is it amenities or the pure home within which you will be spending most of your time & all this at what cost! The soul of the project should be the home & its internal planning keeping in mind use by the end user & not just the surroundings or the specifications of the home!


Lastly the home should be big enough to accommodate your all needs at the same time it should be small enough for you to maintain as well use it to fullest! And for that as the quote said one should plan it from the heart & not just by head. As this is one product where sentiments are going to be preserved for generations to come & they only can be understood by the heart & acted up on by the brain! That's the job of the developer!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157628805700569/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Development Plan ie DP & Challenges of Future!

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough...Albert Einstein.

This quote is key of the planning especially when we draft development plan of a city like Pune! So fast the days pass & even we have planned for 20 years we never know how the time has tickled down & again its time for new plan! Such must be the feelings with planning team at most of the urban metros & Pune isn’t exception for the same! The new DP i.e. Development Plan has been tabled & is under discussion in the City Improvement Committee. Like a box of Pandora each day we keep on hearing something about it but let’s look at some of the key issues in DP.

Pune being a conglomerate of old i.e. historic as well new development, it’s always a challenge for any planner to balance the both segments  of the city! It is interesting to see how our planners have taken the challenge especially when city needs more space for housing as well other supporting needs for the same. The old wads of Pune has always been pride of the city yet because of the type of construction i.e. clay & wood as basic ingredient over the years many wadas are in structurally critical state & with more number of tenements its impossible to redevelop the same. The new DP has given a special thought for the cause & increased FSI has been given to accommodate the existing occupants as well the new residents in such development. Redevelopment of the old city is very important factor in the growth of our city as unless the old structures don’t come for redevelopment road widening in the central part of the city is impossible increasing the traffic problems & this issue seems to have given importance this time in making DP. Similarly diminishing biodiversity in old city is also an area of concern. This also can be balanced by creating more space in new development as the new structures will have to follow new norm like side margins & open spaces giving more space for plantation which too is a need of time. The old city needs to retain its charm no two minds about it but at the same time it has to change as per the needs of time & for that lots of out of the box thinking is a must.
This DP has sure done some out of the box thinking as for the first time a thought has been given to old establishments in A zone area which is not gaothan. Here for many those who don’t understand the concept right from British raj a city or town has been divided in gaothan & outer area i.e. congested part of town like in our case Peth areas where FSI is 2 & even more. But there are many areas in old city which are not part of gaothan so the fsi has been restricted to 1 only & as these structures are also old needs to be redeveloped. But because of fsi restriction it wasn’t possible now they can avail TDR & redevelopment is possible here too. As earlier TDR was allowed to utilize in B, C & D zones of the city only & now it has been allowed A zone also. Most important factor here is the process as well making TDR available at faster rate as for now unfortunately the process of getting TDR which is a problem, making it impossible for common man to have it! The DP should have some solution for the same.

Similarly will like to see the DP from the eyes of so many citizens who cant buy a home in this city because of ever increasing rate & for that scarcity of the space is the main reason. We need to build more homes which will be dear to the pockets of the common man & in short time, for millions who are constantly migrating in this city & the city needs their services. And for this we need policies which will make it possible as well making the space available for such homes. And the DP is the main source for such planning which is need of not only future but present too!

Another important aspect is for the first time the planning authority has taken in to consideration problems of accommodation for the students or individual accommodation. The city is now educational hub not only country wise but globally & thousands of students come here each year for education. They all need accommodation & at affordable cost! And with the new DP announcing additional FSI for the establishments where hostels will be developed in 200 meter distance fro the educational institutes, more accommodations will be available for the students. Only thing is one should get such open lands near vicinity of educational institute, what I feel is there should not be such distance limit considering the need of the single room accommodation. At the same time we can think of giving such additional FSI to the institutes itself so as encouraging them to build the hostels. Because being an education hub doesn’t mean just to have educational institutes but to have a proper infrastructure for the same.

All the time we keep seeing many of the roads getting dug up even when they have just newly done. The scene is common though my statement will hurt to some but its outcome of poor planning is a fact. And the DP is supposed to avoid such incidences. Here a common man will ask what’s DP’s role in it? Well a well planned DP with deciding all services at one go & execution accordingly will certainly avoid such needs of digging the roads repeatedly.

Another important aspect is conservation of biodiversity in & around the city. With increasing building as well developments around the natural habitats of the birds as well other species are reducing fast & it’s high time the city should have proper places for species other than just human beings. And what better that a properly planned city can have which will balance the living of all species together!

Last but least it will be interesting to see about the provisions for public transport & ambitious projects like Metro as it’s very nice & good to announce such projects, important is to lay a plan to execute the same! And here there will be test of DP making team to make these dreams come true. I am no expert on planning yet what a common man's feel is, it's necessary to know & study the reasons why the previous DP's implementation wasn’t up to mark in the time span for which it has been made. And accordingly take in account those mistakes while presenting this DP!

There are many dimensions to the DP & time & again we will be discussing more about the same but let’s remember DP isn’t job of some single department of PMC but as a citizen we all become part of it & we should understand our responsibility towards the same & execute it, then only it will be a real thing & not just a futuristic planning!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157628805700569/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Uniquely Singapore!

My main mission when I became Prime Minister, was to keep Singapore going and Singapore has been kept going. So, I'm happy with what I've done for Singapore..  Goh Chok Chnag.

These are the words I remember during my latest I visit the unique city Singapore! I have already wrote about few of the aspects of the city but every time I visit it I found something new the city has adopted & it don't stop amazing me with what it has adopted! Whenever name of Singapore is mentioned it is mostly in reference with tourism, a great holiday destination for fun, food & shopping but beyond that there is much to see & learn. Like when ever we mention forest it's for seeing the Tiger but we forget Tiger is just a link may be central one in entire chain of biodiversity! Similarly shopping is just one aspect the city has to offer to its residents & visitors amongst the multiple other aspects of living. Shopping is just one of them but because the other aspects are so well balanced we can enjoy the shopping experience in more better way!

Every time on each front there is a change may it be Garbage collection to parking systems or MRT i.e. Metro Rail or SBS ie  Singapore Bus service like the Environmental science is daily evolving the urge of Singapore rulers for making the city better keeps on evolving & so it gets reflected in every aspect of city living. Here I will like to share some of my experiences with you which we will speak in detail later. Scene one : You land on airport & there is a display of Singapore guides in 4 different languages giving detailed information about do's & don't's in city as well places to visit with detailed maps of Public transport including tariffs!  And these all brochures are free of cost! Scenene two : You are moving in heavy traffic of Singapore at peak work hours & yet you don't find any traffic cop on streets to control the traffic & yet no traffic jams of honking of horns are there! Scene three: A Garbage collecting truck crosses your vehicle & the driver is with smiling face & you don't even notice the stingy smell of Garbage truck! Scene four: December  is rainy season here & it rains heavily every day usually late noon. And you don't see water getting clogged any where on road & all roads are clear of water immediately after the rains get stopped!
Scene five: At MRT station your money you put in ticketing machine but you don't get ticket issued, you tell this to the clerk near by at customer service center & smiling she apologizes & give you another ticket without even asking that whether you have put the money in the machine! Scene six: At taxi stand when your number comes for taxi & the taxi driver isn't going in the direction which you want to go he apologizes & leave without taking any traveller ie empty & let the taxi behind him takes you & this continues til you get the taxi to your destination!

So many such scenes are happening in the city at various public places & here lies the success of Singapore as a city & its uniqueness! Many a times while moving through the city & looking around I wonder whether the city has planned & developed at one single time, such is the monolithic development there! Nothing seems out of proportion or getting detached from surrounding & that's the success of the proper planning which is missing from our cities! As to plan is first step & to execute what you have planned is second! They do have the problems just any other developing urban metros are having like population, vehicles, garbage, concretisation causing lesser area available for greenery but important is the way they have balanced all these issues & making policies for the same & adopt them!

Like they have now started keeping four types of Garbage bins at all public places for collecting the garbage in segregated forms & look at the way they are doing it so beautifully! I couldn't stop remembering our garbage bins overflowing with all kind of waste getting dumped in mix form & to segregate the waste in itself is a major job for the public body. Innovation is the key & same thing has been kept in mind even while collecting the garbage. Our containers just stinks & for interest look out for the faces of drivers of our garbage trucks as well the labors working on it, they are grim & never smiling. And you can understand it because of the conditions they have to work in. But reverse was the case here, I could see the smiling face of the garbage truck driver in Singapore as the way capping has been done to the garbage that there was no foul smell in which he has to drive the vehicle!

With all due respect to the best public transport system which includes perfect combination of Metro rail & Bus service yet the number of private vehicles has been increased alarmingly even in Singapore. Yet you don't see a single traffic police on road as each street & chowk is covered by camera surveillance! And do mind fines are heavy! There are parking places created in every new commercial buildings & whats best is the information of parking lots available in adjoining buildings is displayed in every square via digital billboards,making it easier for commuters to find the parking lots without making them wait along the roads & causing traffic jams! 

Making the public transport system better & better seems to be the main goal of the city & in that zest they are innovating like anything! Bus stop at Singapore is a subject of study in itself, every time they keep on modifying the same for the better convenience of commuters. All the bus routes, destinations,timings of buses & fare to each destination is displayed on every bus stop. Not to forget the cleanliness maintained as well the sitting arrangements & commercial aspect for using the billboards for advertising! In Metro ie rail system the signage is such that even a new comer to city can find his destination with minimum guidance. Not only there is a display of stations in each boogie but on which side door will be opening that also is displayed at each station making it easier for the commuters to decent from the train. Reserved seats for elderly people, pregnant women & physically handicap persons are specially made & mentioned in each boogie & they are located near the door for their easy use. Surveillance cameras are at every entrance of the station as well on platforms & they are monitored round the clock. At the same time we have to respect the civic sense of the people as when there is red light & green for pedestrians not as single vehicle crosses over by an inch on the the zebra crossing! Imagine a signle without a policeman in our city & you will know importance of such civic sense!

Reducing greenery with the urbanization is a big threat to biodiversity & hats of,what an effort of making people aware about wild life conservation as well biodiversity! There are centers like Jurong Bird Park where they have merged the same with entertainment & commercialized the concept,making tourists enjoy the entire learning as well seeing all those exotic species who needs attention or else they will extinct soon! At all major cities we should adopt the concept, we have some but the awareness part through various shows they conduct at Jurong Bird park making visitors & birds get together!As such developments only will make common people get exposed to rare species of animals & make them realize what they will be missing if such species get extinct! Will be posting more snaps. each tree is aligned with the big trees on both sides & exotic flower beds aligned all along the road segregating main roads & foot path as well cycle tracks. This scene is common all over the city & even bridges have been landscaped by nice crippers like bougainvillea covering the concrete parts.There are cycle tracks & you can actually drive cycles over them unobstructed!

Terrace farming is anew thing in there. Most of the multi storied buildings terraces have been used for farming & Air conditioning plants recycled water is used for the same. This has been a big solution for reducing land for farming the vegetables which is the main need of the population of the city.

Not stopping at just infrastructural things the govt does take the cognizance of controlling property rates too by making policies so. As the goal is all the needy ones should get the houses in affordable prices & for that they have Housing Development Bord who builds nearly 60% houses in the city & makes them available to the residents in lowest possible pricing.

All in all the experience makes you know why the city has risen to such a popular destination for every body & you cant stop loving it more & more with each passing day you spend in there. But we should not forget its not been achieved in a single day but years of meticulous planning & efforts put in executing the planning which has made it possible. So bringing back just few momentos & shopping items can't be a tribute to the city & its makers , if at all we can bring back from there then we should bring back the attitude of every Singaporean towards his city & try to cultivate here in our town then only our visit to the great city has really paid off!




--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com