Aravind Gundavarapu’s Post

𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.Lost in my thoughts, I gaze at the maps spread out on the table. Lines and geometric shapes seem to whisper the tale of a thousand dreams and hopes. But deep within me, a melancholic tune plays. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫. In a land with a rich history of urban planning, we now face numerous challenges in this field. 𝟏: 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲. It's as if our cities have been emptied of their identity. An identity rooted in the culture, history, and nature of our land. We witness the construction of soulless structures devoid of harmony with the urban fabric, wounding the very spirit of the city. 𝟐: 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. In many urban planning designs, humans are overlooked as the primary element. The sole focus on technical and economic aspects has resulted in lifeless and inhumane spaces. 𝟑: 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. City planners have become like isolated beings in their ivory towers, oblivious to the needs and desires of the people. The lack of public participation in the planning and decision-making process leads to plans that are not aligned with the real needs of society. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧. I believe that urban planning can be the savior of our cities. I believe that the lost identity of our cities can be restored. I believe that cities can gift humans safe, beautiful, and dynamic spaces. I am hopeful for the future of urban planning in my land. I hope that one day we will witness cities where identity, humanity, and the people come first. I hope that one day we will see city planners who work with passion and enthusiasm to create beautiful and humane spaces. This is not just a story. This is the call of a city planner in search of his lost identity and a prosperous land. What do you think? What are the challenges of urban planning in your country? What are your solutions to overcome these challenges? 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝. #UrbanPlanning #Iran #CityIdentity #HumanCentered #PublicParticipation

I have just finished the book Cities and Development by Sean Fox and Jo Beall 📚 📚From this book I learned about various perspectives on the dynamic relationship between urbanism and development from a global perspective. 🏙 This book also contains many things such as the relationship between urbanization and development, the role cities play in fostering economic growth in a globalizing world, the complexities of managing urban environments, and the importance of urban planning, governance and politics in shaping city futures. ⁉️ At the end of the chapter in this book also contains many questions for us to think about and discuss together, for example in the last chapter discussing participatory budgeting and several best practices in Brazil, the author creates a guideline of questions to dig deeper into what we read and what we can do and explore more. Some critical points that I get from this book ❗️Sustainable development refers to intervensions that expand real freedoms while taking accpint of long-term environmental consequences and it cab be assessed both at local and global levels. ❗️Governance is a more general term that refers to the relationship between citizens and governments at different level; to ways in which decision that affect society are made and implemented. ❗️Improving essential urban services is incontrovertible, both for reasons of equity, to improve the health and capabilities of the urban poor, as well as to ensure the efficient functioning of cities and urban populations more generally. #UrbanDevelopment #Cities #UrbanPlanning #CityPlanning #Urban

I'm thrilled to announce that my article, "Book Review: The New Urban Crisis by Richard Florida," has been published on Urban Design Lab! 🎉 In this review, I delve into Florida's critical perspectives on urban inequality, economic shifts, and the challenges facing contemporary cities, sparking reflections on how we can create more inclusive urban futures. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/d2Yp4gEY #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanning #UrbanInequality #RichardFlorida #BookReview #CityPlanning #TheNewUrbanCrisis

In the ever-evolving landscape of #urban #development, the interplay between state and #market forces is reshaping the role of #urbanplanners. As cities #worldwide grapple with #rapid #population growth, #climate change, and #economic shifts, understanding the dynamics of #state-market relations is more crucial than ever. This article explores how #urbanplanning is being redefined, highlighting the importance of #historical context, political ideology, and #global #economic conditions. Check out the new Article at Urban Design Lab and share your views in the comments section: How Market Forces Are Transforming the Role of Urban Planners https://lnkd.in/driExdnq  

Interesting research on the nexus between urban planning and health.

Urban human needs: conceptual framework to promoting urban city fulfills human desires Frontiers https://lnkd.in/gBBrFBG6

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital for city environments, offering benefits like cleaner air and improved mental and physical health for residents. Our new study titled "Urban Green Space Assessment: Spatial Clustering Method Based on Multisource Data to Facilitate Zoning Planning" (https://lnkd.in/g9mwpeY6) introduces a new framework to better understand UGSs by considering accessibility, ecological function, quality, and quantity. This framework provides a comprehensive way to evaluate and improve urban green spaces, helping to ensure fair access for everyone.

We are delighted to share our new paper on liveability in large housing estates. Please find the full open access manuscript titled “Liveability in large housing estates in Germany – Identifying differences based on a novel concept for a walkable city” here: https://lnkd.in/ediqnv5k In this paper we present a globally applicable quantitative approach to assess liveability along the dimensions of walkability, accessibility and built-up morphology. We apply this approach to 41 large housing estates across Germany to understand their differences and similarities. This paper is part of our works on the topics 'Large housing estates', 'Walkability' and 'Quality of life'. For further reading on 'Large housing estates', we point to https://lnkd.in/ebjnZZ-9 ; https://lnkd.in/eQggti4C ; https://lnkd.in/e4kauazH For further reading on ‘Walkability’, we point to https://lnkd.in/eWs_CpHW and https://lnkd.in/e57AF6BH For further reading on 'Quality of life', we point to https://lnkd.in/eabZr6HT

Ken Greenberg is Canada's urbanist guru or...Dalai Lama...yeah that's it! Both Scott Higgins and have had the pleasure of working with Ken and we came away from that experience enlightened and inspired. So, it is really a very special honour to have The JOY Experiments be included in Ken's "best books that have helped me understand cities" list. There are some real heavy hitters on that very short list including Jane Jacobs. Thank you Ken. We are thrilled and very very grateful. Here is what Ken had to say about "The JOY Experiments": "Joy is a word that is not often used to describe cities, and it should be. I very much appreciate the fact that Paul Kalbfleisch and Scott Higgins have called attention to this illusive and ineffable quality that makes city living worthwhile and fulfilling. They have drawn inspiration from their project, the Gaslight District in Cambridge, Ontario, where they have raised the bar by transforming public spaces into places of joy, harnessing creativity, playfulness, and surprise to encourage social exchange and community cohesion. They inspire us to make these kinds of interventions part of the lexicon of city-making beyond just meeting functional requirements with real and tangible benefits in terms of health and satisfaction and even return on investment." #joyexperiments #urbanism #citybuilding #urbanplanning #urbandesign #architecture #realestatedevelopment