SESSION 5B - ‘Reimagining Gated Communities’- Sustainable Mobility in Private Housing Developments

1. Reimagining Gated Communities: Challenges and
opportunities in incorporating sustainable mobility
principles in private development projects
Sudeept Maiti, Associate, Urban Development and
Accessibility, EMBARQ India

2. Townships and gated communities are increasingly the urban
imagination of residential development of the city.
The promise of a better quality of life is
being defined as
• the one where mobility is dependent
on cars.
• safety is realized through complete
segregation.
• spaces are more designed for cars
than people.
2

3. 2

4. Can we reimagine these developments as
opportunities?
• Create a better quality of life for the
people ?
• Security is realized through
community ownership and
participation?
• Create more people-oriented
spaces?
3

5. Can we reimagine to create …
Connected communities?
4

6. Situation today: Disconnected from within!
Too many enclaves?
Source:www.andertoons.com
5

7. Reimagine: Connected communities?
Connected spaces to create a
connected neighborhood?
6

8. The segregated ‘enclave’
planning
The hierarchical
vehicular network
Reimagine: A network
for pedestrians
Reimagine: Connected communities?
7

9. Can a compromise between security and mobility be achieved?
Reimagine: Connected communities?
8

10. Cycles: an alternative ?
Reimagine: Connected communities?
9

11. Can we reimagine to create …
More spaces designed for
people?
10

12. Situations like these make walking a tough choice !
Situation Today: A need for prioritization of people!
11

13. Need for more space!
Situation Today: A need for prioritization of people!
12

14. Maybe a little less
for cars and lot
more for people!
Situation Today: A need for prioritization of people!
13

15. Getting the walkway design right!
Source:www.mto.gov.on.ca
Reimagine: prioritizing people
14

16. Maybe Ill be more comfortable taking the car!People first!
Reimagine: prioritizing people through links

17. Create opportunities for social and economic interaction
Reimagine: prioritizing people by node creation
Converting leftover spaces as sit-outsConverting pickup points as people
spaces
15

18. A safe place for everyone
Reimagine: prioritizing people through junction design
16

19. Can we reimagine to create …
Safety, through community
involvement?
17

20. Is complete segregation the answer?
Today: Safety through segregation?
Source:www.seos-projecteu .com
18

21. Safety through segregation?
Reimagine: Safety through live edges?
Wouldn’t you feel safer here?
19

22. Opportunity to create
better
neighborhoods?
Reimagine: A place to celebrate?
Artwork display Street furniture AmenitiesShading
20

23. How do we do it?
• Technical aspects
• Finance
• Value addition and
marketability
21

24. How do we do it?
• Capacity building amongst
architects and planners for
sustainable mobility
• Creating publications and
manuals as a resource.
• Create information resource
for developers
Technical aspects:
22

25. How do we do it?
Finance: managing parking demand?
Car ratio
1.25
Paved area
55000sqm
Car ratio
1.00
Paved area
6% reduction
Rs 55 lakh
Saved in construction
Rs 18 lakh
Yearly maintenance
23

26. How do we do it?
• Safety
Safe spaces, for children
women and elderly
• Health
Healthier environments
• Better quality of life
Value addition and
marketability:
Effect of quality of life elements on competitive
grading of projects by real estate analysts
Elements that
effect the quality
of life effect the
value of project by
30to 45%
Source: Product Viability study, Liasis Foras
24

27. What are the
Barriers and enablers?
25

28. Barriers and enablers
Barriers Enablers/ Recommendations
1. Goal setting and aligning policies across and within levels of government
Policies
Lack of infrastructure provision
Inter-agency miscommunication
Lack of information amongst
government agencies and
officials
Absence of sustainable mobility
principles as planning mandates
in state township policies, state
housing policies or national and
state level transportation or
climate change policies
Advocacy and awareness
Multi-stakeholder convening.
Influence State Township planning policies
guidelines:
for Greenfield developments
for Brownfield developments and
redevelopment projects within old or
inner city boundaries
In the long term, need for a new
institutional set up
26

29. Barriers and enablers
2. Enabling policies and incentives for LCR investment
Regulations
Retrofitting housing
development is more difficult
than planning upfront
Building bye-laws
Design progressive regulations that would
mandate the use of certain design elements
and sustainable mobility standards
Progressive regulations can help redirect
costs from auto-mobility and parking towards
promoting alternate technologies for internal
mobility such as electric shuttles, bicycle
sharing systems, and other para-transit
facilities
3. Financial policies and instruments
Finance
Lack of incentives
Lack of financial instruments
Market value creation - Incentivize
Use financial incentives to add market value
and create demand
Providing incentives to private developers to
integrate sustainable mobility principles while
planning new residential townships
27

30. Barriers and enablers
Barriers Enablers/ Recommendations
4. Harness resources and building capacity for an LCR economy
Information
Lack of information for
developer to plan for
sustainable mobility
Advocacy and awareness/ Building information
systems
Developers, real-estate professionals, town
planners, and architects—need to be made
aware of the principles and benefits of
sustainable mobility to plan for it.
Adequate information would inform
developers to locate developments close to
public transit nodes
Developing relevant measurable indicators
would help in impact assessments to
communicate to policy makers and
therefore incentivize these developments
Developing a rating system that could add
value to the property and increase
awareness regarding sustainable mobility
principles
28

31. Barriers and enablers
5. Promote green business conduct and consumer behaviour
Information
Lack of information for potential
consumers and settlers
Advocacy and awareness/ Building information
systems
Instruments such trip-rate analysis and trip-
calculators would help consumers identify
the benefits of such developments
Cost-benefit analyses and impact
measurements for the individual fuel savings
29

32. Reimagine to create …
For what we really want.
30

33. What do we want?- your feedback
• Safe access
• Great walkways/pedestrian paths as a priority
• Be connected to everywhere and everyone
• Places to sit, hang around stroll without having to pay !
• More green spaces, less pollution, less commuting time.
• A bus stop with safe crossing!
• Active and safe public spaces
• Give space back to people and only public transport options
• Shaded spaces, better spaces.
31

34. Then why build for cars?
Source:www.falconevcom
32