Building Livable Cities : a multi city investigation on ideas that can make Indian cities livable. See: www.theurbanvision.com/blc Dr. Jayashree V , Director, Care Earth: Conserving Natural ecologies as a critical element to sustainable urbanism

1. Chennai - ecological considerations for an evolving
mega-city
Care Earth
N Muthu Karthick, Utpal Smart and
Jayshree Vencatesan
www.careearthtrust.org

2. Planning Unit: Landscape
Planning perspective: Ecological history
Ecological Infrastructure
Focus: South Chennai

3. Adyar River and Estuary

4. Ecological relics: remnant habitats
• Nanmangalam Reserve Forest (Scrub Jungle)
• Pallikaranai Marsh (Wetland)

5. Representative Species
Fauna Flora
• Black Buck • Atalantia monophylla
• Fan throated-Lizard • Memecylon spp.
• Star Tortoise • Euphorbia antiquorum
• Common Babbler • Diospyros ferrea
• Grey Francolin • Capparis spp.
• White headed Bulbul • Randia spp.
• Crested Lark • Wrightia tinctoria

6. A synthesis of such data points to
• Representative species adapted to open, scrub habitat
• Little evidence of flora/fauna of dense, canopied forests
• Chennai Habitat Complex:

7. Constituent Habitats…
Adyar Estuary TNURDF/Adyar Poonga Trust
Theosophical Society Theosophical Society
Guindy National Park Protected Area Management
IIT- Madras Institution
Velachery lake Open / PWD
Pallikaranai Marsh Reserved Land / Chennai Corporation
Nanmangalam Reserve Forest Reserve Forest

8. •Species richness – absolute numbers
•Focus on certain organisms esp. birds
•Aesthetics – new construct
•Recreation
•Diversity of Habitats
•Representativeness
•Species richness and diversity
•RET
•New Records
•Ecosystem services

9. •Reconciling Conservation and Development Goals: a big no to
the disdain for science
•Economic zones interspersed with Ecological Zones: not just
wooded areas, but a protected range of habitats that are
facilitated to perform their natural functions, provide aesthetic,
recreational and learning opportunities
•New age – human centered technological solutions: for
addressing issues of waste management, sewage treatment and
availability of potable water
•Preventing man-made (natural) disasters: notably floods and
water stagnation
•Enhancing ecological and social standards – to facilitate
ambient living conditions: creating new livelihood opportunities