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THEME PAPER
restructuring can lead to rate of conversion shows that greenways along natural
travel reduction, economy of an additional 2 to 3 million water drainage corridors and
services and conservation of hectares would be required harvesting of rainwater in
agricultural areas. The Indian for human settlements balancing lakes and ponds
cities have an overall density during 2013–2031. Sacrificing can be a new frontier in
of 100 to 240 PPHa, which agricultural land for landscape development.
can be selectively doubled habitation implies reduction Such ponds, reservoirs and
along public transit corridors, of land for producing food for sediment traps are located
excluding the archaeological, the ever growing population. in the catchment zones on
heritage and conservation Thus agricultural lands low-lying ground, which are
zones. The focus has to be on need to be protected from developed for greenery. In
redevelopment of the brown the process of conversion. water deficient and dry areas,
fields, infrastructure services, Moreover, lands that sustain the landscape can be in form
transportation, public greens biodiversity, water quality of Xeriscaping, which can
and facilities. The urban eco- and groundwater recharge, reduce total water demand by
system must be compact and fragile areas, sensitive areas, as much as 50 per cent or 90%
dense. The cities and their coastal zones, etc. need by micro-irrigation. Vertical
planning, governance and protection and conservation. Garden and Urban Farming
businesses and industries have Land for development needs are particularly useful for
been transformed by fourth to be judiciously utilized for dense areas with shortage of
industrial revolution. These various uses according to the land, water and greenery.
have helped in developing inherent sustainability and its
the circular economy and suitability for the particular Urban Heat Island
new technologies, such as land use.
combinatorial and discrete In a city, about 10sq.m of In a dense urban area, air
optimisation, algorithms, green area per capita should rises over the warmer city
complexity theory, artificial be reserved as open space. A centre and settles over cooler
intelligence, big data, and system of landscaped linkages environs so that a circulatory
the ubiquitous cloud. The connecting various parts of system develops. The hot air
new economic development the city, water bodies and dome and its effect on city
models and green urban important monuments should climate may persist until wind
development strategies are be planned. These should or rain disperses it. Increased
essential for clean, intelligent provide a sense of oasis aerodynamics of built-up
and emissions free urbanism. and shelter from oppressive areas cause rapid deceleration
of wind compared with open
Biodiversity and Greenery climate. Peripheral green countryside. It has been
belts can be utilised as wind
A study of the present land breakers, filters of SPM calculated that wind velocity
use pattern in India indicates within a built-up city is half of
shortfall of land under and dust-storms and as what it is over open land. At
transition zones. The green
forests and greens. Land buffer with indigenous trees, the town edge, it is reduced
under agricultural use are land formations, mounds, by a third. The mutations
being increasingly getting embankments, etc. also and reservation of greenery
converted and annexed provide effective barriers to and open space in windward
for uses like expansion of direction and cooler surface
highways, airports and transmission of noise. materials (roads, parking,
settlements for habitation. The The development of buildings, roofs, etc.) help in
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