As a conscious citizen when I think what Kathmandu will be after twenty years, I get the jitters,”said architect Debesh Raj Bhattarai. He pointed out that cityscape is changing at such a pace which was not possible a decade back. The extent of greenery the city has lost, its power requirements, lack of supporting infrastructure, the intense heat influx in summer time, pollution and garbage are some of the visible results. With so many projects of huge investment on the anvil the cityscape is bound to change.

Too much investment is pouring into real estate. The skyline predominantly populated and ruled by heritage for centuries shall be suddenly transformed into a series of mirages in different areas with their own skylines. The commercial hubs of city shall be reinvented in different areas. Sporadic emergences of mini markets have already created too many bottlenecks. Narrow roads and the deluge of pedestrians is a challenge for drivers to sneak through.

The mismatch in investment vis a vis poor infrastructure of road, water supply, energy demand has become so alarming that capital will meet its doom sooner than imagined. Fancy superstructures sitting over poor infrastructure with almost 18 hour of load shedding, narrow roads, inefficient transport system, inadequate drainage, sewage and filth-filled rivers and the stench-laden surroundings may become the hallmark of the metropolis.

The scale of challenge before planners and the government is daunting, even at this stage. The staggering rate of new developments filling the city has its root on the poorly prepared byelaws. There is no clear destination of activities prescribed for different kind of buildings and the demarcation and zoning of land segments for specific purposes has not materialized. The ironic part of the byelaws is that shops and residence are blended, with the houses on either side of roads always filled with shutters for business, as if they are economic indicators. The lack of zoning is the cause of multifold increase in land value. Green paddy fields in  the suburbs giving way to new housing settlements and bigger buildings with virtually no physical infrastructure.

The urban development polices at present stresses on mixed used planning. The planning permits issued to most buildings on major road sections fall into mixed residential and commercial type. Most of the time the intention of the builders is to gain as much as construction, as the intended use never permits residences with the prevailing cost per square of land. The harmonious settlements as prescribed by the early city dwellers of core areas are packed either with godowns or commercial and office establishments. The real residents of the core have already moved out in most cases considering the economic benefits.

The transition of urban space into commercial setup though slow has a very negative impact on the settlements. Earlier a bird’s eye view would have shown clusters of temples with never ending stretches of green areas. Now, the panorama is replaced by an image which is almost devoid of greenery.

By:
Debesh Raj Bhattarai, Architect