BACK TO THE FUTURE

  In the olden times when population was minuscule, one person used to be extremely popular in every village or for that matter every settlement during the time. He was the medic with whom everyone consulted their health problems. As time passed by legal systems came into existence. There came another popular figure with whom people started to engage. This was the legal representative for communities. Moving further ahead, government implied policies and taxes. Anyone who earned money had to pay taxes. The citizens started discussing tax benefits with a person who knew his numbers and used to keep books. As people progressed in life they were getting health conscious. They started receiving health tips from knowledgeable nutritionists and gym trainers followed suit.

  All the important people mentioned above are today called the doctors, lawyers, accountants, dieticians and fitness trainers. In today’s world people who live in urban settlements have their own family doctors, know accountants from whom they seek their income tax advice, some unfortunate people who face legal issues know their lawyers. Families hire nutritionist whom they either know or are referenced by someone close to the family. Same goes for fitness trainers. Most families have Sunday luncheons at a restaurant they have been visiting for years. It becomes their family restaurant. The list could go on with the number of professionals associated with one family. There is a certain trust and comfort level built over the years with these people from different professions. Though people associate with these professionals mostly occurs during crunch hour.

  Generations have gone by and there is one profession we have easily ignored to associate with; farming & FARMERS. Back in the day majority of the communities were closely knit and knew where the produce was coming from. Today in an urbanized world most of the population doesn’t know where their produce is grown. We don’t know who are our farmers. They are the ones we should be associated with. Crunch time or no crunch time we need them every day. Every family needs a farmer.

  One would argue with why should someone know their farmer. And the answer to that is you should know how your produce is grown. At the end of the day you are consuming it. Also, one of the biggest reasons is that farming and agriculture are a back bone to many economies in the world. U.S president Obama in conjunction with U.S department of Agriculture has started a campaign called “Know your farmer, know your food” (KYF2). There is an abundance of information on the net about why you should know your farmers.

As much as we would like to know our farmers, it is difficult to know them since we are soaked with other issues in life. This post is to give an insight to everyone in my small way on why we should be our own farmers.

  As mentioned earlier there should be a certain level of trust with everyone to conduct our business. One could trust himself more than anyone else when one can grow his own produce and for own consumption. Growing your own produce in your own backyard is called urban farming. Now, urban farming is not an alien phenomenon. It has been a topic of discussion for years and many people are engaging with the activity. Why urban farming is important?

Source: https://prezi.com/fhtbjn1qeowi/urban-farming/

  You grow your own produce; produce of your own choice. One can change the produce as per season as per own likeability. Reduce the embodied energy attached to bringing food from farm to your home. Conserving resources in process. You reduce urban heat island effect. Add greenery to the cities and prevent harmful run offs. Of course while engaging in urban farming one should always use organic methods to keep it environmentally sustainable.

  One of the main reasons one should start urban farming is the rapid urbanisation. The statisticians are predicting that by 2050 two – thirds of the population is going to live in the cities. According to the UN, the urban population by 2045 is going to reach 6 billion and rural population will be 3.1 billion in 2050 reducing from 3.4 billion in 2014. Now, farming is traditionally a rural profession and might remain so to feed a staggering number of 10 billion people. If we have influx of people coming to the city and the rural population declining, who is going to farm our lands in the future? Post 2050 the rural population is only going to decline.  With the advancement in technology we might have robotic farming. But the future is blur in those terms.

  I can only propose to engage in urban farming. Get back to barter system. Trade different fruits and vegetable with friends and neighbours in the community just like old times. This is one of the safest sustainable urbanism activities for the future.

References:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_MISSION

Howard, B. C. (n.d.). Urban Farming Is Growing a Green Future. Retrieved from National Geography: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com.au/environment/photos/urban-farming/#/earth-day-urban-farming-new-york-rooftop_51631_600x450.jpg

The United Nations. (2014, July 10). World’s population increasingly urban with more than half living in urban areas. Retrieved from The United Nations Web site: http://www.un.org/

IT MATTERS

The poets' scrolls will outlive the monuments of stone. 

Genius survives; all else is claimed by death.

- Edmund Spenser 

( English poet, sixteenth century)

 Monuments are either sculptures or structures that commemorate a notable person or an event in history. Most of these are a spectacle to visit. They preserve pride & glory of a region. These heritage monuments keep the past alive in flesh through inorganic materials. They give an identity to the region they belong to and demonstrate its culture. They were built with a vision to last generations and remain till the end of time. Some of these monuments have been facing serious environmental threats. Since a very long time, everybody is aware that these environmental threats are a by product of industrial revolution.

 It can be dated back to the 19th century when English scientist Robert Angus Smith wrote about environmental effects on plants and buildings because of rapid industrialisation. The fossil fuel emissions contain sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. They combine with moisture in the air to form acidic precipitation. It was claimed that acid rains can have only indirect effects on human beings. The rains primarily react with volatile organic compounds to form ground level ozone (smog). This causes remarkable damage to soil fertility, aquatic ecosystem and durable natural building materials such as stone and metals. When acid rains drop on historical monuments of sandstone, marble or any inorganic material; a chemical reaction takes place. This chemical reaction causes corrosion to the structure and dissolves the material, leading to permanent damages.

 

Hadrian's Arch at the Acropolis: marble blackened

Leshan Buddha:sandstone blackened

Longmen Grottoes: collapse of niches

Taj Mahal : degradation of façade 

The news of damages to the monuments have been doing the rounds in media for the past several years. Majority of the monuments which are severely hit by the acids rains are in Asia. In the four images above, three monuments are Asian. There is a reason behind such fatalities to the historical buildings in developing countries. Increased industrialisation with no stringent pollution controls have led to the changes in the environment. Though this is not restricted to only Asian countries. The clouds of acid rains per se know no boundaries. The Acropolis or more famously known as the Parthenon has been bearing the brunt of acid rains and pollution. The stone is blackening and corroding by the day. Similarly, Dampier Rock Art Complex in Australia is facing environmental challenges.

Government and agencies are doing very little to preserve the pieces of history. Indian government has restricted the use of cars run on fossil fuels within a dedicated radius of Taj Mahal. Tourists have to take an electric bus to visit the Taj. Acropolis Restoration Services are using high-tech lasers to clean the marbles of the Parthenon. Though these steps are in the right direction, they are not going to resolve the bigger issue of pollution which causes climate change. Governments across all countries are striving for a better climatic conditions for future generations.  

Climate change is beyond the control of an individual. Though one can try to reduce carbon foot print for the sake of history and in turn hope that the historical monuments live through time. Hope as we go forward we do not let down the future generations and make them devoid of our history.

This post was to highlight how we are stepping into the future while punishing our history. Being an architect, I feel socially and ethically responsible towards the society, history of buildings, history of architecture. And that is why  IT MATTERS. 

References:

Text

Mink, J. (2009, January 9). 5 Sites at High Risk from the Hazards Associated with Acid Rain and Similar Industrial Pollutants. Retrieved from www.cyark.org: http://www.cyark.org/news/top-5-endangered-heritage-sites-acid-rain

REPORTER, D. M. (2008, October 17). Laser treatment used to protect Acropolis from pollution. Retrieved from www.dailymail.co.uk: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1078502/Laser-treatment-used-protect-Acropolis-pollution.html

Rao, A. (2015, April 20). It’s not just the Taj Mahal—pollution is ruining many other iconic monuments in India. Retrieved from qz.com: http://qz.com/386759/its-not-just-the-taj-mahal-pollution-is-ruining-many-other-iconic-monuments-in-india/

Edmund Spencer Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/monuments.html 

Images

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g297683-d317329-i91889414-Taj_Mahal-Agra_Uttar_Pradesh.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha#/media/File:Leshan_Buddha_Statue_View.JPG

http://www.webofentertainment.com/2014/12/longmen-grottoes-china.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hadrian_Arch_and_Acropolis_Athens_17-03-05_01.jpg

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

" There is enough food for everyone but not everyone has enough food "

- ' Enough Food for Everyone If ' campaign

VULTURE STALKING A CHILD

sourse: https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/

 We are all aware of the above appalling photo from 1993 famines of Sudan.How far have we come in these last 2 decades? Hunger still remains one of the major causes of death in the world. The Lancet, an internationally renowned journal published a paper stating that more than 3 million children died of malnutrition in year 2011.* Following are some interesting facts that I want to bring attention to: 

• Every 10 seconds a child dies of hunger. 
• One out of six children in developing countries is underweight. i.e. approximately 100 million children.
• 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world with 23 million in Africa alone. World Food Programme calculates that US$ 3.2 billion is required to reach these school children.
• One in nine people do not get enough food to lead an active life. i.e. approximately 800 million people in the world.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa one person in four is undernourished. 
• If women farmers had similar access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million. 

Above facts are gathered from various publications and articles by NGOs between 2011 to 2015.**

In 2016,the challenge is not shortage of food but to

 make it consistently available to the people who need it.  

  To put things in perspective in a developed country like Australia, 20% of food purchased is thrown away. An average Australian household bin consists of up to 40% of food wastage. This amounts to roughly AU$ 8 billion wastage of food annually in Australia. Out of these AU$ 8 billion, 2.67 billion is from fresh food & 2.18 from left over food and other type of waste. About AU$ 4.85 billion annual wastage just from fresh food and leftovers is a staggering number!

 This is not just loss of revenue but has environmental repercussions as well. Australia wastes 4,000,000 tonnes of food each year. This results to filling 450,000 garbage trucks. The amount of landfill that needs to be done is unspeakable. We all are aware of the environmental effects of landfills. Throwing away food also means wastage of resources like water and fuel required to get food from the farms to the plate. 

 There are developing countries like India and China which produce plenty of food wastage as well. In this post, I want to focus on Australia  as it is considered a developed country that can utilise its resources well and tackle the gravity of the situation. AU$ 4.85 billion mentioned earlier can be put towards the right cause by educating the people about the impact of food wastage and the need to protect the environment by reducing wastage.  

 After my research online, I stumbled upon articles. In some of my research, I came across articles which stated that restaurants have started charging customers for leaving food on plates. This is especially in restaurants, which offer buffets. There have been instances when food is prepared for large number of people and bulk of it goes to waste. Also a lot of restaurants throw away their food at the end of the day. A NGO called 'Robin Hood Army' in India has been working towards collecting left over food from such restaurants and big gatherings. The left over food is then distributed to the needy. In my personal experience too I have seen colleagues, friends, my ex - restaurant employer throwing away food. My humble request to them has always been to re-use, redistribute to the ones who need it. 

" Food redistribution is one of the best win-win solutions for avoiding food wastage. Food companies can often save money by donating food rather than paying the £80 or so per tonne in landfill tax and disposal costs."  - Trsitam Stuart ( UK based food waste campaigner)

I strongly believe, though the money one spends on food is their own but the resources belong to the society. If everyone does their bit in their day-to-day life, we can create a revolution and make the world a better place to live in. If the resources are put to the right use, we will be able to avoid the unforeseen doomsday. The idea is twofold, provide food for the needy and protect the environment by protecting and judiciously spending the resources. 

References:
* http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22935692 

**https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats
Source for Australian stats : http://www.lunchalot.com/foodwaste.php

JUSTICE FOR AN IDEAL CITY A REALITY?

" I will leave the city more beautiful than I entered it. " 

- Ephebic Oath

Lord Richard Roger : Architecture & The Compact City at UNSW

In this post I am going to summarise the ideologies of a compact city by Richard Rogers which he discusses in his presentation for the first twenty minutes. Later, I will compare these ideologies with the actual ground work done by Indian architect Charles Correa behind planning and building a new city called Navi Mumbai. The focus is to discourse between an idea and reality of a city. 

An ecologically friendly home in the country side is not sustainable compared to any regular home in a city. One needs to drive to the country side which amounts to almost a third of the total CO2 emissions in the world. Also infrastructure like schools,banks etc. need to be locally available in order to sustain in the country side. Hence, a high energy rated house outside a city is not environmentally sustainable. But can this model be turned on its head through thorough planning and government involvement? 

According to Rogers in 2010, an ideal city is..

• Compact & Poly-centric        -  uses derelict land first
• Well connected                    -  encouraging walking and public transport 
• Multifunctional                     -  live,work,leisure
• Socially Inclusive                  -  for both; the rich and the poor
• Supportive of good design
• Environmentally responsible 
• Just

It is believed that 80% of the world population is going to live in cities by 2050. Keeping that thought in mind the state  Government of Maharashtra in association with Charles Correa, envisioned a city outside Mumbai in the 1970s to have a planned and orderly growth of Indian city due to population boom. To sustain the future, 'Navi Mumbai' came into being. The design and planning was all based on the above mentioned concept of Rogers' except for  'JUST'. 

Initial notion was to decongest Mumbai of growing population and move key government offices to Navi Mumbai. Unfortunately, the city of Navi Mumbai took  over 3 decades to populate and to reach a stable socio-economic platform. The government took a back turn and didn't move the financial hub to Navi Mumbai and the proposed local transport system at the time did not kick in. People who bought homes at the beginning were either left unemployed or had to travel long to find work without proper public transport.The City & Industrial Development Co-operation body of India (CIDCO) started selling land at a low cost in Navi Mumbai to lure people back to the new city.

At the turn of 21st century, CIDCO started auctioning land, resulting in the skyrocketing of real estate prices. In the early 2000s, villages near these lands organically developed into slums. There is still a major encroachment of slums,defeating the purpose of a planned city.

Though today the numbers show a positive trend towards a new city taking its shape. In retrospect the city has seen a setback for many years. If the government had taken steps justly at the time, Navi Mumbai would have been a success story and a model to follow.  

References:

Shaw, A 2004, The making of Navi Mumbai, Orient Longman Private Limited,New Delhi

Arora K, Whose city is it anyway: Investigating Navi Mumbai’s city fathers, Graduate School of Design, Harvard

Video : University of New South Wales, 5 Oct 2010, Lord Richard Rogers: Architecture and the City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_VN3FWlKIU