PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF BARASAT: ( A PERI-URBAN AREA OF KOLKATA CITY

Abstract

This Dissertation Report titled Planning for Sustainable Development of Barasat: A Pen- Urban Area of Kolkata' is aimed towards the transformation of the town Barasat and incorporating the ideas of Sustainable Development for its Growth. The town has been selected for a number of reasons, which are primarily based on its location, its functional classification and the character of its population. Due to all these factors, the town acts very differently from other towns and has its own kind of issues which are normally not found in various Indian towns of such order. The project tries to understand the location of the town with respect to its neighbouring areas of the District and the Metropolis and how significant they are in shaping the pattern of movement and eventually growth of the same town. It further finds out the Functional Classification of the District, of which Barasat a part. These studies are based on good amount of literature study, the most relevant of which have been presented here. Apart from the literature, these are also based on field surveys and gazette meetings and meetings with eminent professors. The Demographic Characteristics have been discussed in detail and the Existing Land Use and Road Network Map has been studied. Furthermore, the analysis was narrowed down to very specific pockets of the town and those areas were studied and surveyed in detail. The Land Use and Built-Up Arrangements were understood and Maps were generated to support the study. Then, on the lines of Barasat 2031: A Vision towards Sustainability, the proposals and three dimensional models were made for a quick comparison of the two extreme scenario of Barasat in relation with Sustainability: What is it today? And how it could have been or would be? This whole process depicts the gap between the least sustainable and the most sustainable. The project discusses the concept of Smart Growth and employs the idea of 'Fixing the Boundary and Cure within it', supported by calculations, planning standards and visuals. On account of all these studies and analysis, various suggestions were given and recommendations were made, which aim towards the Sustainable Development of Barasat, hopefully becoming a model for other Indian towns.