Architect Daniel Lieberskind was recently in India recounting his experiences on his award winning entry from the global competition for rebuilding Ground Zero. A venture that started as city planners seeking a new building to replace the one shattered by the 9/11 attack, roused the New York public to such an extent that they became the actual drivers of the project. In the end, it was the Mayor and Governor of New York who represented the people’s vision and saw their spirit reflected in Liberskind’s creative proposal. "I was simply an executor of the people’s will", said Lieberskind humbly.

City planning globally has to acknowledge the hopes and aspirations of its citizens. A truth the Indian administrators and politicians have started to realise. The move to privatise garbage disposal in six of the 12 wards of the Capital city is one such move. Bhagidari - the Delhi Chief Minister’s successful public private people’s partnership (PPPP) - is another such successful initiative which also teaches the citizens that governance brings with it responsibility and patience from their side as well.

PPPP projects straddle various sectors including water supply and sanitation, cleaning polluted rivers, waste water treatment, solid waste disposal and even in township development. Experts analyse the success of these projects and its role as models for future city management ventures. Even failed projects give interesting insights.

No amount of partnerships can be successful if legal and financial issues are not tackled. The legal risks involved and their solutions are critically analysed. The various financing modules that exist in the country and new possibilities hold promise. Some cities such as Ulhasnagar and Aurangabad have combined PPPP with sound financial practices to achieve small victories in vital areas such as street lighting and solid waste disposal.

While existing cities seek models of success, governments and the private sector are experimenting with various models of partnerships to create new townships that cater to the aspirations of modern India’s IT-driven population. We analyse the existing models and experiments in this field. Creating green buildings and adopting energy efficient practices is increasingly attracting attention.

The built property in any city is its most visible face. Glitzy malls are changing city skylines, buying habits and lifestyles of urban India. While retailing becomes more organised, are financial and infrastructural issues also being tackled? Do easy answers exist? Certainly not. Unless these issues are confronted and analysed no answers will emerge.

Read on to find both questions and answers on all issues of partnerships for creating living and sustainable cities.


V. Suresh

Good Governance India magazine is published by Sanjiv Agarwal, Trustee, Good Governance India Foundation, with its Registered Office at 25C/1, Belvedere Road, Kolkata 700 033.

Opinions and views expressed in the articles published in the magazine are that of the respective authors and not necessarily that of the publishers.

All possible efforts have been taken to present factually correct information. However, the publishers are not responsible, if despite this, errors may have crept inadvertently or through an oversight.

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