Delhi Master Plan 2041: Fresh debate on mixed land use terms

While urban planners say that mixed land use is a good concept, they stress on the need for an impact assessment and redevelopment of existing planned commercial centres developed by the Delhi Development Authority

While the new draft Master Plan of Delhi-2041 proposes more planned commercial spaces, residents and a section of traders are opposed to the provisions related to mixed land use (MLU) which provides commercial activities in residential neighbourhoods.

Urban planners said globally, MLU is hailed as a good planning concept for a sustainable development (PTI)

They also say that the vision document doesn’t provide a solution to the mess created in planned residential areas due to rampant commercialisation after mixed land use was introduced in MPD-2021.

While urban planners say that MLU is a good concept, they stress on the need for an impact assessment and redevelopment of existing planned commercial centres developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

In the draft MPD-2041, the land-owning agency has proposed that no new streets in the national capital will be declared as “mixed use or commercial streets” in residential areas.

“But what about the mess the MLU concept has created in planned residential areas? The new MPD provides no solution for it,” said Neeraj Gupta, president of H-block RWA in New Rajinder Nagar.

“The planning is totally messed up. There should be a system to promote these planned complexes. Also, we need an assessment of the impact of the previous provisions before making new ones,” said Gupta.

In the aftermath of large-scale sealing and demolition of commercial establishments operating from residential areas in 2006, mixed land use was allowed by the Centre and regulations were introduced in the MPD-2021 that was notified on February 7, 2007. As per provisions, commercial activities were allowed in residential areas based on the category of the colony (A to H), right of way (ROW) available and the extent of commercialisation.

‘Non-stop marketplace’

Rajiv Kakria, convener of Save Our City Campaign, said, “MLU has destroyed the residential character and social fabric of planned neighbourhoods. It has turned the entire city into a non-stop marketplace… Instead of encouraging redevelopment of existing MLU markets with existing infrastructure, residential areas were converted into MLU. The residential areas are ill-equipped to handle large floating footfall and the resultant traffic due to new commercial establishments.”

DDA officials said to keep a check on commercialisation in residential areas, the new MPD has increased the ROW required for a commercial establishment from 18m to 24m. “This will restrict commercialisation on arterial roads only. The future developments will be more organised. We are also promoting transit oriented development (a concept aimed at people, activities, buildings and public spaces closer),” said a DDA official.

Urban planners said globally, MLU is hailed as a good planning concept for a sustainable development, with cities such as Toronto, London, Hong Kong and Portland benefitting immensely from the concept. AK Jain, former planning commissioner with DDA, said, “When this concept was introduced in the MPD-2021, there were many provisions kept for its successful implementation... In residential areas, as per MPD-2021, there is a need to ensure that MLU is done only if a majority of the residents are in favour of it.”

Traders divided

The trading community is divided over the MLU provisions in the new draft plan. While a section of the community says that the present plan doesn’t factor in the ground situation, the others say that MLU should be discouraged and the streets declared as MLU earlier should be reviewed.