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Reviewing Historic Urban Water Transitions to Advance Water-Sensitive Urban Design for Bhuj, India

Author

Listed:
  • Geert J. M. van der Meulen

    (Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Gargi Mishra

    (Faculty of Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad 380009, India)

  • Machiel J. van Dorst

    (Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Mona Iyer

    (Faculty of Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad 380009, India)

  • Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin

    (Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

In rapidly growing urban contexts, water plays a pivotal role in the transitions the urban environment goes through to sustain the quality of life of its population. Spatial planning and design are essential for the facilitation and manifestation of such transitions. Focusing on Bhuj, a rapidly growing Indian city in a hot arid desert climate, its crucial yet changing sensitivity to urban water flows over time is assessed. The concept of water sensitivity is coined as a goal to pursue by the Water-Sensitive Urban Design approach. In India, however, much of the urban design and development processes are of an unplanned and informal nature, seemingly inhibiting the water sensitivity of urban transitions. Reviewing spatial planning paradigms and their manifestation in space in Bhuj over time, however, brings to light a pre-existing water sensitivity. Yet it also shows a shift from the supply security-oriented ingenious watershed expansion to catastrophe-steered and urban expansion-driven water system negligence. Review and discussion of past and present urban water transitions and management points out drivers, barriers, and their interrelationships, to enable and advance water-sensitive urban development tied to local history, traditional knowledge, and context specificities.

Suggested Citation

  • Geert J. M. van der Meulen & Gargi Mishra & Machiel J. van Dorst & Mona Iyer & Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin, 2023. "Reviewing Historic Urban Water Transitions to Advance Water-Sensitive Urban Design for Bhuj, India," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:10:p:1938-:d:1262190
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Assela Pathirana & Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan & Richard Ashley & Nguyen Hong Quan & Chris Zevenbergen, 2018. "Managing urban water systems with significant adaptation deficits—unified framework for secondary cities: part II—the practice," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 57-74, July.
    2. Assela Pathirana & Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan & Nguyen Hong Quan & Chris Zevenbergen, 2018. "Managing urban water systems with significant adaptation deficits—unified framework for secondary cities: part I—conceptual framework," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 43-56, July.
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