The School of Architecture and Planning

Immediately after our meeting with the Delhi Development Authority, we walked just a few minutes down the street to the School of Architecture and Planning. They worked with the DDA on the recent Master Plan. Some issues they were interested in addressing through the Master Plan were related to in-migration and homelessness, the focus of transportation infrastructure on Delhi, and on transitioning the lead on development from the public sector to the private sector.

The School professors were the only group we have spoken to that included what I would call political economy into their analyses. They were the ones who saw the value of "informal monetary transaction systems", where even large assets (like houses) are bought and sold with cash and trust instead of contracts. I spoke to one of the professors afterward and we both agreed that such high-trust systems are more efficient than systems that ultimately require lawyers. We were both concerned that if the fabric of the old city were ripped apart, it would destroy the face-to-face and regular personal contacts that allow informal and high-trust economies to exist.

The School professors were also the ones who suggested a connection between low carbon citites and low stress cities, pointing out that high carbon uses, like driving instead of walking, contribute to rather than relieve stress, and the higher densities that would reduce a town's carbon footrprint would also lead to more interpersonal interactions in towns, which would reduce stress.

They noted that the Master Plan is becoming more and more a policy document, but that Climate Change policies have not yet been fully integrated into it, or into Indian Planning more generally.