Book Review: Town Planning-Principle, Process and Practice
In India, 377 million people i.e. about 32 percent of its total population, are living in 7936 cities and towns. Although the Indian cities generate 60% of GDP and 70% of jobs, these are characterised by unplanned growth and shortages of housing and basic infrastructure services. One out of every three persons in Indian cities falls below the poverty line and about two-thirds of urban areas are unplanned.
In order to bridge these gaps, the Government of India has embarked upon several programmes, such as Smart Cities Mission, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Historic City Development Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY). These focus on core infrastructure services like adequate and clean water supply, sanitation and solid waste management, public transportation, housing for the poor, power supply, IT connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation along with planning, land management and municipal reforms.
Parallelly, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim at making the cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. These require a new paradigm of town planning, which aligns with the socio-economic changes, climate change and environmental integrity.
Town planning plays an important role in translating socio-economic and environmental goals and in making them safer, connected and sustainable. The solutions have to engage with the local people, geography, climate and ecology.
The book ‘Town Planning- Principle, Process and Practice’ by A.K. Jain in its 14 chapters explains comprehensively the principles, process and practice of urban development, which align with the socio-economic, environmental and technological changes. Written in a simple language with 380 illustrations, the book is a valuable guide for the students as well as practitioners of planning, architecture and engineering. The significant features of the book are clarity of graphics, attractive printing and its affordable cost.
