Hafizzz
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Indias Colonial Cousins: USA or Europe?
Indias colonial cousins: USA or Europe? - Analysis - DNA
What we learn from history is that we have learnt nothing from history. We let history repeat. In development models, we seem to be doing the same in India.
We seem to have leanings and yearnings for the American models and have been replicating them, or should we say aping them, in our country which arguably has very different contextual reality. If we were to ape, could we have looked bit closer, to Europe?
There are more comparable contextual realities we have with Europe and Europe has arguably more befitting approaches and answers for us to emulate.
For example, one thing we share in common with European countries than America is the strong sense of history. Deep rooted traditions and continuum of the past in the present. Europe has done well to retain (and not erase) its past, conserve it and reapply it for the present.
They have incorporated modern day amenities and technologies for improved quality of life but have not lost the sense of place as defined since its inception numerous centuries ago. More appreciable is the fact that despite the severe destructions in the world wars they have rebuilt so creatively and sensibly that identity of the place, as imprinted years ago, has not been erased.
In the context of India, a country with deep long history, with inundated structures of the past, even older than millennia, we could easily look towards Europe to adopt, apply and reuse the past as perfectly performing present.
Yet another characteristic of Europe, similar to that of ours, is the rich diversity of cultural traditions. Again Europe has demonstrated very well how to retain its cultural flavours, may they be festivals, craft, music, language, cuisine or even religious practices. In essence, the total way of life.
These are not just forced attempts for showcasing the past to other audience, but are very natural and intuitive extensions of the past in modern times.
They exist so naturally to the context that they belong both to the place as well as changed time. It is difficult to find McDonalds and Pizza huts in European cities. Even if they exist, they are no big deals. Not hyped as superior to the local.
Like India, Europe (despite climate severity) lives outdoors. There is life in streets and squares. We can learn a lot from Europe how it has key areas, or need we say most areas, pedestrian friendly without compromising on convenience of automobile. Despite initial resistance of the shop owners, European countries have pedestrianised historic city cores. Not for tourists but for citizens.
They are lived in downtowns with high intensity of life. In fact, over the years, it has proven that the shop owners have actually benefited much more economically by offloading cars and finding higher exposure of the pedestrians, undeterred by the personal vehicles.
It has invested in shopping streets and market squares unlike shopping malls of America. American malls are a huge blob of commerce, way distant in the outskirts of the city, to be reached only by cars. We need to learn from Europe its management of public spaces as rightful civic node with respectful inclusion of pedestrian, informal activities and plural human life. These bring in vitality to Indian and European cities, which American cities lack a great deal.
Compulsive dependence on individual vehicles is one more fallacy of the American model. Post industrial revolution, it chose to move away from the city core and created suburban towns, mainly dormitory towns - some 35 miles from the core city. This meant increased travel distance on daily basis from place of work to place of stay. Nearly three hours of diurnal time cycle lost in most unproductive activity. Not only time as a valuable resource is lost but so also is colossal waste of fuel and other material resources.
Not only does it burden resource base but also adversely affects social dimensions. Typical North American core cities, popularly called downtowns, maybe busy with human activities during office hours from 9am-6pm but they get utterly deserted during post business hours. Devoid of life, at night, they are taken over by antisocial elements and are highly unsafe and scary areas with lots of nuisance.
In Europe, downtowns are lived in areas for housing as well as commerce. It neither is, nor is perceived as, ghettos of the poor. City cores are vibrant, full of life and character all through the day. They are safe areas to be. This is also optimisation of resource, may it be about land resource by not needing suburban land, infrastructure resource by its continuous use over day as well as night or may it be of travel distance minimisation.
The hallmark of development in European cities is dependence on mass transit. Entire city is well connected with mass transit network as well as pedestrian paths. Mass transit being fast, most convenient and very affordable, most people do not even own personal vehicles. Vehicles are a matter of fact, for general population, rather than status symbol or essential commodity. Their commutation time is low and the need for huge parking lots in downtown is drastically low.
It is a matter of collective choice and societal mindset. For example, we have unfortunately, yet very conveniently, picked up American suburban house typology with multiple and attached toilets here in India. There are more number of toilets than bedrooms! As against typical European houses which have perhaps one or at the most two toilets for the entire house.
Average water consumption in Europe is 250 litre per person per day against 600 litre in US. Even built fabric is low-rise or mid-rise, yet reasonably high density. Very little or no high-rises dot European urban landscape and yet there is no indiscriminate sprawl. More density is achieved through contiguous and compact built fabric rather than building tall structures.
European urban development models are plural, humane, low-rise, pedestrian friendly, compact, affordable and sustainable as against American ones that are individualistic, machine-oriented, spread out, resource consuming and wasteful. Europe has invested in collective rather than individual. America seems to have the converse. Lingering aroma of coffee and patisserie can still be smelt in the air and clinging sounds of church bells can still be heard in space in cities of Europe. Tulip buds in public plazas still inform of the spring and red leaves of deciduous trees of the winter. Need we debate what to emulate in India? And yet we seem to be driftingaway from our true orientation. So who is India's colonial cousin - Europe or America?
^^^Whoever is India's colonial cousin doesn't make a difference as long as they are colonial masters.
