Abstract:

The style of urban infrastructure provision that encourages more efficient pattern of resource consumption is the basis for development of sustainable cities. Conventional approach to urban infrastructure management was based on the premise ‘Facilitating Infrastructure Supply.’ But in new built developments serviced within a supply-oriented framework, any explicit consideration of various environmental and social effects is rare. The increased awareness towards environment and a sustainable society coupled with a need to make our cities worth living, demand side interference in the provision and management of urban infrastructure is being advocated. Demand side interference broadly has two aspects – managing the existing demand and channeling/monitoring the ever-increasing demand. The increase in the existing demand is correlated with the consumption pattern. The notion of modern consumerism has been deeply embedded in the present socio- cultural set up. In today’s society, consumption can be seen as a set of social and cultural practices that serve as a way of establishing differences. This changing attitudinal behavior mounts pressure on the existing infrastructure system and subsequently hunts for a sustainable management. Hence, Management of existing demand requires network operators to understand the consumers to develop more intimate relationships with them in order to modify demand on ‘stressed’ parts of their network. On the other hand, channeling/ monitoring of ever-increasing demand covers the issues of regional planning, i.e. micro as well as macro planning covering the intricacies of rural-urban interaction. The present paper, however, encapsulates the demand side interference in the planning process (both micro and macro), with a critical analysis of the existing Indian planning approach to the urban infrastructure system and finally suggests an alternate planning philosophy to the ongoing chaos.