The urban development in J&K needs a planning approach that extends beyond the traditional system of use-based zoning, road-based development controls, and town-specific Master Plans. The J&K government, through its Housing and Urban Development Department, has recently drawn up Uniform Building Bye-laws which have been approved and are now in operation .The UBBLs are not genuinely intended to standardize and regulate urban development, but rather are designed to show that a structured regulatory framework for urban development exists. It is likely that their ability to solve the deep-rooted urban problems, existing within the context of diversity and disparity will remain very limited. Relying too heavily on the UBBL in a place such as J&K will result in faults that are neither seen nor imagined, and these shortcomings will become clearly evident when the professional groups concerned, come to realize and understand the flaws involved in harmonizing urban development through uniform building bye-laws which have inherent regulatory rigidity and deficiencies. The inflexible and identical way in which they will be applied will have serious consequences for the pattern of urban development and will lead to inefficiencies, safety risks, and widespread cultural erosion in an area that is highly ecologically fragile and prone to earthquakes, together with considerable geographical and urban diversity. Since J&K is part of the wider Himalayan region, it has a fragile and highly interconnected landscape in which geology, geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, topography and human settlement all influence one another. Srinagar, Jammu and the other towns in Jammu and Kashmir are to varying degrees exposed to earthquakes, floods, landslides, slope instability, soil erosion, drainage congestion, land subsidence, cloudbursts, snow avalanches, forest fires and other natural and man-made hazards. At the same time, wetlands, rivers, agricultural land, forests, aquifers and natural drainage systems carry out important ecological and protective functions. Under such circumstances, urban development cannot be properly regulated merely by means of conventional land-use, zoning, road widths, setbacks, FAR, building heights and plot-based development controls. A plot might be situated in an area approved for residential or commercial use and have access to a major road, yet still lie in a flood-prone area, an aquifer recharge zone, an unstable geological formation, an environmentally sensitive landscape or a flood runaway basin. The recent disaster in Nepal serves as a reminder that J&K, being part of the Himalayan mountain range, is also vulnerable to such risks. In view of the high level of risk, fragility and diversity, we must be especially careful when formulating policy directives concerning the building bye-laws, since these will have a major impact on future resilience and sustainability.
It therefore follow that J&K should have a planning system in which geo-informatics plays the central role as the spatial intelligence basis for all towns and cities, and the Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL) could then serve as the regulatory mechanism for turning that spatial intelligence into specific and enforceable development and building requirements. The aim should be to create a single planning method for use throughout Kashmir while at the same time permitting the actual development controls to take account of the physical features of each place. The basic principle should be simple: urban development must align with and respect the characteristics and carrying capacity of the land rather than forcing the land to meet the demands of rapid urban development.

From Conventional Use/Zoning to Geo-Informatics-Based Planning

Standard Master Plans usually start off by making population projections, determining land requirements, planning for housing, transportation, commercial areas, infrastructure and other developmental needs. These elements are then turned into land-use zones, road networks, development corridors and building regulations. Although these components are still important, they are not enough in a region where physical conditions can change considerably over relatively short distances. Geo-informatics provides a more suitable basis. By means of Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, digital elevation models, satellite imagery, GNSS, geological mapping, hydrological modelling and satellite-based ground-deformation monitoring, information on topography, geology, geomorphology, slope, soil, drainage, groundwater, wetlands, vegetation, land use, seismic vulnerability and historical hazards can all be brought together within one spatial framework. This information should act as the fundamental basis for the preparation, implementation and regular updating of the Master Plans and the policies set out in them. Rather than first deciding where residential, commercial or industrial zones should be located, planning should initially establish the physical and environmental thresholds and characteristics in a spatial manner across the area. The various land uses can then be identified and envisaged based on development suitability, hazard exposure, ecological sensitivity, infrastructure capacity and carrying capacity. As a result, the role of the Master Plan would change. Instead of mainly consisting of static drawings of land-use zones and road proposals, it would become the strategic expression of a continuously updated geo-spatial understanding of the city and its surrounding region.

Common Spatial Framework for All Towns and Cities

A major benefit of geo-informatics is that it will enable Jammu and Kashmir to formulate and evolve a comprehensive planning framework without having to apply the same development standards to all settlements. Since Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Pulwama, Budgam, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Kathua, Doda, Udhampur, Samba and other towns have different terrain, hydrology, geology, ecological conditions and hazard profiles, one set of physical development standards cannot be suitable in all cases. It does not follow that each town should have its own completely separate planning approach, however. Instead, a common geo-spatial framework can be set up throughout Jammu and Kashmir, with location-specific information and thresholds included in it. Srinagar will need more focus on flooding, wetlands, drainage, groundwater and seismic vulnerability, while Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg will require greater attention to slope stability, forests, avalanches, erosion and pressure related to tourism development. Therefore, what should be common is the planning methodology, the spatial database, the risk-screening system and the regulatory philosophy, while the actual development standards can vary according to local conditions. Uniformity should be achieved in the assessment of development risk, even if the physical standards imposed on each site are not the same.

BBL as the Link between Spatial Planning and Development

Geo-informatics is capable of identifying both risks and opportunities, yet spatial information on its own cannot regulate construction. It follows that the BBL must act as the key link between the Master Plan and the actual development of individual buildings. Currently, building permission is generally evaluated mainly on the basis of plot-related criteria such as plot area, setbacks, FAR, height, parking, access and structural design. Although these requirements are essential, they do not deal with the more fundamental issue of whether the site is appropriate for the proposed development. A building-permission system enabled by geo-informatics should initially check the proposed site against the relevant spatial layers and determine if the site lies within a flood-sensitive area, a wetland buffer, a natural drainage corridor, a groundwater-recharge zone, a landslide-susceptible area, an unstable slope, a seismic-risk category, a forest-sensitive area or a land-subsidence zone. The applicant should be given this information at the start of the design process. The planning process should therefore be as follows: geo-spatial screening, development suitability assessment, development-control assessment, UBBL compliance, building permission and construction inspection together with post-construction monitoring. The approach to granting permission should then change from "Does the proposed building comply with the bye-laws?" to "Is this site suitable for this development, and what conditions should govern its design and construction?"

Moving Beyond Use and Road-Specific Development Controls

Roads play a significant role in urban expansion, but the presence of a road should not automatically mean that an area is suitable for development. A major road could run through a flood-prone area, an unstable slope, an ecological corridor or an aquifer recharge zone. If development is promoted merely because a road is there or is being planned, infrastructure-driven growth might inadvertently increase the risks. With the help of geo-informatics it is possible to assess road accessibility together with the physical and environmental features of the land around it. A proposed development corridor can then be examined in terms of hazards, drainage, ecological sensitivity, infrastructure capacity, emergency access and the appropriate level of development. The aim should not be to stop development along roads. Instead, road connectivity should be considered as just one element of a broader evaluation of land capability. This approach would decrease the reliance on rules that are specific to roads and promote development based on the suitability of the wider spatial system. (To Be Continued)

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