Union Minister Puri calls for paradigm shift in urban planning

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has called for a paradigm shift in urban planning with sustainability at the core of development.

The Minister was speaking at a national seminar on 'Emerging Trends in Public Architecture' organised by the Central Public Works Department(CPWD) here on Wednesday.

He said that as India urbanises, there will be an exponential increase in the volume and complexity of waste, including hazardous e-waste, and quite extraordinary demands for energy, which cannot possibly be met through current fossil-fuel resources.

According to an official release, the minister said engineering breakthroughs will be needed in which the limited natural resources are not degraded as also the ecological systems.

"We must shift from a built environment which is energy wasting to energy saving, or better yet to one which generates energy. Energy-efficient engineering and construction technologies need to be at the core of reformulated building regulations and construction practices," he said.

Noting that technology has accelerated at an incredible pace including in architecture, the minister said that as populations grow and resources become scarcer, their efficient use becomes more important.

"Our cities in the near future will have to be much smarter and as part of these cities, the public buildings and its architecture will also need to be smart. Already significant steps are being taken for the evolution of smart cities by the government," he said.

He said every stakeholder should keep pace with the latest in technology and trends taking shape the world over.