Lack of basic amenities mar DDA flats in Delhi
Wayfinding is an information system that helps people navigate a physical environment and enhance their understanding and experience of the space
They are developed on the basis of a comprehensive understanding of people and the environment they navigate
Kevin Lynch, an American urban planner in the 60s, is the man behind the concept of city legibility. He conducted a five-year-long study on five-year-long study on how people take in information in the city. It was in this study titled — The Image of the City (1960) — that Lynch coined the term wayfinding and developed the idea of city legibility.
“An efficient wayfinding system is necessary for those who do not speak the local language. Chances are that I may lose my way in Delhi but not in Paris,” says Shivangi Mehta, a Delhi resident.
Most of the 12,072 flats on offer under the Delhi Development Authority’s housing scheme 2017 lack basic civic amenities, found a ground study by Hindustan Times.
All flats that are being sold under the DDA Aawasiya Yojana, which aims to provide affordable housing to people, are flats that were either surrendered in 2014 or were not put up for sale due to court cases or mutation problems.
HT visited places where most flats were surrendered in 2014 and found basic civic amenities still lacking which may make it difficult for DDA to sell the flats.
The high-income group (HIG) flats in Vasant Kunj and Jasola, however, are likely to be the most sought-after.
Twenty HIG flats priced between ₹58 lakh and ₹93 lakh in Vasant Kunj have all the facilities, including parking. About 12 LIG flats in Jasola Vihar could be an ideal location for Metro travellers as the upcoming Jasola Sector 18 Metro station will be how people take in information in the city
It was in this study titled — The Image of the City (1960) — that Lynch coined the term wayfinding and developed the idea of city legibility
Before the Olympics games, London launched Legible London, a pedestrian wayfinding system developed by TfL (Transport for London) to support walking journeys around the city
Unlike the West, where the city signage system is managed by “A city has to be legible for both residents and outsiders. And Delhi is far more complex than London and is growing at a breakneck speed. It is high time we developed a wayfinding programme that caters to not just motorists but pedestrians and cyclists also,” says Sudipto Ghosh, an architect who along with graphic designer Shimonti Sinha is credited with developing a first-of-its-kind cognitive DTC within a kilometre radius. In July, HT visited areas where 4,349 flats were surrendered out of 11,000 and found roads dug up at several places.
“There is no local market and people have to travel at least five kilometre to buy commodities of daily need,” said Sanjay Kumar, president of the resident welfare association of Sector 35. transport authority, in Delhi different government agencies — MCDs, NDMC, PWD manage it
A recent study by Delhi-based Institute of Road Traffic Education said that 70% of the signages on major roads of the city are wrongly designed and placed
Experts say what Delhi needs is a wayfinding system based on comprehensive understanding of people and the environment they navigate bus route of the city.
Siddhartha Das, a well-known graphic designer, who has worked on wayfinding and signage systems, says Delhi Metro has a well thought out wayfinding system. “But if you walk out of Rajiv Chowk Metro station into Connaught Place, it is confusing. While Delhi’s signage system is better than most Indian cities, it needs regular vetting,” he says.
Worse, women could be seen carrying potable water in vessels from The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tankers. The tankers also fill water in in-house tanks for daily chores such as cleaning and washing. The DJB pipeline hasn’t reached the area.
A senior DDA official said that work on laying water and sewer pipelines has been started and will be completed before the handing over the keys to buyers.
DDA vice-chairman Udai Pratap Singh said that the work will be expedited in the area and completed by the end of the year. “The water pipelines will also reach houses by then,” said Singh. In Narela, 331 out of 384 flats of a single apartment were surrendered as the residents felt that it was overpriced and found commuting difficult. The DDA has retained the price at ₹70.63 lakh.
Sanjeet Trivedi, who lives in one of the flats, said: “The apartment has all the facilities, including eight lifts. There is underground parking space for over 1,000 cars. But the reason most buyers turned away last year was slump in the real estate market making the flats overpriced.”
The caretaker of the apartment said presently only two families live in the apartment.
There is a DDA market nearby but the condition of the approach road is very bad. Inside, however, the society has three sprawling parks.
DDA, however, is hopeful that by not increasing the prices this year and with Metro phase-4 reaching the area, it will be able to sell the flats. The chances of getting a HIG flats is less as most people would be eyeing this segment but there are just 87 flats available.
The flats in Vasant Kunj pocket 5, 6, 7 and 8 are spread over 70 to 116 square metre.
Yogender Kumar, a resident of the area, said, “The real estate rates have declined recently otherwise rates here had touched up to ₹1.75 crore. DDA is selling it flats at about ₹90 lakh.”
Located around two-kilometre from Jasola Apollo Metro station and close to Lotus Temple and Jamia University, the threebedroom flats in Pocket 9A of Jasola are the most expensive priced around ₹1 crore. The DDA society has separate parking facility for visitors, lift and all basic civic amenities in place.
There are 320 flats in this block out of which seven have been put up for sale. Four other such flats are in sector 8 spread over nearly 105 square metre.