She has been identified as one of the 21 leaders of the 21st century by Women’s e-news. As an expert in urban planning, she has been highlighting the need to focus on equity and sustainability. She is part of ‘user generated cities,’ an experimental urban research and action collective, and believes in the theory that “understanding a locality from the point of view of those who inhabit it improves the chances of success of a project.” She is Geeta Mehta, Adjunct Professor, Architecture and Urban Design, Columbia University, also an Advisor to Millennium Cities Initiative at the Earth Institute.
On a visit to Madurai for a joint studio with students of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Prof. Geeta shares her vision for sustainable living and also explains how Social Capital Credits (SoCCS) has worked in ensuring sustainability not only in the ecological sense, but also in the social and economic sense.
For her, human happiness index is equally important as GDP in development. Real development would happen only when it is approached in a holistic manner. “Our cities should be designed to enhance social capital, not destroy it,” she says. A city like Madurai should be for everyone and not for the rich few. Equity and sustainability are the two key words used by Dr. Geeta whenever she refers to development.
She does not see social equity in the present structure of cities as all amenities are beneficial to only about 50 per cent of the population. “By neglecting the needs of half the population, we are not utilising its potential to contribute to development.”
“A city should be socially smart, ecologically smart and gender smart and not real estate smart,” she says.
Public transportation, public spaces and user-generated systems are the three fields that will ensure equitable development. She points out that a rich city is one in which the rich use public transport. “Our cities are wrongly designed to cater to the needs of seven to eight per cent of people who own cars. This should be turned around.”
Dr. Geeta advocates the creation of a Ministry of Sidewalks in the Ministry of Road Transport. Cities should give preference for non-motorised transport, she says and questions the right of the car owner to park the vehicle at a place of his choice.
“People should use public transport where you can rub shoulders with the poor.” The habit of sharing public transport and public spaces will enhance the sense of belonging to a city. There should be more public spaces for all walks of people to use.
She has come up with the concept, SoCCS, a virtual benefit transfer mechanism in which the community is involved in development and also gets rewarded for its work. The SoCCS has been working successfully in many places, including Mumbai, and Dr. Geeta is involved in a similar project for Madurai.
She says that people who come with trash, for example, are rewarded in the SoCCS, which can be transformed into insurance premium, school fees or medicines. It is modelled on Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of ‘shramdhan.’
Dr. Geeta does not believe that mega infrastructure projects will bring big benefits to people.
“There is a huge underground drainage scheme in Madurai. Still sewage is drained into the Vaigai.” She feels that it will be possible to build micro infrastructure projects using the SoCCS.
