CMDA to study open spaces to make them sustainable for future
The planning authority also proposes integrating open space and accessibility into transport networks to promote travel safety, enhance multi-modal mobility and address TOD principles.
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CHENNAI: As part of preparing the Third Master Plan (TMP) for the city, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will conduct a study on open spaces – both natural and man-made – and arrive at an Open Space Strategy for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA).
The strategy is expected to set forth a vision, lay down guiding principles and provide detailed recommendations for successful planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of open spaces.
“It will serve as an input to the Third Master Plan (TMP) and inform critical decision-making concerning the quantum, spatial distribution, planning, design and management of existing and proposed open spaces.
“The study should holistically approach open spaces and treat them as interconnected networks that enhance urban sustainability and provide quality spaces for social interaction and recreation thereby improving the overall quality of urban life,” a CMDA document said.
The planning authority also proposes integrating open space and accessibility into transport networks to promote travel safety, enhance multi-modal mobility and address transit-oriented development (TOD) principles.
During the study, which will be conducted by private consultants, open public spaces such as parks, gardens including urban forests, playgrounds, recreational grounds, coastal zones (promenades & beaches) and others will be analysed apart from open spaces with limited public accessibility like clubs, gymkhanas and swimming pools.
The study will include natural areas such as national parks, mangroves, hills, reserve forests, and water bodies (rivers, creeks, lakes, tanks, ponds, and others). Also, private open spaces and public institutional open spaces over 0.5 hectares in size and public plazas, green spaces along major roads and public streets, floodplains and wetlands.
As per the CMDA document, one of the objectives is to ensure sustainability by conserving and strengthening the existing reserve of open spaces and interconnecting them.
In another development, CMDA has invited consultants for multi-sectoral analysis and strategy development to prepare a multisectoral approach to land use planning. “The analyses and strategy developed are expected to support CMDA later on in determining preferred spatial growth patterns and feed into the preparation of the Third Master Plan,” the planning authority said.
