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International Society for Environmental Information Sciences
Environmental Informatics Archives
ISSN 1811-0231 / ISEIS Publication Series Number P002
Copyright © 2003 ISEIS. All rights reserved.
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Paper EIA03-006, Volume 1 (2003), Pages 53-69 = complimentary
Impact Analysis Using Information Technology for New Intervention in Existing Sustainable Habitat
M. Mukherjee*
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttaranchal - 247 667, INDIA. *Corresponding author: mahua1965@rediffmail.com.
Abstract
Sustainable development concept raises basic doubt on the delineation of quality of living, which mostly runs in contrary to the yardsticks of consumerism. Sustainable development strongly recommends on quality rather than quantity alone and a limited range of options within upper and lower levels. While implementing a new project, individual merit of the project is the primary basis for selection and the larger context is mostly ignored. As a result new interventions generally create urban chaos even though they may excel in merit. The reasons may be identified as: non-responsiveness to real needs and desires, inefficient and unsustainable resource management, socially unjustified and inequitable distribution, and finally a frustrated local community in the grips of poor governance.
The unprecedented pace of urbanization both in rural and urban areas has caught the planners off guarded. In the process of development new interventions are being made with the aim of better environment. Sometimes unforeseen negative impacts loom larger than positive effects yielded by a project. To check these unintended impacts of sectoral changes and to form the long term basis of neighbourhoods' future development planning towards sustainability author has worked on development of the Sustainable Total Living Environment (SusTLE) model during her doctoral thesis.
In continuation to that study, the objective of this paper has been set to analyze relevant design parameters which help the local government to make logical decisions and correlate the existing situation with the upcoming change. The advancement of Information Technology, its efficiency to store and manage huge data and the ability to create object-oriented, hierarchical, relational and structured network has made it useful for the planners/decision makers. In this, the author would explore the scope of IT in predicting the validity of any upcoming project in the context of existing pattern. For that reason, the author has selected a representative neighbourhood from Roorkee, India. The areas where problems are likely to arise have been delineated with proper emphasis.
Keywords: Rapid Urbanization, Design Parameters, SusTLE Model, Participatory development, Optimal resource allocation, Information Technology