Bhiwadi’s "New Industrial Urbanism"

A recent publication by Prof. Tali Hatuka from Tel Aviv University and Prof. Eran Ben-Joseph from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, namely 'New Industrial Urbanism- Designing places for production' expounds industrial developments in a global context. Through the book, it could be understood that as a consequence of the fourth industrial revolution, industrial cities are turning ‘hybrid’, where factories and neighbourhoods could co-exist. Bhiwadi, a relatively new industrial city, has grown on the similar lines of fourth industrial revolution. This blogpost aims to analyse Bhiwadi’s industrial make-up as per the spatial industrial areas introduced in the book.

Three Spatial Types of Industrial Areas; Image Source: Book- New Industrial Urbanism

According to the writers, industrial regions can be classified into three major categories - Autonomous, Adjacent and Integrated.

1. Autonomous Regions- These industrial regions can be identified by their large-scale segregation from residential fabric.

2. Adjacent Regions- Such industrial regions are close to the residential fabric but are separated by physical boundaries between working and living.

3. Integrated Regions- The integrated regions celebrate the mixed-use concept of living and working and the industrial areas are often near the residential area without a typical segregation or clear boundary.

Greater Bhiwadi's spatial area map inspired by the book New Industrial Urbanism

For analysing Bhiwadi's industrial area, the Greater Bhiwadi's Masterplan-2031 was taken into account. It can be clearly understood that by virtue of the mixed-use planning of industrial regions, Bhiwadi would fall into 'Integrated Spatial Type'. A major residential region is tightly packed between two heavily dense industrial regions. Owing to the quick industrialisation in Bhiwadi, an organic, unplanned urban growth of industries has taken place which resulted in residential areas being organised in leftover places. The industries are now integrated and completely dissolved in the urban environment.

The writers also indicate that integrated system offers advantages such as nearby employment and strengthened urban economy but the major disadvantage of environmental hazards is bound to create unhealthy environments for the residents. Evidently, Bhiwadi was named as the most polluted city in the world in 2021. It possess issues related to traffic congestion and is plagued with other environmental problems such as water contamination.

It could be concluded that in the cities that integrate the industrial fabric with the residential setting, it is essential to check for environmental issues that surface due to the integration. A residential region in between two vast industrial 'magnet-like' regions are bound to pose environmental hazards which shall negatively affect lives of people. It is imperative to recognize the importance of a healthy urban environment in conjunction with urban economy for effective functioning of industrial cities like Bhiwadi.