Mr. Rajeev R

Planning for Environmental Regions (like Coasts, Hills, Islands, Protected Areas, Forests, Waterbodies and Wetlands etc.),Climate Resilience, Tourism Planning, Carrying Capacity studies, Adaptive Planning etc.

ArcGIS (Spatial Analysis), MS Excel (Statistical analysis); Ecological Footprints and Carrying Capacity Assessments; Disaster Risk Assessment

Environmental Considerations in Spatial Planning; Carrying Capacity Approach for Environmental Regions

The idea that cities can accommodate endlessly, regardless of their carrying capacity and increasing ecological footprint is nothing but an allegory. Cities are growth engines, but growth bereft of environmental concern is self-defeating. As urban areas expand, the implications of urbanization has increased significantly which has contributed to the deterioration of environment within human settlements and affected the quality of life. To manage this ecological imbalance, which is challenging, it is necessary to understand the implications of the footprint of development actions on the bio-capacity or natural limits of the existing environment and incorporate this estimation to guide the planning process. In this light, under prevailing development conditions, ‘Carrying Capacity’ is one such tool which if operationalized in the development process, can help in the normative measurement of sustainability and in strategizing for the optimal use of resources while minimizing adverse ecological impacts. Through this research, an attempt is made to mainstream ‘Environmental Carrying Capacity’ in Spatial planning process by developing a methodological approach, and re-structuring the ECC within spatial planning.

"Carrying Capacity has not been significantly incorporated into the spatial planning process. However, for achieveing sustainable future it is imminent to understand the carrying capacity of the available resources within the planning boundaries. This becomes even more important while planning for Environmental Sensitive Regions. Further scope of research lies in extending the proposed methodology specific to the varied environmental geographies while planning for the environmental regions. Other research interests - 'Governance of Urban Greens'"