Chairman of the North Goa Planning Development Authority Michael Lobo might not have thought it through, but his suggestion that additional floors be added to buildings to provide more parking space could herald in an era of taller buildings, which were frowned upon before but could be Goa's answer to a shrinking land base. The suggestion made by Lobo is that two floors of all new buildings should be reserved for parking and this would be accomplished by increasing the number of floors so as not to put builders at a disadvantage.
The idea seems like a good one as every city in the state is today faced with serious parking problems. Traffic congestion and double parking have become the norm and basement parking provided in some buildings is woefully inadequate. Cars and two-wheelers invariablly spill on to the streets resulting in reduced widths and more congestion. At one point, basement parking was thought to be a solution, but it never really worked because the number of vehicles increased at a rapid pace.
Builders have, by and large, warmed up to the idea, provided the two floors do not eat into FAR, which has been promised by Lobo, but the more important question is, are we too late? Major portions of cities have already been developed and unless there is an incentive to tear down old buildings and put up new ones, the situation is not likely to change in most cities. At best, it is new buildings on the periphery that might be able to incorporate two parking floors, which means, only redevelopment within the city would benefit from the new proposal.
What needs to be remembered is that most residential buildings today have adequate stilted parking and the problem lies with older buildings constructed before the vehicle boom. The real cause of congestion is buildings with commercial / office space. So while Lobo's suggestion is welcome, it might be a panacea for all parking ills.
However, as a corollary, the idea of having taller buildings could be an answer to the shrinking land base. If you can't grow horizontally on account of the paucity of land then the next best thing to do is grow vertically. For example, Panaji, Porvorim and Taleigao are already well developed and Chimbel is going to be the new suburb of the city. In time the lush green areas along the bypass from Panaji to Old Goa will be replaced by buildings, an indication that development is spreading horizontally.
According to a UN report by 2050 about 404 million more people will be added to urban areas in India and the challenge is to provide housing. Goa has sought to tackle the problem of growth by seeking special status, which is not likely to be granted. Perhaps, upward growth could be the answer, although this kind of growth has its downside. Tall buildings consume more electricity, water, have to be connected to efficient sewage systems and need to be serviced by broader roads. Believe it or not, Dubai does not have a sewerage system and waste from the world's tallest building -- Burj Khalifa, has to be collected by trucks and hauled to the treatment plants. It is easier to construct tall buildings, but harder to provide supporting infrastructure. But at some stage Goa will have to take a call on which side to grow.
