Ideas for a Bengaluru of the future take wing

From healthcare delivered on smart phones with unprecedented precision to smart, electric mobility in a fully connected ecosystem, the Summit’s was multi-hued

Unlocking visions of a tech-driven, sustainability-focussed transition two decades into the future, the first ever DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit here on Friday sparked a flood of ideas to fashion the city of our dreams.

From healthcare delivered on smart phones with unprecedented precision to smart, electric mobility in a fully connected ecosystem, the Summit’s visual range was multi-hued. But for a better, sustainable Bengaluru, the big message was clear: Decongest, cap population, create at least eight satellite towns with high-quality urban amenities around the city.

Gripped by the pandemic, healthcare had no choice but to hasten the digital disruption. This transition will see an unprecedented acceleration in the future, said Narayana Health Founder Dr Devi Prasad Shetty. Instant diagnosis of patients with their entire medical history flashing on a smartphone screen and hospital visits limited to absolute necessity, would be the norm.

Read | Experts bat for 'decentralise to decongest' for B'luru

As some of the city’s best minds sat in rapt attention, sustainability found a telling echo through the Summit. The spotlight shifted to controversial projects such as Mekedatu to tackle the city’s water needs.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professor T V Ramachandra was forthright in calling it a disaster in the making, even as climate justice activist Disha Ravi stressed inter-generational participation in deciding such projects.

Triggered by the pandemic, work from home (WFH) had firmly established itself as a disruptive scaled-up norm across Bengaluru. But it impacted productivity, and Infosys Co-Founder N R Narayana Murthy was clear that the future of work had to be right inside the office. Building a culture of hard work, imagination, excellence, intuition, meritocracy, discussion and debate, he said, would be tough with WFH.

Read | Can Vrishabhavathi be Bengaluru's Thames?

Linked, invariably, to this vision was the thrust on seamless green mobility, a theme that found a lot of traction at the Summit. Electric vehicles were fine, but the focus had to be on upgrading and boosting public transport use by bridging the first and last mile gaps. Well-planned footpaths and cycling lanes, the speakers reminded, had to be integrated into a comprehensive, seamless, mobility plan.

To activate this plan, the priority has to shift from the motorist to the pedestrian and cyclist.

As a speaker suggested, Bengaluru could be a very different city if injected with a significant investment in non-motorised mobility, boosting walkability of over 1,500 roads and 800 km of cycling lanes.

Switching gears, the Summit’s spotlight on Bengaluru’s crime scene in 2040 had the Karnataka State Police Chief Praveen Sood declare: Fuelled by a much wider Internet penetration, cybercrimes will rise by over a hundred times. Dacoity and robbery would be passe, but policing would have to dive deep into the virtual world to outsmart criminals.

Lakes and drains encroached, the city’s water needs on the edge, the Summit’s audacious question: “Can Bengaluru be self-sufficient in water by 2040” had water conservation experts chart out a roadmap: Desilt drains, scale up rainwater harvesting, recycle treated water. So inspired was historian Suresh Moona that he wondered if the once stinking Thames could turn clean and touristy, why can’t Vrishabhavathi be?

Presented by Puravankara and powered by Manipal Hospitals, the Summit had Godrej Yummiez, Renault, ITC Limited, Hero Moto Corp, Promise Foundation and Adfactors PR as partners. Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India was the technology partner.

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