Hello friends,
I am currently writing a MA thesis at York University on the politics of
urbanization of what was once a green belt area in the Bombay metropolitan
region. This region lies on the north of the Bombay metropolitan region and is
called the sub region of Vasai-Virar. While going through some archival
records in Bombay, I found that the idea of having green belts in colonial
cities like Bombay originated in Britain and especially came from British town
planning. I was wondering whether any one on the list can refer me to articles
which have dealt with the origin of green belts, and why they came to be
developed in cities around some parts of the world in the last century. While
studying here in Toronto for the last one year, I have found that this city
also has a green belt in the Oak Ridge Moraine, which has also been opened up
for urbanization like Vasai Virar in Bombay.
My first question is therefore a historical one. I am wondering whether green
belts are a British colonial legacy, since Canada and India were both colonies
once upon a time. My second question has to do with what I see a change in
policies around cities in the world on green belts. Toronto and Bombay are two
examples, I know of. Are there any environmental controversies/debates around
other major cities in the world with the urbanization of green belts ? Both
Vasai Virar in Bombay and the Oak Ridge Moraine in Toronto are undoubtedly
ecologically sensitive and could have been declared no-devlopment zones for
that reason.
Information on this would be valuable for my thesis and I will make sure I
acknowledge any possible help I receive on this .
warm regards
Bharat Punjabi
Graduate student
Department of Social Anthropology
York University
Toronto
Canada
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