Introduction to Bangalore: an Overview
Bangalore is a metropolitan city located in Karnataka, South Central India. It is renowned for its IT work culture. It is a Tier 1 city. At first glance, its urban character aligns with that of a generic Indian city, with the highways, residences, natural landscape and religious structures interspersed along the way.
Bugle Rock Garden
Source: Author
The city is also famously known as the "Garden City of India". Owing to the region's natural terrain, location and pleasant climate, the historical regimes including Hyder Ali and the British colonists set up many parks, gardens and green areas in the city.
Despite the dense urban sprawl, Bangalore has pockets of blue and green natural landscapes. Source: Author
Bangalore's urban form, including road connectivity, has developed extensively in a radial direction. It continues to develop outwards. The built form is scattered along this extent. This requires people to use the roadways, such as their private vehicles, cabs, rickshaws and public transport (buses) to move around.
Bangalore is developing extensive metro connectivity in the region. However, this still is not accessible to many localities in the city.
Historical Evolution
Bangalore originated when Kempegowda built a fort and founded a township within it in 1537 AD. The fort had 8 gates and resembled the forts of Channapatna and Nagamangala (both located in Karnataka). In the fort precinct illustration below, we notice the temple vimanas, (of multiple layers) resembling those in South India. It also has an easily identifiable administration building.
Bangalore Fort and its Habitation, 1537 AD
Source: Bangalore Through the Centuries
Unfortunately, the fort was demolished by the British Commission to accommodate the expansion of the old town.
A host of different authority figures developed Bangalore. After the fort, the Bijapur Sultanate conquered the city. The Mughals sold it. Chikkadevaraya Wodeyar purchased it. Bangalore was also the personal jahagir of Shahji Bhonsley and Haider Ali, at different times. It was also termed the 'Spot of England in India' during the British colonial period. The city had continually transformed in multitudinous aspects, (ir/)respective of the happenings in other parts of India at the time.
By 1956, Bangalore became a metropolis of the enlarged Mysore state. Many influences still connect Mysore and Bangalore, including the proximal location of the two cities, the rulers, the culture and architectural aesthetics.
Ecology
Unlike many crowded cities in India, Bangalore has pockets of natural resources. The resources include lakes and small-scale forest reserves. The reserves include undefined green open spaces and parks.
Lalbagh Lake
Source: Author
Historically, Bangalore's lakes were termed tanks. These tanks were used as part of planning an intricate water management system for the city. These were of man-made origins. These tanks fulfilled the water requirements of the city as Bangalore is located on a plateau, and not many river resources flow through the region.
The colonials termed the water resources as tanks. These were engineered solutions to store excess runoff during rainfall. The colonials also termed the water storage zones or reservoirs. These hydrological networks allowed excess water to flow into water-scarce zones, enabling different regions to use water for varied purposes.
Map of Bangalore 1900s - published by Leipzig Geographical Institute of Wagner & Debes
Green open spaces such as Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Gardens have been provided with rainwater harvesting pits, to harvest rainwater. This decision was considered to increase the groundwater table and was predicted to benefit the surrounding areas too.
'The presence of flower-decked enclosures in private houses, the cool shady walks in the open spaces bordering the roads, the water sprinkling fountains in public parks and the numerous traffic islands with a profusion of flowers, in Bangalore, testifies to the existence of an aesthetic consciousness in its citizens'
Cubbon Park
Source: Author
The lush landscape observed in Bangalore's urban landscape results from generations of efforts to nurture the plants.
Streets and Cultural Landscape
The areas in Bangalore localities are generally suffixed with the word halli, meaning village. These areas were originally villages that were incorporated into the growing urban area. They retained their names. The locality's name before the word halli provides a cultural context to the area.
For instance, Jalahalli was known for its greenery and water resources. Jala means water in Kannada. Marathahalli emerged from folklore involving the Maratha community. The legend suggests that the Maratha chieftain's aircraft crashed in the area, hence the name.
Ayappa Temple at Jalahalli
Other areas including areas suffixed with nagar, pur or wadi indicate a small geographical extent or neighbourhood.
Many residential areas have been accommodated into layouts. Each layout is connected through street segments, each identified by a number. The typology of these built forms is villas or up to G + 3 with multiple occupancy.
The internal residential streets are flanked by dense trees, providing shade during sunny days. It is observed that the residents' cars have been parked along the edge of these streets making it difficult for pedestrian movements along the edges. This street is located in Arekere. Source: Author
Bangalore has plotted developments set in layouts. These plots are interconnected with main roads and crossroads. This creates an urban form that can accommodate mixed-use development. This provides ample opportunities for Bangalore's residents to set up shop. As such, the city is renowned for its streetside cafes.
Owing to the historical developments, Bangalore has a blueprint that can easily include natural landscapes with urban infrastructure - such as green avenues and lakefront promenades.
Subbarama Chetty Road
Source: Ajit Bhaskar on Twitter
The Doddabasavannagudi Bull Temple is a central place of worship dedicated to Nandi, Lord Shiva's sacred bull. The temple represents Bangalore's Dravidian architectural heritage. Terrain-wise, the temple is nestled between Bugle Rock Park which is a green forested area in the city. The temple stands as a testament to Bangalore's cultural depth and environmental consciousness.
Entrance to Doddabasavannagudi Bull Temple
Source: K.S Voliveru
Transportation and Connectivity
The transportation in Bangalore includes the metro, bus services, auto rickshaws, and private vehicles.
The metro stations have park-and-ride facilities that allow the metro users to park their private vehicles at the origin station, and board the metro facilities. This is a convenient option for many as many neighbourhoods in Bangalore are not proximal to the metro station.
Bangalore's Metro Rail Connectivity - Existing, Proposed, and Upcoming
Source: The Metro Rail Guy
Considering Bangalore's vast spatial extent, the metro connectivity has a good reach and is a safe transportation facility for the city's residents. With many new connectivity options reaching the further extent of Bangalore, transportation will improve in the coming years.
A good component of the metro system is its connectivity with the railway station. This makes it easier for travellers from, or those coming into Bangalore to have convenient connectivity into the city limits.
Bangalore has incorporated both overhead and underground metro stations along its extent
Source: Author
Bus transport services still face challenges in accommodating the growing population. Many commuters still rely on private transportation as interconnectivity between different transportation systems is staggered, and sometimes inconvenient. Additionally, It is difficult for the city's existing infrastructure to accommodate the rise of (especially private) vehicles.
Urban Character, Culture & Visual Appeal:
Bangalore's urban character feels like various cultural and social elements merge to form a mosaic. The cosmopolitan culture reverberates compared to its ethnic origins, allowing flexibility to accommodate this diversity. This culture emerges because the city is one of the renowned IT hubs in the country, expediting the arrival of people from different parts of India.
An interesting aspect observed by newcomers in Bangalore is the colourful gopurams at the entrance of many temples. The temple architecture observed around the country has a monotonous colour and rock-cut architecture.
Shri Circle Maramma Devi Temple, Malleshwaram
Source: Author
These temples particularly stood out because the colours added to the vibrancy and the devotees' bustling energy. In Hinduism, colours represent the different aspects of the Divine including prosperity, purity, and power. For instance, blue is represented by Lord Krishna and red for Goddess Durga. These colours engage our senses creating visual harmony and characteristic storytelling.
Bright colours invoke a sense of celebration, and sacred invitation toward the temple. One such temple includes the Shri Circle Maramma Devi Temple. Many examples can be observed throughout the city.
ISKCON Temple, Bangalore
Source: Sambhu Mantri
Another interesting example of fusion architecture representing Bangalore is the ISCKON Temple at Rajajinagar. The building includes a modern glass gazed construction for the canopy, with traditional white marble craftsmanship for features such as the gopuram and the entrance gates. These are constructed in Dravidian style architecture. The pillars and high plinths are constructed of granite with design carving. A greyish colour is used for this, so the visual focus is on the main temple building.
Cafe Cool Corner
Source: Purab Jain
Bangalore's culture also includes many eateries. These eateries have been designed to encourage quick dining and have no seating provision. A few tall tables support the plates while the food is consumed. And if we're lucky, we'll find a tree pit to sit while eating.
Bangalore's urban fabric also includes campuses of many tech industries - including Infosys, Bosch, and Amazon.
Bosch Campus at Hosur
Source: Bosch Media Service
Cafes and clubs dot Bangalore's urban fabric to a noticeable extent. These form an essential component of social recreation. The brand SOCIAL seems to have taken over the city. In many areas, the brand has outdone itself in terms of creating a social identity. Each location, such as those at Whitefield, Hebbal, and Bellandur, reflects a seamless integration of urban design, architecture, and community culture.
Bellandur Socials, at Prestige Tech Pacific, with a dome-shaped skeleton, enclosed within a glass surface
Social's unique approach redefined how its brands engage with the immediate urban surroundings, transitioning its venues into cultural landmarks that enrich Bangalore's social quotient.
Concerns:
The city is expanding at an extensive pace. Many residential, commercial and urban infrastructure projects are developing, to be functional soon. These require resources such as water and concrete. The water resources are under strain, and too many development projects are causing a burden on Bangalore's natural terrain.
The recent floods in Bangalore (October 2024) forced the disaster management team to recruit boats to rescue stranded people. Source: Native Planet Website
Short-sighted vision forced the conversion of the city's natural resources to make way for development such as new residential zones.
3. Despite a good (proposed) metro connectivity that reaches Bangalore's outer limits, the public transportation systems can improve to cater for the massive public located between these extents. Some problems include a lack of direct bus routes and concerns about the reliability of the bus timings.
4. Men freely using footpaths as a lavatory. It not only impacts the safety of women but also a means to sabotage the public spaces. This action reeks of a lack of civic sense and a lack of accessible public toilets.
5 Despite the ample green pockets, the area of the urban sprawl supersedes these nature-scapes, creating dense concrete blocks. The recent flooding was the impact of building upon reclaimed land over lakes, which are natural catchments.
Way Forward: Opportunities
Green open spaces and lakes are interspersed through Bangalore's sprawl. These zones can be connected as green-only or blue-only corridors through forested avenues or commercial streets. This enhances social interaction, and walkability, and encourages the use of routes for athleisure and recreation.
Source: National Parks Singapore, Park Connector Network Website
Singapore's Park Connector Network is an extensive recreational corridor along nature reserves and ecological resources providing a scenic route for the users. Singapore is renowned for its 'City in a Garden' concept.
Source: National Parks Singapore, Park Connector Network Website
Implementing this strategy in Bangalore can encourage public access and non-motorized transportation along these connections. With long-term planning, we can harness the impacts of nature and people's interactive spaces. Proposing these networks could further help restore the ecological balance, and enhance the habitats of local wildlife. This addresses the pressing need for holistic and sustainable urban mobility in the city.
2 Enhancing neighbourhoods with urban greens in the form of open parks or integrating green technologies in the building systems. Additionally, carving out water channels, reactivating dormant lakes, and thoughtfully creating a system of reservoirs increase the water catchment area in the city. Integrating spatial designs to include water harvesting as a norm plays a crucial role in long-term ecological planning.
Street edge and medians provide the best locations for an intervention. Incorporating new ecological systems requires extensive planning considering long-term goals of water storage, replenishing, and re-use technologies. Source: Inhabitat Website
3 Increasing the bus frequencies and varying routes to cover last-mile connections, especially from the metro station.
4 Public Awareness about environmental concerns and our role in reducing the carbon footprint, and Civic Responsibility for appropriate public infrastructure use.
5 Reclaiming the Natural terrain, focus on ecologically sensitive development.
6 Bangalore is a vast city. Travelling its extent can be physically exhausting. To counter this, accessible public recreation, and rest spaces at regular intervals with accessible and clean public toilets would encourage the use of public transportation, and reduce dependency on private vehicles.
Small pockets of shaded public spaces with planters for seating, and recreation
Source: Frank Gitau
Citations:
George, TJS. (2016). Askew: A Short Biography of Bangalore. New Delhi| Aleph Book Company
Hasan, MF. (2023). Bangalore Through the Centuries. Bangalore|Historical Publications
Pani, N., Radhakrishna, S., and Bhat, KG. (2010). Bengaluru, Bangalore, Bengaluru: Imaginations and their Times. New Delhi, California, London, Singapore|Sage Publications
De, A. (2008). Multiple City Writings on Bangalore. Delhi|Penguin Books
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