Integrated upgrading of a semi-urban village

Abstract: The world has witnessed a remarkable growth over the last 50 years and the urbanisation is becoming a growing problem in many countries. In 1950 29 % of the world’s population lived in urban areas, in 2003 the urban population had grown to 48 %. In order to create a healthy environment in the fast growing cities it is important to have an infrastructure that works. Creating such a city is something that can be hard without a functioning city plan and long term visions. In Nepal city planning is a big problem. The political situation is very unstable and has been for decades. The different governments have had their own plans and priorities and because of this the development has come to a standstill. Still the cities in the country grow in an unplanned way and the government cannot provide for the inhabitants’ needs. Nepal is a country in the beginning of its urbanisation, 80 % of the inhabitants live in rural areas. Much of the foreign aid donors and the focus of the government are therefore in the rural areas and in the larger cities. Some areas just outside the cities have therefore been neglected for many years and are in need of upgrading. This thesis study is done in Putuwar village, a village just outside the capital city Kathmandu in a semi-urban area. The aim of the study is to help Department of Urban Development and Building Construction in the upgrading project of this village. The department has criteria on what is to be upgraded in the village and we are the first ones to face the problems and investigate if the department’s requirements are equal to the real problems in the village. The study has resulted in a proposal, consisting of 5 different plans suggesting how to solve the problems with: • Drinking water • Toilet and drainage • Roads • Public spaces • Rainwater harvesting A master plan is also created that did not exist before and can be used in future development of the village.