What are the ingredients that make for a progressive urban society? If one looks at the direction that most of our cities are headed in, the answer would probably be in physical terms. We want cities with better roads, smoother traffic, uninterrupted power, employment, cheap housing, clean air and water, and so on. Most surveys that rate cities according to their liveability also include intangibles such as leisure options and safety for working women in their list of parameters.All these are essential elements; indeed one cannot conceive of an ideal urban environment without them. But are they enough?Few cities could offer a more striking contrast to the typical Indian city than the Australian city of Melbourne. The population is a fraction of what we are used to at home and the resources bountiful. There are wide roads, trees, neat houses, plentiful shopping and an eventful cultural life. Public transport is fast and efficient and apart from the odd rapist — so apparently uncommon that his serial exploits make it to the newspapers along with a list of unsafe areas and a warning to women to be careful ‘‘but not panic’’ — women and men can move about freely at all hours. By all standards, the city scores high on the liveability scale.Oddly though, after a while, it is not the ever flowing traffic or the ever flowing tap, that one tends to notice. Or perhaps one takes such features for granted in the developed world. It is the little things that beg appreciation. Like the fact that roads are geared towards a hierarchy of pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles — in that order. That every facility — from toilets to pavements — so far as one can make out, has a provision for the physically disabled.Mechanised sweepers periodically clear the business district of dirt. There are benches and parks everywhere and surveys commissioned to ensure that the latter are maintained to the public’s satisfaction. Every neighbourhood has a public library, a community centre for the old and day care for the young, and clean public urinals with toilet paper and boxes for used syringes.With fewer people to care for, respect for life is expectedly high. Freeway accidents make it to the television news and distraught relatives leave flowers at accident sites. Helmets and seat belts are of course mandatory with strict rules for children. Signboards variously warn people not to feed birds in the interest of the health of the birds or the pleasure of customers at outdoor cafes. Some weeks ago when feathered visitors caused severe damage in the Botanical Gardens; the authorities called upon an army of volunteers to make a cacophony to drive them away harmlessly.It may not be the life for everybody but these things put together build a picture of community living and a generally gentler and more inclusive style of existence.Will it last? Affluenza, a new book by Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss draws a dismal picture of contemporary Australian society, claiming that it is affected by affluenza: ‘‘a growing and unhealthy preoccupation with money and material things’’, which, in turn, ‘‘causes us to withdraw into a world of self-centred gratification — often at the expense of those around us’’.Affluenza, according to the authors, has a series of cascading effects. It causes people to live beyond their means. It causes people to overwork with hazardous consequences for their health and their relationships. It also harms the environment by creating ‘‘mountains of waste’’, the result of useless consumption. Figures bear out their argument. In 2002, 13 per cent of households had a consumer debt of between $ 10,000 and $ 49,999. In the year preceding March 2005, 18 per cent of adults experienced a mental disorder.It is not a novel argument. The dangers of the free market have been known and long discussed without in any way diminishing its spread. Yet, Hamilton and Denniss point out, though politicians and market forces are unshakeably committed to the capitalist dream, ordinary people have begun to question its effects on their lives leading to the phenomenon of ‘‘downshifting’’ or thumbing a nose at consumerist hard sell. If affluenza is not arrested, they warn, damage and distress will be intensified and future generations will be forced to live a life without meaning.We in India are in the enviable position of being able to learn from the experiences of others. Given our galloping rate of urbanisation, this may be the time to question what we want from our cities. Basic infrastructure? The mall-multiplex-freeway format? Is it enough? Or do we need more?
