Creating a Noble Humane Environment

What is Development?
Development must necessarily mean Human Development. No development effort can be meaningful and fruitful unless and until the development is people-oriented and aimed to result in healthy human growth This requires optimization of available resources through an Integrated Development Plan. The ultimate goal of such a development plan should be the provision of Right Opportunities for the satisfaction of Human Needs at different levels without undue exposure to  stresses. That is from the Basic Human Needs of Food Clothing, Shelter and Medicine, the people must ascend through Security and Social Needs, up to the Actualization of one’s Human Potential. The three primary factors influencing Human Development are: Environmental; Social   and Economic.

Environmental Factors
The Living Environment of Man is generated by Two Main Systems.  They are;

Built Forms and Nature
Built Forms heat up the Environment, Consume Valuable Resources, the Building Materials in built Forms emit hazardous radiations which are even Carcinogenic. They deplete Nature of Valuable Space too.

Nature:  Plants in Nature purify Air of Pollutants, emits pure Oxygen (nearly 13,000 pounds of Oxygen is released to the Atmosphere by about 50 well-grown Trees daily).  Greenery is pleasant to look at, Calms Nerves, relieves Stress, Cools Earth Surface, provides Shelter and Protects life from hazardous radiations.

In the name of Development why is man covering the earth with more and more hard materials like Bricks, Concrete and Stone, where Grass can easily be grown without any cost?  It is very destructive and foolish indeed to use a high strength material like Concrete to fill up the ground to the level of unnecessarily high Curb Stones instead of using earth.

By any standard it cannot be true development, but definitely destruction and deception in the name of development. Why is man foolishly wasting Money and Valuable Resources in building very expensive Boundary walls, when environment friendly Green Hedges could serve the same function elegantly and at minimum cost?  Boundary Walls of Hard Materials emit Noxious Gases, and heat up the environment turning the enclosed places  into  disease-causing unhygienic Cocoons, whereas  Hedges would turn them into  Stimulating Healthy Domains. Man must not only live healthily and interact socially with fellow humans,  but use limited resources intelligently and economically to sustain Development.

People interact within the family in their Homes, and Socially outside. The External Environment therefore has to be people friendly and Humane for healthy social interaction to take place

Social Development
People interact within the family in their Homes, and Socially outside. The External Environment therefore has to be people friendly and Humane for healthy social interaction to take place. The external places where people meet one another are mainly the Streets, then the Public Plazas, Water Fronts, Beaches,  Recreational Grounds, etc.

Firstly the Streets must be Pedestrian Supreme, and not Vehicular. The Biological Rhythmic Movement of Humans must be safely segregated from the Vehicular, by effective Landscaping using Tall trees planted on Ground, wherever possible, and not by low growth in Concrete Planters. Low growth in Concrete Planters on the Streets are hazardous to plants,  as they are directly exposed to a full blast of poisonous gasses emitted by the Autos. Further their maintenance costs are very high, as they need to be frequently watered and fertilized.  Such imposed maintenance work disrupts not only social life,  but causes traffic congestions, wastage of valuable resources and  people’s money.  Such development  cannot certainly be termed sustainable.  

The Sidewalks on Streets need to be finished as evenly as possible using a flowing material like Colas   which has Eco-friendly Surfacing Options in distinctive colours. Pram ride of a child has to be made as comfortable as possible on the pedestrian walks. Such will not be the case if the paving material is Bricks.  Bricks should be spared for Residential Construction as much as possible, and not waste on Pedestrian Pavements, where they get easily wasted by footwear and weather elements. Further they do not lend themselves to smooth paving round corners and edges without breaking. What a waste!  

Advertising on streets should be strictly controlled, and streamlined,  and never allow any dangerous protrusions at Human level on the Pedestrian Walks!  People must be liberated to their free human biological movements in a more Eco-friendly Stimulating Environment unhindered by  dangerous obstacles, to encourage healthy Social Interactions.  Humans need to be treated humanely, in all city spaces, and never allow  their Noble Human Nature to be disgraced and degraded to the level of Animals by meaningless accretions in the name of development. Such  additions  are vandalized by the users, as they fail to see any meaning and Human Dignity in them. 

Economic Development
Life is sustained on  suitable economic development. If people in an Economy are struggling to satisfy the basic Human Needs in Food Clothing, Shelter and Medicine, their talents will lie dormant,  making Self-Development and National Development only a dream indeed. No development that destroys Nature can be termed sustainable. Soil, Air, Water, Vegetation, and Life including Micro Organisms,  form a closely knit web,  depending on one another for survival. If any one in this  interdependent cycle is destroyed in the name of development, Total Destruction is inevitable. Is Man heading for this?  

Soil
Man has chosen it fit to cover more and more of Earth Surface with Concrete and Hard Paving Materials, even where grass can be grown at no cost, suffocating the micro organisms, and drying the soil by preventing water absorption. Chemical Fertilizers have poisoned the Soil with excessive Nitrogen, Phosphates, Arsenic and many heavy metals, causing a total imbalance in  the Soil Composition, thereby destroying the Vital Micro Organisms and the Natural Growth pattern of Vegetation. Polythene and discarded carcasses of Man’s numerous Machines, Utensils, and Garbage  have further polluted  the Soil with deadly poisons like Mercury, Cadmium, Lead, and many more.

Air
Air is constantly being polluted by Numerous Human Activities. 
 

• Industrial processes add Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons  (PFCs) and Sulfurhexafluorides (SF6).
• Burning of Solid waste and fossils, Agricultural and Industrial processes add           Nitrous Oxide.
• Decomposition of Organic Waste from Land Fills, and Livestock Farming emit Methane
• Carbon Dioxide, Lead, Carbon, Arsenic, Sulphur, etc. are added by burning of Fuels. Autos being the worst culprit.

Many are Greenhouse Gasses which heat up the environment, causing Global Warming.
Unfortunately Humans are rewarded with Autos,  which emit deadly poisons to the Environment.

Water 
Water, the Divine Medicine, which is a vital Life Line for  many a life, is  unfortunately  being heavily polluted by Man by his Garbage Disposals, Emissions, and even Foul Words. Research has shown that the Crystalline structure of such contaminated water exhibits  ugly formations.
Man not only contaminates, but  foolishly allows water to be drained  off to the Sea,  by collecting  in Concrete Drains and Channels, without permitting it to be absorbed to the ground to serve himself and all life. No Nation can rise to great heights or even dream of Sustainable Development  by such Foul Practices.