Atlas Prep Review [Part 1 of 2]

We had a long day on Thursday. First, eight hours of review, then three hours (optional) to see the Design for Development (D4D) group presentations. Seeing as how the D4D class parallels the studio and seminar in terms of the work focusing on Kolkata, I figured it’d be a good idea – at this time – to briefly mention the projects. I’ll upload more info on D4D as I get it.

Besides making the atlas, we need to be thinking of questions to ask once we’re there. These are questions that will inform our understanding of Kolkata and environs and questions that will inform any design decisions later on (note: we start design a couple of weeks after we get back). The following summary of those eight hours are based on what I heard and wrote down. This atlas is a process, and, as such, the following does not represent a finalized… ‘anthology of questions’, if you will.

Human Movement: Eco-Tourism

• Has Kolkata strategically taken advantage of eco-tourism?
  
• How well are they prepared?
  
• How can you tap into the global human movement network (note: this was in reference to India giving dual-citizenship to Indians living abroad because of the great amount of wealth that could start funneling into the country if Indians started to heavily travel back and forth to India)?
  

Mapping specific questions: What about a map of migration?

Pollution + Climate Patterns

• What happens to wastewater and how is it handled?
  
• What is the policy of land speculation for water (drilled wells, aquifers, etc)? What are the rules that govern water policy?
  

‘Spine’/Transect: Ecosystem [Stephen]

• What are the preserves around Kolkata?
  
• Are certain animals located where they are because of resources available to feed those animals, or are there discrete places that can accommodate those animals (e.g., a 5,000 acre preserve)?
  
• What is the cultural patchwork to make this possible?
  
• What are the migratory trajectories?
  
• How does the ecosystem change over/across political boundaries?
  

Mapping specific comments: We need a base map that identifies between the developed areas and sanctuaries. Characterize the age of the delta. Figuring out the idiosyncrasies of representing between arid and water areas and density map of animals were the final comments.

Hydrology [Filomena+Erin]

There weren’t specific questions here as were comments about tagging the maps and images. How do you leave a map for someone who lives there? How can you translate monsoon, typically codified as a positive, into a negative? For example, monsoon as “danger” as glacier melt would be dangerous to Kolkata.

Mapping specific comments: We don’t have a deforestation map. Such a map would have an impact on hydrology. Also, we need a map on the anticipation of urban growth.