CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE
Jawaharlal Nehru University
SEMINAR SERIES
MANSEE BAL BHARGAVA
Independent Researcher & Planning Practitioner
Urban Lake Governance in India
Abstract : The conventional approach to solve the problems of social-ecological system sustainability is to work towards improving the governance or management. The implicit assumption/hypothesis in this is that a ‘good’ kind of governance or management may solve the problems arising of the social-ecological systems such as, the rivers, the lakes, the forest, the infrastructure, etc. This causal relation is overtly relied upon and used to look for solutions to all the problems arising in this world including urbanisation. There is no harm in doing so if a few things are acknowledged in the processes, which have been missed out for long time. Social-ecological systems are intricately linked complex systems with complex problems. Importantly, their governance or management is complex and there is no panacea to solve all the problems. Part of the complexity arises from the knowledge of the social-ecological system that is in abundance but is divided by the boundaries of discipline, sector, region, etc. The complexity (of knowledge as well as the system) must be acknowledged. Integrated understanding of the complexity is important to reduce the current problems and delay the future problems to arrive. The presentation is about 'one way' of understanding the complexities of a social-ecological system exemplifying urban lake governance and sustainability in India within the larger purview of the state of water resources in India.
12:00 Noon, Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Conference Room, CSLG, JNU
About the Speaker: Mansee Bal Bhargava is a trans-disciplinary scholar interested in sustainability and liveability aspects of the built environment that includes architecture-design-development-planning-management-governance. She is the founder head of Environmental Design Consultants, Ahmedabad (founder-head). The research focus is on social-ecological systems, particularly the Commons like the water bodies and public open spaces. Her PhD (from Erasmus University Rotterdam) thesis on 'Urban Lake Governance and Sustainability in India from a Social-ecological Approach' focuses on the Complex Commons and the Polycentric Governance. Dr Bhargava is a visiting Professor (in Architecture-Planning) at a few Institutes in Ahmedabad and is currently working to complete a book (with Springer) on 'Urban Lake Governance in India'
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