The lessons of other cityscapes might not always be relevant to Kathmandu planners. But there is India's Doon Valley.
Rapid introduction of modern transportation and growth of centralised economies has sparked uncontrolled urbanisation all over the Third World. The problems associated with urbanisation in mountain regions of developing countries are compounded by the high valleys' limitations of geography, ecology and economy.
Kathmandu, Thimphu, and other "urbanising valleys" of the Himalayan region are faced with the challenges of hosting large populations in resource-poor hillsides. Fortunately, they stand to benefit from the experience of Doon Valley in Garhwal, which is unique for having actively sought to come to terms with expansion and development. While the activists of Doon do not have all the answers, they have shown that sustainable progress cannot come in the Himalayan valleys in the absence of dialogue, information, activism, legislation and litigation.
To understand the lessons of the Doon and to positively influence the current course of Kathmandu Valley's development, one needs to understand the air and water patterns of Himalayan valleys, the economic importance of urbanizing mountain regions, the need for public environmental awareness, and the need to enact new laws for change.