The importance of hills and oceans

It may be because I grew up on a hill, and have holidayed near an ocean every year, but I’m finding my psycho-topographical needs are not being met by the flat inland expanse of Delhi. A recent visit to Mumbai, which is blessed with both hills and ocean, reminded me of these invisible but visceral wants.

The Delhi of many kingdoms sits grandly in the middle of a vast plain, dissected by ancient rivers that have seen better days. But modern Delhi has succumbed to the bloating of the middle aged. Unconstrained by geography it has eaten all the pies, sprawled out into adjoining states, low density for the most, cars essential, and Delhites undertaking massive daily treks to get from A to B.

And because it is so big, and so flat and so low rise, there is nowhere in the city where you can get a decent view of the path ahead as you trundle around town. There are a few vantage points atop five star hotels. And the minaret in Jama Masjid has an amazing view over the rooftops of the old city. But most days are spent focusing on the immediate action at street level. There are charms to this, but for the most, it feels like a train ride in the dark – you can’t see where you’re going, or measure how far you’ve come. You’re just moving from one busy flat space to another.

Where Delhi has let itself go, Mumbai has been forced, by a chronic shortage of land, to build up. Mumbai is blessed with ocean (to gaze at) and hills (to gaze from). I know nobody would ever accuse Mumbai of being well planned, but the incidental views make it a much easy city to digest. And the higher density gives Mumbai a humanity (perhaps too much humanity) which the vastness of Delhi sometimes misses.

I have a controversial plan for Delhi, which is yet to find a seconder, and will require some fine tuning before I take out full page newspaper ads. Suffice to say it would ameliorate the topography issue by building up where previous generations built out (and perhaps importing a few hillocks). Those who know my views on Canberra will be utterly unsurprised by my ideas on what makes a city liveable.

Until I bring this plan to fruition (and given it involves the removal of politician housing on quarter acre blocks in the heritage sector of town, this is not so likely), I will just have to get my hill and ocean needs on weekend trips away.