Why boundaries drive me up the wall

No, I am not talking about boundary walls on the India-China or India-Pakistan border, and neither am I suggesting we live without boundary walls along the international border. I am talking about the boundary walls around our offices, residences and apartment complexes. Though we need boundary walls around our places of work and stay for security and privacy, I talk about a space without them.

Even to someone like me who has never taken a course on anything to do with urban planning or urban form, the very sight of six-foot high concrete boundary wall is grotesque and the permanent damage it causes to aesthetics of urban form is beyond repair. Aren’t they just eyesores that block the entire view as well as light from that ultimate source of all energy - the sun? This includes high-walled residences of actors in posh colonies. Do we really need these monstrosities in the name of privacy and security? After all, what other purpose do they serve? Can’t boundary walls be replaced by hedges, before you scream and say no, I meant broad step hedges or stepover hedges, so that everyone can view the architectural marvel that people construct and there is a soft visual barrier pleasing to the eye between the properties.

Low cost alternatives

Now what about security, everyone agrees that this is the most important purpose of boundary walls. The answer is simple…a hedge of one foot of bougainvillea, six inches of a thorny bush and may be another six inches of cactus will serve the same purpose. Your choice, it can be vice-versa. Imagine the saving made in terms of the cost. Having worked in the government sector, I have encountered endless number of projects where, after getting land, the first step is to get a sanction from the finance department to construct a boundary wall.

And lo and behold! You will have a temporary site office (for constructing the boundary wall) that will never get demolished even after the project has been completed! Then, entire state machinery monitors the construction of the great boundary wall. Now it’s a different matter that after many years that’s all that would have come up!

Environmental benefits

The benefits of such alternatives are enormous for the environment. The increase in greenery and the resultant reduction in the lingering carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, the maintenance cost and, lastly, the improved urban form - isn’t it definitely worth our will to build sans boundary walls? And believe you me, it might be easy to catch a burglar if the view is unrestricted and don’t forget your call drops due to high boundary walls.

Remember, even the Berlin wall came crashing down!