Thimphu’s Growing Pains Challenges of Implementing the City Plan Manka Bajaj དཔལ་འབྲུག་筲བ་འὴག་ལྟེ་བ། The Centre for Bhutan Studies & GNH Research Thimphu’s Growing Pains: Challenges of Implementing the City Plan By Manka Bajaj Copyright © 2014 The Centre for Bhutan Studies & GNH Research Published by: The Centre for Bhutan Studies & GNH Research Post Box No. 1111 Thimphu, Bhutan Tel: 975-2-321005/321111 Fax: 975-2-321001 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt The views expressed in this publication are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Centre for Bhutan Studies & GNH Research. ISBN 978-99936-14-76-0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Patrick Le Galès, who mobilized his vast knowledge of the literature to diagnose my musings and prescribed the most fitting readings. Thank you for putting up with my incohesive drafts and allowing me to chart my own course without getting lost in the universe of fields! I am also very grateful to the pedagogical team of Sciences Po‟s MA, “Governing the Large Metropolis”, for all their support, notably Prof. Tommaso Vitale for teaching me how to write a policy paper. I would like to acknowledge Omair Ahmad whose book was a useful introduction to Bhutan and who connected me with the Centre for Bhutan Studies. I am very grateful to the Centre, especially Dasho Karma Ura for his encouragement as well as Mr. Tshering Phuntsho. Also Ms. Yangrey Lhamo for her assistance. I would like to extend my gratitude to everybody in Bhutan for being so helpful - Rajni Chavda for being there from the beginning to the end and Karma Choden, day and night! My collective thanks to Thimphu‟s very own Aam Admi Party which includes friends at Thimphu Thromde especially Ugyen Dorji and Thinley Norbu without whose inputs this work would not be possible. A special thanks to Sarvajit Rai for opening the door for me. In particular, Mr. Geley Norbu, not only for his time but also for sharing some of his own work which was a key foundation for my research. My family, especially mom for being my crisis cell. Dad, Samar and of course Kanak and Kanika for being their always, especially in the end. My friends, Hugo Ribadeau Dumas and Unnati Pant for listening to my ramblings and sharing their thoughts, especially Arthur Crestani for taking the trouble to read my first chapter and reminding me to connect the dots. iii I would also like to thank Dasho Thrompon and Mr. Meghraj Adhikari for making the time for me on more than one occasion. Friends at DHI, who would get up in their meals to drop me off, Passang, Kinzang and Sonam. Finally all the others, who made the trouble to talk to me including, Supe, Kelly, Sangay Kidd, Tashi, Deki‟s mom and my landlords for some very interesting discussions. The list is endless, everybody helped and put together a piece of what is here today. However none of the above persons are responsible for my speculative analyses. iv Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................... iii GLOSSARY .................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ..................................................................... ix I. Introduction ................................................................ 1 1.1 Thimphu 2027: A Dream City ..................................... 2 1.2 Thimphu today: Paradoxes of planning ....................... 5 1.3 This study: Why do rules not work? .......................... 13 1.4 Argument and logic of chapters ................................. 16 II. Research Design ....................................................... 19 2.1 Literature review ...................................................... 19 2.2 Puzzle: How do actors escape institutional constraints? ...................................................................................... 26 2.3 Theoretical framework: Strategic action fields ............ 26 2.4 Methodology ............................................................. 34 III. Thimphu City: Growth Dynamics ............................. 37 3.1 The Residents: Socio-economic & demographic profile 37 3.2 The city: Spatial changes & the construction boom.... 43 3.3 Housing Market: Characteristics & disparities ........... 47 3.4 Conclusion ............................................................... 55 IV. Thimphu Structure Plan: Objectives & Outcomes .... 57 4.1 Policy vision: Development control ............................ 57 4.2 Plan implementation: Increased precinct densities .... 68 4.3 Analysis of deviations: Case by case exemption ......... 75 4.4 Conclusion ............................................................... 78 V. Planning Governance: Actors & their Interests ......... 80 5.1 State authorities: City Corporation & Central agencies ...................................................................................... 81 5.2 Citizens: Landowners & People‟s representatives ....... 88 5.3 Market: Infrastructure investors& private sector ....... 90 v 5.4 Conclusion ............................................................... 92 VI. Authorization of Deviations: Why & How ................. 95 6.1 Why? Gaps and conflicts in rule design ..................... 98 6.2 How veto players challenge the rules ....................... 103 6.3 How municipal officials authorize deviations ........... 106 6.4 Conclusion ............................................................. 114 VII. Conclusion ............................................................ 116 7.1 Findings: Why don‟t rules work in Thimphu? .......... 118 7.2 Contribution: Busting three common myths ............ 126 7.3 So what? Lessons for the way forward ..................... 132 7.4 Conclusion: Taking a pragmatic approach to policy . 134 Bibliography ................................................................ 137 Annexes ...................................................................... 150 vi GLOSSARY ADB Asian Development Bank BAF Bhutan Archery Foundation BBR Bhutan Building Rules DCD Development Control Division DCR Development Control Regulation DUDH Department of Urban Development and GNHC Gross National Happiness Commission I&MS Implementing and Monitoring Section MoC Ministry of Communication MoF Ministry of Finance MoHCA Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs Ministry of Works and Human MoWHS Settlements NEC National Environment Commission NLCS National Land Commission Secretariat National Housing Development NHDCL Corporation Ltd. Property Assessment and Valuation PAVA Agency RBA Royal Bhutan Army RBG Royal Body Guard RBP Royal Bhutan Policy RGoB Royal Government of Bhutan TCC Thimphu City Corporation TSP Thimphu Structure Plan United Nations Centre for Human UNCHS Settlements UPD Urban Planning Division vii ABSTRACT This study analyses the urban planning efforts of the government for an explanation of some unintended outcomes. A popular perception is that development in Thimphu city could do with better planning. On the contrary, there have been extensive efforts from both the Thimphu Thromde and MoWHS to control land use and regulate building design through policies like the Thimphu Structure Plan 2003-27 and its attached Development Control Regulations 2004. The question driving the research is to explain why despite the rules in place, planning goals are not achieved. The study identifies why and how actors avoid compliance to the original planning codes. It is observed that the implementation process has been extremely slow and even after ten years, only six (of the first set of twelve) Local Area Plans (LAPs) have been implemented. This is mainly due to a lengthy process of land readjustment prolonged by limited organizational capacity, faulty cadastral information and some resistant landowners. In areas where the LAPs have been implemented, deviations are already evident by reduced share of planned public spaces (e.g. neighbourhood servicing node in Babesa). Authorization of deviations on a case by case basis accumulated towards an overall level of denser development. Although the plan wanted to balance development with nature, traditional architecture and affordable housing, it has aggravated imbalances on all three parameters. Plan implementation proceeded in a way that community & green spaces diminished and private buildings came up in areas not reserved for development.To explain these rule deviation, it is argued that implementation was a highly individualized process of negotiation between the municipality and property ix owners. The predominant mechanism for non-compliance is legal authorization of deviations either by a government order/letter or by rule revision. The study is relevant for governments and international development partners for understanding policy implementation failures. It provides real illustrations of organizational issues in a rapidly growing bureaucracy and how multiplicity of authorities weakened the authority of the plan, which was frequently overruled. x I. Introduction Last year in June, the flash floods of north India swept over entire towns like Kedarnath, endangering the life of over 100,000 residents and pilgrims (Sati 2013). The immediate cause was attributed to a cloud burst but precipitation excess of 400 mm isn't unprecedented in the Himalayan region; in 1965, Uttarakhand received as much as 900m rainfall in a single day (Bidwai 2013). Environmentalists have argued that the 2013 cloudburst would not have become a disaster of such magnitude had the state government