“There is this swanky mall on the one side and on the same street, you will notice so much going on — dogs chasing each other, a rickshaw wallah spitting on the side wall, children running helter-skelter — there is a classic intermingling of chaos in a seemingly modern setup,’’ adds Smith.

Other than Pune, the students will also be visiting Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, Guwahati and Kolkata. They will study the ancient architecture of these cities. Before coming to Pune, the students paid a two-day visit to Mumbai.

Their observations will hardly come as a surprise to Puneites. “Mumbai is cleaner; in Pune trash lies on every street. Pune has no master plan and although the rate of development is quite fast here, the infrastructure is just not equipped to support the massive-scale growth,’’ says fourth year student Rayna Toole.

Sangeeta Patel, a third year student and the only Indian in the group, voices her concern over the crumbling system. “The city is not ready for the influx of so many people. A classic example is during the Ganeshotsav, when devotees visit the city but most of them either camp on the streets or sidewalk,’’ observes Patel. The students have also met city-based architects, developers and local contractors to get their perspective on the planning and architecture of the city.

The project will also come in handy for the country’s planning authorities. The case studies prepared by students and the data collected during their stay here will be available for planning agencies like Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and other private developers.

... contd.