In Singapore, everything is predictable and the design of urban landscape is highly consistent. Very few roads lead to surprises, especially those near the city center.
Even our housing estates are highly structured and there are minimal surprise elements.
In Bangalore [I assume it is similar in other parts of India], each lane branching off from the main road has a unique story to tell.
Imagine each of the HDB [public housing] floors is on the ground and each such floor has different road conditions, different communities, different character and winds unendingly.
I can’t help but wonder each time I look down a lane what is happening on that street, and what part of it ends in a dirt path and suddenly the urban part disappears and slum conditions begin…
I suppose each of the HDB floors has a story to tell but because it is so predictably structured that I automatically assume the stories are also predictably the same. In the dark, windy, uneven lanes where cows roam freely and on occasion a camel is being led by its owner, dogs criss cross at will, bikes zip nosily along, I somehow expect dramas to be spilling onto the street.
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