A rendered Chicago skyline depicts the twisting 115-storey tower designed by celebrated architect Santiago Calatrava

Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul had labelled it ?the most depressing of all cities?. French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss called it ?the showcase of all that we would hate in the world?. To G?nter Grass, it seemed ?a heap of shit released by God?.

Intense urban decay, an uninspiring skyline, lack of conservation commitment and, of course, piecemeal planning have besmirched Calcutta?s global image. But if a section of city architects and urban planners has its way, our urbanscape could be in for a welcome facelift soon.

Smarting under the weight of negative epithets, some members of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), West Bengal chapter, are poised to form a dedicated pressure group that will, with the help of government agencies, monitor the quality and context of new development and facilitate sustainable restoration.

?We can set up a Calcutta Architectural Society, on the lines of the Chicago Architectural Society, which showcases development in Chicago city,? observes Partha Ranjan Das, architect and urban designer. Das had raised the issue at the recently-held architects? conclave in town and the proposal elicited a favourable response.

Dulal Mukherjee, chairman of the IIA?s state chapter, agrees that the primary role of the society should be to formulate a set of urban design guidelines to avoid ?eyesores? and ?out-of-sync? constructions. The association feels members from the PWD, CMDA, CMC, CIT, Howrah Improvement Trust, besides faculty from the departments of architecture and history from top colleges, should be drafted into the committee.

?The society can pressure the administration to encourage public participation and feedback in the city?s development. The Calcutta Information Centre premises could be used to display models of upcoming public-space projects, as is done abroad,? says Das.

Overhauling the ?archaic education system? and controlling recruitment of teaching architects at the three colleges is also high on the IIA's agenda. To arrest the brain drain, the association is keen to coordinate with agencies like the British Council, American Center and Max Mueller Bhavan to draw faculty from overseas institutions, like Harvard or MIT.

The Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects have been working closely with the respective administrations to improve the skylines.

It?s time the IIA takes more responsibility to contribute towards sensitising both the government and private developers towards the need for meaningful and sustainable development, feels architect-planner Mukul Mitra.

?We need to start at the grassroots, taking environment and design education to primary schools, like they have done in Scandinavia,? observes veteran architect and planner Santosh Ghosh, former chief architect, Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Organisation (CMPO).

Das adds that the formation of an urban arts commission to monitor design and ensure better aesthetics in our urban fabric should be a priority with the pressure group. "Documentation of our existing treasures and making sure any new development can blend seamlessly with the old structures must also be the prerogative of the society.?