How do we envision a future that allows us to advance as a species, but does not cost us our environment? Since our culture of wasteful consumption significantly contributes to the ongoing environmental crisis, how do we devise a metric that stops considering growth in production as the primary indicator of progress? The Mindfulness City envisioned for the town of Gelephu in Southern Bhutan, aims to counter the typically invasive nature of urban development and amplify the country’s abundant biodiversity by developing neighbourhoods defined by ecological constructs. These local areas, shaped by hilly terrain and the flow of rivers and streams, will accommodate cascading urban terraces, covering the rural and recreational highlands to the urban and dense lowlands.

Eleven distinct neighbourhoods, inspired by the principles of Mandala, are envisioned to inhabit the infrastructure, ecological features, and utilities of Gelephu. A series of structures are organised symmetrically around a central public space and a gradual density is built—from small buildings dispersed in the landscape in the north to larger footprints within an urban environment in the south. Amid a region fragmented by the rivers, these neighbourhoods are tied together by three main mobility connections that run transversally and double as transport infrastructure with civic and cultural facilities, creating a series of ‘inhabitable bridges’.

Bhutan has been globally renowned for its departure from GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to measure its progress. Instead, Bhutan uses a more comprehensive metric—the GNH, or the Gross National Happiness Index. The nine domains of GNH include psychological well-being, health, time use and balance, education, living standards, good governance, ecological and cultural diversity, resilience, and community vitality. It has been said that these factors, informed by the country's strong spiritual heritage, are embedded in the values of the Mindfulness City. The inhabitable bridges that form the connecting links between the neighbourhoods are tailored to each of the nine Gross National Happiness domains.

The 1000+ sq km masterplan is designed by BIG’s landscape and urban design teams in collaboration with Arup—a British multinational professional services firm that provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services—and Cistri—a Singapore-based consultancy firm that specialises in urban development across the disciplines of economics, planning, and design. Through the project’s initiative, Bhutan continues establishing ways in which it can develop more holistically, and improve the lives of its people. “The future Gelephu Special Administration Region, located on the India-Bhutan border, will leverage its location and connectivity to South and Southeast Asia to lay the foundation for the country’s future growth and create economic opportunities for its citizens through investments in green technology, education, and infrastructure,” BIG states in an official press release.

The world’s first carbon-negative country, Bhutan is nestled between mountains, forests and rivers, and is one of the last biodiversity hotspots in the world with over 70 per cent of the country covered in forests. These factors make it imperative for the development to be ecologically sensitive, and provide the Bhutanese people with an infrastructure that could create a global presence while retaining their cultural integrity. Describing how the intervention is imagined to respond to the place, Bjarke Ingels, the founder of the Danish architecture firm BIG says, “Shaped by waterways, Gelephu becomes a land of bridges, connecting nature and people, past and future, local and global. Like the traditional Dzongs, these inhabitable bridges turn into cultural landmarks, doubling as transportation infrastructure combined with civic facilities.”

As measures of resilience against the monsoon flooding, the project includes the development of paddy fields along the site’s rivers and tributaries, intending to function as biodiversity corridors for the local flora and fauna, leaving the migratory routes of elephants and other wildlife undisturbed. The design for these bridges locates a new airport, a spiritual centre that allows glimpses into the daily practices of the monks and masters of mindfulness, and a cultural centre to sensitise visitors about Bhutanese culture and customs. These bridges also house a university, a healthcare centre converging Eastern and Western medicine, a hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouse putting forth ancient farming practices and modern agro-science for daily commuters, and a market adorned with Bhutanese textiles.

The final bridge is a hydroelectric dam anticipated to be built as a 21^stcentury rendition of the Tiger’s Nest—a sacred Buddhist complex located on a cliffside of the upper Paro valley in Bhutan. The bridge is planned on the city’s western border, with a stepwell retaining wall that would offer viewpoints, staircases for meditative walks, and a temple. Visitors and pilgrims can ascend and descend along countless individual routes to the visitor centre and temple nestled within the manmade cliff. The Sankosh Temple-Dam aims to embody in its architectural form all the foundational elements of Gelephu: the harmonious coexistence of culture and nature, conceived as a hybrid child of Bhutan’s rich past heritage and its prosperous future legacy.

The urban proposal continues with its aim to integrate nature by creating intimate streets that are paved with permeable pavers and provide resilience by allowing stormwater to seep into the ground rather than the sewage system. Local materials such as wood, stone, and bamboo are visualised to build the architecture, while the aesthetics include details of vernacular motifs such as rabsel, cornices, ornaments, and roofscapes. The project depicts a vision of the future that isn’t disengaged with the social, cultural and environmental values of Bhutan; it becomes an engaging example of critical regionalism. While the vision seems promising, it raises significant concerns as well. The Mindfulness City has also drawn its fair share of criticism with the proposal showcasing a considerable portion of its construction built on river streams. The substantial footprint of the proposed project also lies in an eco-sensitive zone, and while it seems to be less intrusive than razing the area, it would still have a considerable impact due to the development of man-made structures in fragile ecosystems. The proposal offers a challenging conundrum and an important inquiry—Is there a way of developing essential infrastructure while thoroughly preserving nature?