Chaos theory

UPTU End Semester Examinations
Civil Engineering
2025-26
Chaos Theory [TCV - 101]

Q. Draw the plan of a city with unplanned roadways, illegal constructions, overflowing population, shortage of basic amenities like water and electricity, potholes with sections of flat roads at not so regular intervals, construction work that just makes these "roads" even smaller, people who don't know how to drive big-ass expensive cars from riding bullock-carts, so-called traffic laws coupled with zero law enforcement and other similar factors that are supposed to make life hell for anyone in this city who has to go from Point A to Point B. Also name the city which most closely resembles this plan and comment on the plan.

Listed below is a chart of distances covered and the time taken to cover them on an everyday route by a common man on a common day at a common time.

Distance (in kms) : Time (in hrs)

0.1 : 0.25
1 : 0.5
3 : 1
5 : 1.5
8 : 3
10* : NA
(*covering this distance in one stretch should not be tried in real life)

Deduce the average speed of the journey in each case. Assume an extrapolated figure for the last case.

(50+50=100)

Ans. Delhi - I think that the question in itself is a sufficient comment on the plan of the city. It would be unfair to the architects who worked on this city's plan (and to the people who would live in the new city) if we reproduce the same plan for another city.

The distance-time relationships given here are highly subjective as other factors like unnecessary barricades and road-blocks (for eg. due to a VIP Convoy of 50 high-end SUVs heading towards a McDonald's Drive Through in the busiest marketplace of the above mentioned city), monsoon showers that deepen the depressions in the potholes and other forms of traffic like stray cattle, daredevils on bicycles and jaywalking pedestrians have not been taken into consideration (an average 1km journey with all these factors taken into consideration has been known to last for a minimum of 3.5 hours).

Therefore, here is a subjective calculation for the average speeds:

Distance (in Kms) : Speed

0.1 : Slow
1 : Very Slow
3 : Agonizingly Slow
5 : Murderously Slow
10 : Indeterminable