From time immemorial, in every culture, the work pattern has been to combine work with residence: e.g. early tool-making in dwelling-caves, home artisans and craftsmen, todays garage and cottage industries. Todays zoning that strictly segregates residential and commercial areas arose only during the Industrial Revolution, when it became necessary to keep noisy sooty industries away from residential areas.
Today, our major industries lie well outside most cities, and IT, services and similar non-offensive trades are on the rise. So it is vital to allow mixed use zoning where small-time entrepreneurs and professionals can operate from their homes, usually living in or above their work-places. Mixed zoning in the outskirts will attract blue-collar population pressure away from the city centre, where living costs are most expensive but varied employment is now easiest to obtain. This realistic policy that minimizes commuting will also hugely reduce transportation requirements and urban air pollution. This has also been recommended by the National Slum Policy Sec 5d .
