CHANDIGARH BY LE CORBUSIER

History

The birth of the city of Chandigarh was conceived immediately after India‘s
Independence in 1947. With the division of a nation into India and Pakistan, this was
also the day of division of State of Punjab (Punj+Aab) named so for being the
land of five rivers being divided into two states. Pakistan was ceded the larger
western part, including the Punjabi capital of Lahore, leaving the Indian (East) Punjab
without an administrative, commercial, or cultural capital.

It was decided to build a new Capital city called Chandigarh about 240 kms. north of
New Delhi on a gently sloping terrain with foothills of the Himalayas the Shivalik range
of the North and two Seasonal rivulets flowing on its two sides approximately 7-8 kms
apart. The geographical location of the city is 30 degree 50' N latitude and 76 degree 48'
longitude and it lies at an altitude varying from 304.8 to 365.76 meters above sea level.

It was hoped that a grand new capital would become a symbol of modernity, heal the
wounded pride of Indian Punjabis, and house thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees
from Pakistan.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, laid down the founding principles of the new city when he said
“Let this be a new town, symbolic of freedom of India unfettered by the
traditions of the past….. an expressions of the nation’s faith in the future”.

Le Corbusier produced a plan for Chandigarh that confirmed to the modern city
planning principles, and a hierarchy of road and pedestrian networks. Divided the city
into units called 'sectors', each representing a theoretically self-sufficient entity with
space for living

Selection of Site

To select a suitable site, the Govt. of Punjab appointed a Committee in 1948 under the
Chairmanship of P.L Verma, Chief Engineer to assess and evaluate the existing towns in
the State for setting up the proposed capital of Punjab. However, none was found
suitable on the basis of several reasons, such as military vulnerability, shortage of
drinking water, inaccessibility, inability to cope influx of large number of refugees etc.
The present site was selected in 1948 taking into account various attributes :

Central location in the state,

Proximity to the national capital
Availability of sufficient water supply, fertile of soil, gradient of land for natural
drainage
Beautiful site with the panorama of blue hills as backdrop & moderate climate.
The area was a flat, gently sloping plain of agricultural land dotted with groves of mango
trees which marked the sites of 24 villages or hamlets -- one of which was named
Chandigarh on account of its temple dedicated to the goddess.

The general ground level of the site ranges from 305 to 366 meters with a 1 per cent
grade giving adequate drainage. To the northeast are the foothills of the Himalayas --
the Shivalik Range -- rising abruptly to about 1524 meters and a dramatic natural
backdrop.

One seasonal stream, the Patiali ki Rao, lies on the western side of the city and
another, the Sukhna Choe, on the eastern side. A third, smaller seasonal stream flows
through the very center of Chandigarh. The area along this stream bed has been turned
into a series of public gardens called the Leisure Valley.

Planners

Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew

Le Corbusier Pierre Jeaneret

• In the late 1940's very few Indian architects were professionally trained in town
planning so it was necessary to look abroad for a man to carry out the Chandigarh
scheme.

• The search led to the USA and Albert Mayer. Graduate of the MIT and
founder of the large New York architectural firm of Mayer, Whittlesey and Glass.

• Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki evolved a fan shaped Master Plan of super
block.

• The super block was designed as a self –sufficient neighborhood units placed
along the curvilinear roads and comprised of cluster type housing (
curvilinear roads was the main idea of Novicki) , markets and centrally
located open spaces. Fan shaped plan of Novicki was based on English garden
movement, Green belt towns together with Los Angeles suburbs, Baldwin Hills,
super blocks. It lacked originality though functionally efficient. Nowicki offered
“the leaf plan”, also blending modern architectural solution with Indian way of
life.
 • Novicki was tragically killed in an air accident and Mayer decided to discontinue.
Thereafter, the work was assigned to a team of architects led by Charles Eduard
Jeanneret better known as Le Corbusier in 1951.

Then the Chandigarh project was handed over to Le Corbusier who was assisted by three
senior architects, Maxwell Fry, his wife Jane B Drew and Corbusier’s cousin, Pierre
Jeanneret.

The Master Plan was developed by Le Corbusier who also designed the Capital Complex
and established the architectural control & design of the main building of the city. The
design of housing for Govt. employees, schools, shopping centers, hospitals were
disturbed among the three senior architects.

Maxwell Fry and Jane B. Drew worked for about three years on the project and then left
due to their engagements elsewhere.

Pierre Jeanneret who ultimately became the Chief Architect and Town Planning Adviser
to Govt. of Punjab returned to Switzerland in 1965.

M.N. Sharma took over from Pierre Jeanneret as the first Indian Chief Architect of the
Project and after the reorganization of the State of Punjab in 1966 and the establishment
of Union Territory, Chandigarh.

Connectivity

Chandigarh is very well connected

to the state of Punjab, Haryana,
and Himachal Pradesh.

The city is directly connected to

Delhi by National highway 22,
which connects it with Shimla too.
NH 21 and NH 64 connect
Chandigarh with the state of
Punjab.

Finally in March, 1948, the Government of Punjab in consultation with the Government
of India, approved a 114.59 sq. km tract of land at the foot of the Shivalik Hills in Ropar
district as the site of the new capital. An existing village gave its name (Chandi - Goddess
of Power + garh - fortress) to the new city. The location of Chandigarh is about 240 kms.
north of New Delhi on a gently sloping terrain with foothills of the Himalayas the
Shivalik range of the North.
Le Corbusier produced a plan for Chandigarh that confirmed to the modern city
planning principles, and a hierarchy of road and pedestrian networks. Divided the city
into units called 'sectors', each representing a theoretically self-sufficient entity with
space for living, working and leisure.

SECTOR- THE BASIS PLANNING UNIT

The primary module of city’s design is a Sector, a neighborhood unit of size 800 meters x
1200 meters. Each sector 1.25km × .81km. Chandigarh boasts a modern infrastructure,
open spaces, greenery, cleanliness, and a relatively low population density.

Divided into 46 rectangular sectors, numbered 1-12 and 14-47 (13 was deemed unlucky),
most sectors have an area of nearly 250 acres and a housing capacity of about 10,000 TO
15,000 people.

It is a self-sufficient unit having shops, school, health centers and places of recreations
and worship. Population of a sector varies between 3000 and 35,000 depending upon
the sizes of plots and the topography of the area. The Northern sector has more density
than southern sectors. Designed to be self-contained in civic amenities, the sectors are
separated from each other by broad streets for the city's fast-moving arterial traffic. In
the northeast is the artificial Lake Sukhna, a major recreational spot of the city.
 • Every sector is introvert in character and permits only 4 vehicular entries into its
interior.

• The shopping street of each sector is linked to the shopping street of the adjoining
sectors thus forming one long, continuous ribbon like shopping street. The central
green of each Sector also stretches to the green of the next sector

• The bus stand is in the center of the city (sector 17). By Train: Chandigarh is
linked with its principal gateway city, Delhi. Chandigarh railway station is 8km
from the city center in sector 17. Other important and long distance trains are also
connected from various parts of the country.

The Master Plan of Chandigarh

Le Corbusier conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as analogous to human body,
with
a clearly defined head (the Capitol Complex, Sector 1), heart (the city Centre, Sector 17),
lungs (the leisure valley, innumerable open spaces and sector greens), the intellect(the
cultural and educational institutions), the circulatory system (the network of roads, the 7
Vs) and the viscera (the industrial Area). The concept of the city is based on four major
functions: living, working, care of the body and spirit and circulation.

Residential sector constitute the living part whereas the Capitol Complex, city centre,
Educational Zone (Post Graduate Institute, Punjab Engineering College, Punjab
University) and the Industrial Area constitute the working part. The Leisure Valley,
Gardens, Sector Greens and Open Courtyards etc. are for the care of body and spirit. The
circulation system comprises of 7 different types of roads known as 7 Vs Later on a
pathways for cyclists called V8 were added to this circulation system.

The Capital complex comprises three architectural masterpieces, the Secretariat, the
High Court and the Legislative Assembly, separated by large piazzas. In the heart
of the Capital Complex stands the giant metallic sculpture of the Open Hand, the official
emblem of Chandigarh, signifying the city’s credo of “Open to give, Open to
receive”.

The city centre (Sector 17) is the heart of Chandigarh’s activities. It comprises the Inter-
State Bus Terminus, Parade Ground, District Courts, etc. on one hand, and vast business
and shopping centre on the other. The 4-storey concrete buildings house banks and
offices above and showrooms/shops at the ground level with wide pedestrian
concourses.

The Neelam piazza in the center has fountains with light and water features. Sector 34 is
another newly developed commercial sector. At least three blocks in Sector 34 are
proposed to have 10 storey buildings to have offices, multiplexes and hotels. As per the
new proposal each building will have its own style and will not conform to the grey look.
An 8 Kms long linear-park, known as the Leisure Valley, runs through the city from its
north eastern tip to its south-western end. The Rose Garden, Bougainvillea Garden,
Shanti Kunj, Fitness Track, Topiary Park, Terrace Garden, Hibiscus Garden, Garden of
Fragrance, Garden of Annuals, Garden of Herbs & Shrubs, Champa Park, Botanical
Garden, etc. all form a part of this green belt in the city, combining modernity with
ecology.

Type o f Roads and its functions

V-1 Roads connecting Chandigarh with other cities like Ambala, Kharar and Shimla.
They have dual carriageway, good tree plantation and distinctive central verge lighting.
The Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg are two roads, which merge into V-1s leading the
Kalka and Ambala, respectively.

V-2 They are the major avenues of Chandigarh, with important institutional and
commercial functions running alongside. In Chandigarh they are identifiable as ‘Marg’,
Madhya Marg,Dakshin Marg, Jan Marg, Himalaya Marg, Uttar Marg and Purv Marg are
important examples.

V-3 They are the corridor- streets for fast moving vehicular traffic. A sector is
surrounded either by V-2 of V-3 roads.

V –4 Roads bisecting the Sector with shopping complex located along their southern
edge.

V –5 Roads meandering through the sector giving access to its inner lands.

V –6 Roads coming off of the V-5s and leading to the residential houses.

V-7 They are intended for pedestrian movement and run through the middle of the
sector in the green areas.
Chandigarh was planned for a population of half-a-million. In Phase I, 36 sq kms of land
was acquired by the city administration for construction of 30 sectors.

Land for seventeen additional sectors (Sector 31 to 47) was acquired and developed
during the second phase to cater for a population of 3,50,000.

The predominance of apartments in the second phase provide for higher population
dimension. However, Chandigarh has now grown beyond its planned capacity. Hence,
development in the third phase has started in sectors 48 and beyond. By 2021 the
population of Chandigarh is projected to be around 19.5 lakhs (at current rate of
growth), which is approx. four times the planned capacity of the city.