Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GUJARAT
GANDHINAGAR, Ahmedabad
GANDHINAGAR
• It is one of the most recently planned Indian cities. It is lying fifteen miles north of
Ahmedabad on the west bank of Sabarmati River and is a new capital of Gujarat State. Its
planning is based on the pattern of Le Corbusiar‟s Chandigarh. The main objective behind its
establishment was to relieve the overcrowding and polarization of the old city. Its total area
of 21 sq miles is divided into 30 sectors, each one of 1 x 3/4 km rectangle.
• It is flanked by light manufacturing industries besides residential areas and public
institutions. Gandhinagar is being planned in a manner to keep it off from all types of
pollution. It has for miles together rows of trees on both sides of the main road which
provide, beauty, health and convenience to the residents. An area between sectors 7 to 9
and the river bank is being developed as, recreational ground, where a lake is providing it a
scenic sight (Figure 19.1)
Gandhinagar Plan
• Each of the sectors of Gandhinagar is independent self sufficient where school, local
shopping centre, hospital, etc., provide basic amenities to consumers of all levels. Highways
and roads are joined by sub‐ways to keep the residential houses safe from vehicular traffic.
School‐children and tiny‐tots have play field near their residences and they are within their
walking distances. They need not to cross vehicular‐roads for making use of their schools,
playfield and a shop.
GANDHINAGAR
Introduction to Site
GANDHINAGAR
• Creating the new city was given to Indian architects H. K. Mewada and Prakash M. Apte, both
of whom had worked as apprentices during the construction of Chandigarh. The new city
was constructed according to their plan and was named Gandhinagar after Mahatma
Gandhi. Upon completion of the new city, the administrative capital of Gujarat was shifted
from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar.
• Gandhinagar is spread along the banks of the Sabarmati River, with the main city designed on
the west bank of the river on approximately 42.9 km² of land. Since it follows the river's
path, the site is gently sloping, from north‐east to south‐west.
• Fine landscape lies along the west bank of the river, which gives the city a majestic
appearance. Gandhinagar is the only new capital of a state in India that was designed and
planned by Indian town planners in service with the State Government. Since it is relatively
new, it is also considered the "greenest" town in the world.
• Gandhinagar comprises thirty sectors, and it is a highly structured city with a well ordered
street grid comprising blocks that are divided by two types of streets, similar to U.S.
avenues and streets.
• Gandhinagar has "letter roads" (K, KH, G, GH, CH, CHH, and JA) and "number roads" (1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, and 7). The letter roads run parallel across the city perpendicular to the number
roads, and both of the road types intersect each other to form a grid, with each block or
square in the grid given a sector number. Each intersection is marked by signal names such
as CH1, CH2, CH3 or JA1, JA2. This provides a high degree of organization and evenness to
the various parts of the city. GANDHI NAGAR
Sector Layout, Gandhinagar
GANDHINAGAR
• Being planned as the administrative capital of the state, current and future population
employed in state government offices was distributed in 30 residential sectors around the
State Assembly‐Secretariat complex. In each residential sector some 50 per cent of the
working population would be government‐employed. Plots on the periphery of each sector
were designated for private and supporting population and made up the other 50 per cent.
• The city was planned for a population of 150,000 but can accommodate double that figure
with increases in the floor space ratio (FSI) from one to two in the areas reserved for private
development in all residential sectors. The river being the border on the east, and the
industrial area to the north, the most logical future physical expansion of the city was
envisaged towards the north‐west.
• To retain the identity of the city as a new town and capital, the planners had provided for its
growth away from the city of Ahmedabad, which is to the south. Hence as a rational
extension of the grid to the north‐west the original planners had envisaged 30 additional
residential sectors that could accommodate a population of 450,000.
GANDHINAGAR
State Assembly, Gandhinagar
GANDHINAGAR
• Unlike Chandigarh, designed on barren lands with no sizeable existing human settlement
nearby, the site of Gandhinagar is just 23km north of the flourishing city of Ahmedabad. In
order to establish and maintain a separate identity for the new city, a surrounding area
consisting of about 39 villages was brought under a Periphery Control Act (as in Chandigarh)
that permitted new development of farm houses only. The area later constituted a separate
administrative district of Gandhinagar.
• The city is planned on the western bank of the river. Owing to constant military confrontation
with Pakistan, whose borders are close to the city, a large military presence was required.
The land acquired on the eastern bank, adjacent to national highway no.8, was therefore
allotted to the border security force and a military cantonment. Considering the mostly
south‐west to north‐east wind direction, the land to the north of the city was allotted for the
then biggest thermal power station and the adjacent areas were zoned for industrial use.
This area was distanced from the township by a 2,000ft wide green strip of thick
vegetation.
GANDHINAGAR
GANDHINAGAR – Sector Model
Gandhinagar is planned to function
mainly as administrative centre for the
state
• The sectors are numbered from 1 to 30
and they are formed by seven roads
running in each direction and cutting
each other perpendicularly.
• They are planned on the
neighbourhood concept in 2 phases
FIRST PHASE – Basic amenities were
constructed
SECOND PHASE – Construction pf Capital
complex, town halls, research institution,
cinemas, cultural centres, residential
bungalows, etc.
BHUBANESHWAR
BHUBANESHWAR
Koenigsberger’s design laid the city out in linear
pattern with a central artery forming a main spine
to which neighbourhood units were attached. It
was designed for a population of 40, 000.
Neighbourhood Units had all major amenities.
Each unit was to house a population for 5000 to
6000.
It had a clear social agenda in accordance to
Nehru’s Policies: neither cast or socio – economic
were to exist and gender equality and education
were to be stressed.
By 1961, the population reached 40,000. The plan
was revised by Julius Vaz to accommodate eleven
neighbourhood units instead of four units.
Nehru did not want Bhubaneshwar to become a
“city of big buildings”. It would accord with the
idea of reducing differences between rich and
poor.
ORISSA
BHUBANESHWAR
Old and New Town
The New Capital, the foundation
of which was laid in 1948, was
The Old Town is characterized by
started with a portion of a
mixed land‐use which is a usual
reserved forest as nucleus. It has
phenomenon with all ancient
now become a city which has
towns and cities of India. It
been built expending crores of
contains splendid specimens of
rupees. This part is planned
Kalinga architecture spanning
administrative town with broad
some twenty‐five centuries of
avenues, self‐contained
history, depicting the grace, the
residential units, modern
joy and the rhythm of life in all its
buildings and institutions. Thus
wondrous variety.
Bhubaneshwar offers an
opportunity to behold centuries –
old art and architecture, side‐by‐
side modern massive buildings
and institutions
Bhubaneshwar, ORISSA
BHUBANESHWAR
• A plan for the new capital was prepared by Dr. Otto H. Koenigsberger. On
his recommendation the design of the New Capital is based on the system
of neighbourhood units which means a group of houses large enough to
afford the major amenities of urban life like schools, dispenseries, shopping
– centres, entertainment, public libraries, etc but at the same time small
enough to keep all these amenities in short distances, so that the main
advantage of rural life can be preserved.
• To avoid boredom and uniformity the neighbourhood units are designed
individually with the object of giving it a distinct character.
• In contrast to the Old Town, the land under different uses are segregated
from each other so that the foul smell, smoke or dust of an industry does
not affect the residential areas nor the crowd and noise of a commercial
area affect the silence and solemnity of an administrative or educational
area.
BHUBANESHWAR
Four categories of roads have been adopted for the city viz.
a. Arterial Road
b. Major Unit Road
c. Major housing Street and
d. Minor Housing Street
The arterial roads are 200 feet (60.96 m) in width with earthen flanks or
footpaths of 10 feet (3.048 m) on each side and provided with drains and
plantations. Rajpath, Janpath, Gandhi Marga, Sanchivalaya Marga, and
Udayana Marga come under this category.
The major unit roads are 150 feet (45.72 m) in width earthen flanks,
drains, plantations on each side. Ekambara Marga, Lewis road,
Gopabandhu Marga, Bhubaneshwar Marga, Vivekananda Marga, Bidyt
marga and puri Marga are under this category. The major housing streets
are the roads which collect the internal traffic of housing units and
transmit to the major and arterial roads. The width of such roads is 100ft
(30.48 m) provided with earthen flanks and drains. The width of minor
housing streets varies between 30 ft (9.144 m) to 40 ft (12.192 m)
depending upon the importance of the locality.
BHUBANESHWAR
The Periphery Control Act of 1952 created a wide
green belt around the entire union territory. It
regulated all development within 16 kilometers of
the city limit, prohibited the establishment of any
other town or village and forbade commercial or
industrial development. The idea was to guarantee
that Chandigarh would always be surrounded by
countryside.
Sector Plan, Bhubaneshwar
Sector Plan, Bhubaneshwar
Sector Plan, Bhubaneshwar
Secretariat, Bhubaneshwar
CHANDIGARGH
PUNJAB
CHANDIGARGH
• Since Punjab was divided into two parts,
the capital was left in Pakistan there fore
Punjab in India required new capital
• The first masterplan for the new capital
was assigned to American engineer and
planner Albert Mayer, who was a friend of
Clarence Stein of Radburn fame in New
Jersey.
• He worked on the masterplan with his
closest assistant, Matthew Nowicki, until
the latter died in a plane crash in 1950. His
duties were to take the form of
architectural control.
• Le Corbusier was approached by Punjab
government and the prime minister of
India in 1951
• Maxwell fry, jane drew and Pierre
Jeanerette were also involved in the team The project team: Le Corbusier, Jeanerette, Fry and Drew.
of architects Photo Courtesy of Chandigarh, The City Beautiful
Mayer wasn’t new to India. In December,
1949, when the Punjab government
approached him for the Chandigarh
project, he was already associated with a
rural development project at Etawah
(Uttar Pradesh), and preparation of
master plans for Greater
Mayer was thrilled with the
prospect of planning a brand‐new
city, and he accepted the
assignment although it offered him
a modest fee of $30,000 for the
entire project. His brief was to
prepare a master plan for a city of
half a million people, showing the
location of major roads and areas
for residence, business, industry,
recreation and allied uses. He was
also to prepare detailed building
plans for the Capitol Complex, City
Centre, and important government
facilities and architectural controls
for other areas.
CHANDIGARGH
At the head of the plan was the Capitol , the seat
of the state government, and the City
Centre was located in the heart of the city.
Two linear parklands could also be noticed running
continuously from the northeast head of the plain to
its southwestern tip. A curving network of main roads
surrounded the neighborhood units called Super
blocks.
First phase of the city was to be developed on the
north‐eastern side to accommodate
1,50,000 residents and the second phase on the
South‐western side for another 350,000
people.
Another element in planning was “to place a group of houses around a not very large
court, with the ends somewhat narrowing, which could serve as a social unit—i.e. a
group of relatives or friends or people from the same locality might live there, with the
central area for play, gossip, etc.” The neighbourhood units were to contain schools
and local shopping centres.
The flatness of the site allowed almost complete freedom in creating street layout and it
is of interest to note hat the overall pattern deliberately avoids a geometric grid in favour
of a loosely curving system.
The death of nowicki necessitated the selection of a new architect for Chandigarh. When
Mayer resigned, the Indian authorities put together a new, European planning team. The
two appointed administrators, Verma and Thapar, decided on the renowned Swiss
architect, Le Corbusier, whose name was suggested by the British architects Maxwell Fry
and his wife Jane Drew.
At first, Le Corbusier was not keen to take the assignment, but was persuaded by Verma.
Le Corbusier's lofty visions and ideals were in harmony with Nehru's aspirations.
The discipline of money Le Corbusier once remarked that ”India has the treasures of a
proud culture, but her coffers are empty.” And throughout the project the desire for
grandness was hampered by the need for strict economy. In working up his designs, le
Corbusier consulted the program for each building as given in the budget and then prepared
the initial project.
The discipline of technology Available in quantity, however, was good clay stone and sand,
and, above all’ human labour. The materials of which Chandigarh has been constructed are
rough concrete in the capitol complex and the central business district and for most of the
city, especially in housing, locally produced brick.
The discipline of climate Besides the administrative and financial regulations there was a law
of the sun in India. The architectural problem consists; first to make
shade, second to make a current of air[to ventilate], third to control hydraulics.
• Kept orientation of grids as it was
• One dominant off centred doglegged axis
• The grid of superblock increased in size to
1200 x 800mts (3900 x 2700 feet)
Capitol Complex
• Accommodating up to 25000 inhabitants
• Within superblock centralized market was
replaced by continuous bazar street across the
Patiala block.
Rao River • Capital Complex and high court combined in one
Sukhna govt. complex
River • CBD Area Remained the same
• Shifted Capital complex to higher ground
• Two linear parks were replaced by total of 6 later
by 8.
• Each Sector with its own green space around which
houses are designed
• V7 Road Concept
Industrial Areas
Leisure Valley
• The primary module of city’s
design is a Sector, a
neighbourhood unit of size
800mX1000m
• Each sector is self sufficient
unit having shops, school,
health centres and places of
recreations and worship
• The population of a sector
varies between 3000 and
20000 depending upon sizes
of plots and the topography
of the area.
The basic building typology is extremely rectilinear with similar proportions.
In both the developments the smaller individual residential units are arranged
around central common green spaces, although the shapes are different.
1. City Level public green
space with artificial water
body
2. Free‐flowing green space,
connecting the entire site
3. Semi‐Private green areas
4. Private green areas for
residential units
Chandigarh, PUNJAB