………………………………. CONTENTS………………………………………..

PLANNING OF CHANDIGARH……………..

I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CHANDIGARH

II. INTRODUCTION TO CHANDIGARH
III. PLANNER AND HIS PLANNING
IV. GEOGRAPHY
V. SECTORS
VI. ROAD SYSTEMS
VII. ARCHITECTURE
VIII. HOUSING
IX. COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
X. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
XI. GROWTH OF THE CITY
XII. PROBLEMS AFTER PLANNING

LIST OF FIGURES……….
I. OLD BUILDING IN CHANDIGARH
II. MAP OF CHANDIGARH
III. SECTORS
IV. ROAD SYSTEM
V. SECRETARIAT BUILDING
VI. ASSEMBLY BUILDING
VII. HIGH COURT
VIII. COMMERCIAL AREAS

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………

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I. BACKGROUND OF CHANDIGARH:
Chandigarh the City Beautiful is known as the Dream city of India’s First Prime Minister,
Sh Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Chandigarh comes to its name from the temple of Chandi Mandir. Chandi is known as the
goddess of power and a fort is lying beyond the temple gave the city name Chandigarh. It was a
part of the large and prosperous Punjab province which was divided into East and West Punjab
during the partition of the country in 1947. In 1948 the government of Punjab consulted with
Government of India and approved a 114.59sq km, tract at the land of foothills of the Shivaliks
as the new capital. The foundation of this city was laid in 1952 and at the time of reorganization
of the state in 1-11-1966 Chandigarh is declared as the capital city of Punjab and another state of
Punjab known as Haryana. Although Chandigarh was declared as a Union Territory and under
the direct control of central government.

Figure 1: OLD BUILDING IN CHANDIGARH

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II. INTRODUCTION TO CHANDIGARH:
Chandigarh is one of the most significant urban planning experiments of 20th Century. It is one of
the planning schemes of Le Corbusier which is actually executed. Chandigarh is famous for its
landscaping that why most of the building architecture is in pure cubical form, geometrically
subdivided with emphasis on proportion, scale and its detail.

Figure 2: MAP OF CHANDIGARH

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III. PLANNER AND ITS PLANNING:-
The planner which plans the master plan of city Chandigarh was Le Corbusier (Charles-Eduardo
Jeanerette Gris Le Corbusier). He is a Legendary Architect. He is the trendsetter of the Modern
Architecture. He designed various different types of structures where he has proved his uniqueness in
design.
He planned the city and divided various part of city according to the human body parts. He compared
human part as follows:
Head: Capital (powerful place of city).
Heart: The City Center
Stomach: Commercial Areas
Arms: University and Industrial zone
Lungs: Gardens and Parks
Arteries: Network of roads
The whole city of Chandigarh plans on this concept. The conception of city has been formulated on
the basis of four major functions:
 Living
 Working
 Care of body and spirit
 Circulation

IV. GEOGRAPHY:
The exact geographic coordinates of Chandigarh are30.74°N 76.79°E. It has an
average elevation of 321 meters (1053 ft.). The city, lying in the northern plains, includes a vast
area of flat, fertile land. Its northeast covers sections of Babar and while the remainder of its
terrain is part of the Terrain. The total area is 114 sq. kms. Total population is 11.69 lakhs.

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V. SECTORS:
 The primary model of city design is a sector, a neighborhood unit of size 800 meters x 1200
meters.
 It is a self-sufficient unit having residential unit’s shops, school, health center and places of
recreation and worship.
 The population is divided into 3000 to 2000 depend upon the size of plot and topography of the
area.
 The shops are located along V-4 Street.
 Every sector is introvert in character and permits only four vehicular entries into its interior.
 The central green of every sector also stretches to the green of the next sector.

Figure 3: SECTORS

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VI. ROAD SYSTEMS:
The road of Chandigarh is divided into seven categories, known as system of 7VS.
 V-1 Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns.
 V-2 Arterial roads
 V-3 Fast vehicular sector dividing roads.
 V-4 Meandering shopping streets.
 V-5 Sector circulation roads.
 V-6 Access roads to houses.
 V-7 Foot paths and cycle tracks

Figure 4: ROAD SYSTEM

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 VII. ARCHITECTURE:

The architecture of Chandigarh is different according to their functions.

 SECRETARIAT:

 The Secretariat is the largest of all from the buildings in the complex (254 meters by 42 meters) and
was the first to be built in the complex.
 Positioned at a sharp right angle to the mountain range it is designed as a vast linear slab-like
structure – a workplace for 4000 people.
 An endless rhythm of balconies and louvers on its linear facades is punctuated in a subtle way by a
deliberately asymmetrical composition of brise-soleil (a sun shading device), evolved by Le
Corbusier.
 Its façade, besides the rhythmic brise-soleil, is also sculpturally punctuated by the protruding masses
of angled ramps and stairways.
 The roof line has a playful composition of a restaurant block, a ramp and a terraced garden, to break
the endless linearity.

Figure 5: SECRETARIAT BUILDING

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  ASSEMBLY BUILDING:
 In front of the Secretariat is located the most sculptural and eye-catching of all the geometrical
forms of the Capitol -The Assembly.
 Characterizing the roofline of the Assembly is a great hyperbolic drum connected to a pyramidal
by a small bridge.
 The building has two entrances: one at the basement level for everyday use and the other from
the piazza level for ceremonial occasions through a massive entrance, 7.60 meters high and 7.60
meters broad, whose enameled door (a gift to Punjab from France) translates a cubist mural
painted by Le Corbusier himself.
 The external façade of the cuboid base has a rhythmic pattern of the brise-soleil with its play of
light and shadow on three sides, and on the fourth opening towards the large piazza facing the
High Court is a huge trough supported on massive pylons.

Figure 6: ASSEMBLY BUILDING

 HIGH COURT:
 The High Court is a linear block with the main façade towards the piazza.
 It has a rhythmic arcade created by a parasol-like roof, which shades the entire building.

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  The entrance for them through a high portico resting on three giant pylons painted in bright
primarily colors which visually punctuate the otherwise rhythmic facade of the High Court.
 A number of symbols that encapsulated Le Corbusier’s view of man, earth, nature, the
emblems of India and the scales of justice were depicted in abstract, geometric patterns.
These tapestry designs referred to the basic element of architecture and of order generally.

Figure 7: HIGH COURT

VIII. HOUSING:
This study aims to clarify Le Corbusier's housing concept referring to vernacular elements.
Particularly, this paper focuses on the housing composition in the urban project of Chandigarh.
He investigated the vernacular housing in India and extracted nine elements: long narrow site,
screens, bedroom, verandah, front garden, rear garden, orientation, roof form and fixtures (tip-up
door and claustra). These elements were extracted from the traditional houses and villages to
adapt to the climate of the region: strong sunlight, heat and humidity during the rainy season,
southeast wind and heavy rainfall. The housing of Chandigarh presented by Le Corbusier inherits
these vernacular elements.

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IX. COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS:
All the buildings located in the City Centre including the commercial or institutional buildings
which are located along V-2 roads were under the control of the Municipal administration. The
system of the City Centre was based on a grid system. A fixed 5.26 meters shuttering pattern on
concrete and a system of glazing or screen walls behind the line of columns had to be
constructed. The exterior wall or façade could only be built in certain variations of architectural
composition which are permitted.

Figure 8: COMMERCIAL AREAS

X. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS:

 POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS:

 Defining a new system for Urban Planning in India.

 Introducing the system of development controls to promote Urban Design and zoning.
 Introducing the concept of Master Plan for planned developments.
 Sectorial planning for the city.

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  7Vs strategy for connectivity. The connectivity is well defined and each road has separate
pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular lanes which ensures safety.
 The Master Plan is a well-planned and well-executed which assures the human needs
including social and physical infrastructure.
 Mixed use in buildings contributes greater flexibility and efficient use of resources. For
example, commercial use in ground floor and residential use in upper floors can protect
the commercial use from Rain and sun as a covered walkway for the customers.
 Location and topography is also an advantage for the city.

 NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS:
 The plan is a grid iron pattern, the roads and the buildings look similar due to the strict
façade guidelines, and this creates confusion for people as the entire streets look alike.
 The city does not accommodate the lower income group.
 Chandigarh planning and development has been seen in isolation compared to the
development of its periphery and region.
 Leaving low scope for further development of the city, as the population increases
usually development and expansion is seen but in Chandigarh it becomes a problem.
 Development of slums inside the city.
 The Brutal concrete gives a Rough look.

XI. GROWTH OF CITY:

The Chandigarh has become hi-tech city by setting I.T Park.
The Chandigarh being the regional center is hub of political and bureaucratic activities of the 3
neighboring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
The high profile education and health facilities are available in Chandigarh like Punjab
engineering college and PGI, Yorks and Fortis.
The Chandigarh has its own tourist potential.

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XII. PROBLEMS AFTER PLANNING:
 Enormous Population growth in and adjoining areas of the city.
 Un-orderly distribution of population in different sectors of the city.
 Need to de-congest the old city area.
 Limited connectivity and circulation system within the city.
 Regular Blockage in sewer system.
 Lowering of the water Table.
 Improper heritage and ecological conservation.
 Problem of Parking in major areas.

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BIBILOGRAPHY……….

 https://planningtank.com/development-plan/chandigarh-master-plan
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarh#:~:text=The%20exact%20geographic
%20coordinates%20of,is%20part%20of%20the%20Terai.
 https://www.atiner.gr/presentations/Ghosh.pdf
 https://onlinemarketingonly.wordpress.com/historical-background-of-
chandigarh-2/
 https://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/chandigarh/

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