The various aspects of urban growth

pressures, city limits and new

extensions.
A case of Chandigarh – The City Beautiful

BY : PARUL (505),M.ARCH.(U.D),DEPTT. OF ARCHITECTURE,G.N.D.U AMRITSAR

URBANIZATION

Urbanization is a progressive concentration of population in an urban

unit.

It is usually characterised by the increasing concentration of population in

human settlements, larger than villages, in the increasing involvement of
the people in the secondary and tertiary production functions.

Urbanization not only accompanies industrialization but it is also interlinked

with modernization and these three sometimes work in conjunction.

The process of urbanization in developed countries has been very slow but
steady and it has been accompanied by agricultural and industrial revolution,
higher per capita income and high standard of living, whereas in developing
countries the rate of urbanization is very fast and it is not accompanied by
industrialization but rapid growth of service sector in the economies.

URBANIZATION IN INDIA:

Levels and Trends of Urbanization

India has been predominantly rural in character throughout the ages, though a
few urban centers have flourished from time to time. It was only in the late
nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries that industrial cities grew in
India.

Urban population of India has increased from 25.8 million in 1901 to 62.4 million
in 1951 and to 285.4 million in 2001,thereby showing more than ten fold increase
in total urban population.

The total urban population of India, according to Census 2011 is more than 17
percent of total urban population of the world. Most of the urban growth has
been caused by accretion to the existing towns particularly the already large cities,
while the pace of growth of new cities has been slow.

Wide regional variation in urbanization is an important feature of

urbanization in India.
Basic Features and Pattern of India's Urbanisation

The three main components of urban growth are

Natural Increase
Migration
Boundary Change

Basic features of urbanization in India can be highlighted as :

Unbalanced urbanization induces growth of class I cities

Urbanisation occurs without industrialization and strong economic base.

Most of these cities using capital intensive technologies can not generate employment
for these distressed rural poor.

Urbanisation is mainly a product of demographic explosion and poverty

induced rural - urban migration.

Rapid urbanization leads to massive growth of slum followed by misery, poverty,

unemployment, exploitation, inequalities, degradation in the quality of urban life.

Urbanisation occurs not due to urban pull but due to rural push.

Hence India's urbanization is followed by some basic problems in the field of :

Housing

Slums

Transport

Water supply and sanitation

Water pollution and air pollution

Inadequate provision for social infrastructure ( school,

hospital, etc ).
Critical Inadequacies in Public Utilities

Massive problem have emerged due to rapid

growth of urban population without a
corresponding increase in urban
infrastructure like safe drinking water,
preventive health services, sanitation facility,
adequate power supply and provisioning of
basic amenities.

Minimum basic facility is also not available for

many cities. The existing urban health services are
under tremendous pressure to meet the demands of
all needy people. The quality of life for the bulk of
urban population involves many avoidable
hardships.

Poor urban infrastructure, congested roads,

poor public transport, improper treatment of
sewage, uncollected solid waste are the
general feature of urban settlements. According
to Urbanization report of World Bank only fifty
eight percent of urban population of India has
access to improved sanitation facilities.

Deteriorating Urban Environment:

India is the world's fifth-largest producer of

global warming gas and emissions (USA leads the
race). The problem of pollution is more severe in
mega cities.

In India, urban areas are more developed and

industrialized than the rural areas, and this attracts
still more people to the urban areas. Thus there is
more pressure on facilities like transport
services, housing and drainage facilities, as
well as more production of other goods
required by the urban population, which in
turn results in the release of large amounts of
wastes and pollutants.

The rapid growth in urban population, which

affects patterns of production and consumption, is a
principal source of pressure on the environment. The
environment has to sustain the basic human needs
for survival and also the conversion of raw materials
into products and services.
CHANDIGARH AT A GLANCE

Chandigarh was planned by Le Corbusier, the

famous French architect and founded in 1952.
» Area : 114 sq km (+25.42 sq km of Wildlife
Sanctuary)
» Longitude/Latitude : 76° 47' 14E / 30° 44' 14N
» Altitude : 304 – 365 meters above MSL
» Annual Rainfall : 111.4 cm/year average Monsoon
» Population : 9,00,63 5 (2001 census)
» Density of Population : 7903/Sq. Kms.

GEOLOGY :
The Chandigarh is located in the foothills of the
Shivalik hill ranges in the
north India, which form a part of the fragile
Himalayan ecosystem. It is occupied by Kandi
(Bhabhar) in the north east and Sirowal (Tarai) and
alluvial plains in the remaining part.

The area is drained by two seasonal rivulets viz.

Sukhna Choe in the east and Patiala-Ki-Rao
Choe in the west. The central part forms a surface
water divider and has two minor streams. The stream
passing through the central part is called N-Choe
and the other is Choe Nala which initiates at
Sector 29.

CLIMATE :
The area experiences four seasons:
(i) Summer or hot season (mid-March to Mid-June)
(ii) Rainy season (late-June to mid-September)
(iii) Post monsoon autumn season (mid September to mid-November)
(iv) Winter (mid November to mid-March).

The dry spell of summer is long but with occasional drizzles or thunder storms. May
and June are the hottest months of the year with mean daily maximum & minimum
temperatures being about 40oC & 25oC respectively. Maximum temperatures can
rise up to 46oC. Southwest monsoons with high intensity showers commence in l
June. The variation in annual rainfall on year to year basis is appreciable i.e. 700
mm to1200 mm. The 20 year average rainfall for Chandigarh is 1100.7 mm.
January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperatures
being around 24oC and 1.8oC respectively. Winds are generally light and blow from
northwest to southeast direction with exception of easterly to south easterly winds
that blow for some days during the summer season.
Plans and principles :-
The new capital required a secure and central location, easily accessible from all
parts of the state. The site had to accommodate an initial population of 100 000 . It
had to be away from existing towns, with an adequate supply of water, easy
drainage and a suitable climate. There was also to be a minimum dislocation to
existing landowners and proximity to appropriate building materials for large-scale
construction. Chandigarh was seen as a low-density and low-rise city. The city was
to be free of the familiar overcrowding, pavement dwellings and squatters'
shanties of many Indian towns.

The Civic Life :-

However questionable the planning and architecture forced on the city, it did
succeed in providing clean hygienic environments, ample green open space,
and the basic amenities of civic life — schools, hospitals, and parks. Such
amenities are lacking in many Indian cities even today.

The Problems :-
Whatever the failings or triumphs of Chandigarh as a symbol of a transformed culture,
its existence as an actual city where people live and work has been complicated by two
sets of external problems,
1. The explosive growth of the city over the past forty years
2. Political problems of the region

THE PUNJAB NEW CAPITAL

(PERIPHERY) CONTROL ACT 1952
was enacted by which 8 km. Green belt
provided around the city boundaries Periphery controlled area
which was further extended to 16kms in
1962. Main objectives were to:

• To prevent slums and haphazard

growth.
Chandigarh
• Forests to be protected.

• Agriculture area/water resources

to be protected.
CHANGES IN THE PERIPHERY ZONE

•First violations occurred in the • After 1966 reorganization of

form of Chandimandir Cantonment Punjab, Mohali laid out as a natural
and Hindustan Machine Tools continuity of Chandigarh by the
industrial estate State of Punjab in 1967.– Haryana
followed with Panchkula Urban
Estate in 1971.

I
B G H
E
A F
C
D

A – Chandigarh
B – Mani Majra
C – Mohali
D – Kharar
E – FEZ
F – Industrial Focal Point
G – Panchkula
H – Panchkula ext.
I – Mansa Devi Complex

Panchkula Mohali

Source:The Punjab new capital (periphery) control act, 1952 {Myth & Reality} by Suman Kumar
• Punjab periodically extended the municipal limits of the existing towns of
Dera Bassi, Banur and Kharar located in the Periphery Zone; Haryana did
the same in respect of Kalka.

Kharar Dera Bassi

• Regularization of unauthorized construction in1998, 2005 and 2006 by

Punjab; the same true of Haryana.

ZIRAKPUR

Source:The Punjab new capital (periphery) control act, 1952 {Myth & Reality} by Suman Kumar
• In 2001, Mullanpur Garibdas village was raised to the urban status.

• Greater Mohali Development Authority constituted by Punjab Government

to plan for 1000 sq. kms.of area in contiguity with the existing city; Haryana
has its parallel Panchkula Extension Plan.

Mullanp
ur
Kharar

SAS
Nagar
Zirakpu
r
Derabassi
Banur

Boundary of
Greater Mohali
Area

PANCHKULA MOHALI
• Periphery Zone of Chandigarh is now under the collective impact of a
tricity composed of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

• In 2020, 65 per cent of the population in the Periphery Zone will be urban
as compared to hardly 10 per cent in 1951, 14 per cent in 1971, and 45 per
cent in 2001.

• Through the process of spatial diffusion of urbanization, the periphery has

already become a part of the core. Issue of periphery has been rendered
peripheral.
Satellite imageries showing the rapid pace of urbanisation by
encroaching upon the agricultural land in Chandigarh Periphery zone in
the past few years. The time period between the two images is apprx. 7-8
years.
ZIRAKPUR

2002 2011

2002 2011
 KHARAR

2003 2010

Panchkula

Sectors 24,25 in 2003 Sectors 24,25 in 2011

 CHANDIGARH METROPOLITAN COMPLEX (CMC)

With a view to preparing the base for

coordinating developments around the
capital city, Ministry of Works and
Housing, Government of India in 1975
created the Chandigarh Urban
Complex (CUC) that incorporated
Chandigarh UT and a reorganized CUC
boundary . The CUC was redefined as
‘Chandigarh Metropolitan Complex
(CMC)’ by a private consultant in their
document ‘Chandigarh Inter State
Metropolitan Region (CISMeR) Plan –
2001’, prepared at the instance of UT
Government. The nomenclature
‘Chandigarh Metropolitan Complex’
emphasizes upon the population
content of the urban complex which
has already crossed a million
population threshold. It comprises of
Chandigarh UT, Mohali and Panchkula as
the primary urban settlements besides
several villages and smaller towns.
Growth of Class-I Urban Settlements in
C.M.C.
(1971-20011)
Census
2011
10.54 L
1.74 L
2.00 L
 Landuse Distribution in Class – I Urban Settlements of CMC

Land Use D i s t r i b u t i o n Pattern

A look at the land use pattern of the three primary urban settlements reveal the
following:

• Public and semipublic land use dominates (15.32 percent as compared to the
UDPFI standards of 12–14 percent) in the context of Chandigarh city. This is
because being the capital of two states along with its own UT status; the city houses
the various apex level administrative functions.

• Mohali in an attempt to exploit its close proximity to Chandigarh has excess of

industrial land use (25.43 percent as compared to the UDPFI standards of 10–12
percent) which is developing at the cost of other land uses.

• Panchkula primarily attempts to cater to the residential needs of the workers

employed in and around CMC. It strives to provide good quality of living to its
residents while depending heavily on Chandigarh for its job requirements.
SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
An assessment of the status of health and educational facilities in the cities of CMC
reveals an i n e q u i t a b l e distribution which strains the existing transport
networks.The inadequacy of these facilities in relation to their demand at settlement
level in Panchkula and Mohali is also reflected.

• Chandigarh has concentration of such facilities that serve the city as also the region.

• Mohali has 6 hospitals of which 5 are private and cater to the region at large. It has
only one civil hospital which is 50 bedded. However for specialized and better
health facilities, it still depends on Chandigarh. In Panchkula, health facilities
are provided mainly by the private sector in terms of nursing homes and clinics.

• There is inadequacy of educational facilities at town level in Mohali and Panchkula.

Mohali has a number of private institutions, but for specialized and better
education, it still depends on Chandigarh

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Water Supply, Sewerage and Solid Waste Management

Chandigarh gets its water supply through 27 km of conveyance from Bhakra system
at the rate of 62 mg per day for which pumping is a major expense and
evaporation losses enroute are high. The UT also has 150 tube wells. Main
source of drinking water in Mohali is the canal water through Bhakra main
line and the shallow tube wells. The Haryana portion of the CMC has its own
water processing systems through wells in the Ghaggar riverbed
supplemented by tube wells. Overall the supply of water is good, but with growing
demands and higher than normal consumption, the available per capita supply is
dropping, as is the water table.

Chandigarh has a sewerage system but the discharge into the Ghaggar River is only
through an inadequate primary treatment plant in Punjab, south of SAS
Nagar. Mohali does not have its independent sewage treatment plant. It
shares the facility with Chandigarh.

The waste collection and disposal system in Chandigarh leaves some percentage
uncollected. New landfill sites are also difficult to find.
Traffic &Transportation

•Spatial distribution of activities and settlement areas has a direct bearing on

the traffic pattern. The interface between transport and destination nodes for work,
education, leisure and the distribution trade as now emerging at the metropolitan
complex level would increasingly lay a stress upon traffic network along
particular stretches.

• In this context, some of the major activity nodes in the Chandigarh Metropolitan
Complex are Capital Complex, the north-western end of Chandigarh city, city
centre and the industrial area of Mohali. These attract a large number of daily
commuters from within and beyond the Chandigarh Metropolitan Complex. This has
implications in terms of heavy traffic. The consequent congestion comes onto
Chandigarh roads.

• Further the private vehicles (two and four wheelers) are on an increase on
the city roads. The mass transit nodes are generally less favored for reasons
of long journey times as also high economic status of the people.

•The only linkage of Panchkula to Chandigarh and Mohali leads to traffic

congestion at peak office hours.

 The vehicular population in the city is increasing day by day since 1971. Petrol &
diesel driven vehicles are major contributors to air pollution. The data provided
by the Registering and Licensing Authority, Chandigarh, indicates that the number of
vehicles per household is two. The major reason for the decreasing quality of air
in Chandigarh is the increasing vehicular density on city roads. Transportation, by
private vehicles, has become a culture and need of Chandigarh. This is the reason
that the number of motorized vehicles has increased by many times from about 940
in 1967 to 6,69,715 in 2007 . The number of vehicles in Chandigarh has risen from
573035 to 6,69,715 i.e. by over 18% since 2004.

The 'City Beautiful‘ houses almost 1.1

million people with 800,000 registered
vehicles and an estimated 100,000 driving
through every day.It is estimated that over
125 vehicles are added to the city's roads
every day. And up to 40 percent of them are
cars and other four-wheelers.
PARKING DEMAND & SUPPLY
 QUALITY OF ENVIRONMENT

 AIR POLLUTION : The ambient air quality of Chandigarh is monitored at the five
major places of the city i.e. (1) Punjab Engineering College, (2) Industrial Area (3)
Kaimbwala Village, representing village area (4) Sector 17, a commercial place (5)
IMTECH, Sec 39. These areas are located in the different parts of the city and are
hence,coveringalmost whole of the city. Studies have shown that the air quality of
Chandigarh is mostly affected by the vehicular pollution in Chandigarh. The
fleet of vehicles is over 2 per capita household. Chandigarh has the highest
density of vehicles in India. The other major contributor of air pollution are
activities like transport, industries, burning of dry leaves, litter from trees & gardens
in the city, and operation of generator sets in certain areas .

 NOISE POLLUTION : Noise has also been recognized as an air pollutant under the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Sources of noise in Chandigarh are vehicular
traffic, commercial activities, community noises & festive celebrations, industry,
and gensets etc. CPCC monitors noise levels in Chandigarh and it is found that these
were crossing the permissible limits at many places. Occasional high noise that is
harmful to human ears has also been recorded on the Link Road between sector 20-33
during the year 2008. The declining trend in noise levels during Diwali suggests that
fire crackers are losing support of the residents of Chandigarh. No specific studies on
the impact of noise on the health of residents have been carried out so far. However, in
response to the increasing noise levels, the U.T. Administration is strictly
implementing the existing legal framework as specified by the Government of India.
The system of 8-tier roads also helps to filter high traffic noise. V-8 type of roads for
slow moving traffic have been developed which will help reducing the noise level
further.

 SURFACE WATER POLLUTION

Chandigarh is located between Sukhna choe and Patiala-ki-rao choe. The covering
slope of U.T. is from north east towards south. These choes are running parallel to
sector from north to south. The water of sukhna choe is polluted because sewage of
Manimajra, Bapu Dham Colony, Mauli Jagran colony and villages is disposed without
treatment. Some of industrial water is also disposed in the choes. Regarding choes on
western side of city, the sewage of village Sarangpur, Dhanas, Dadumajra, Maloya and
other colonies is disposed of in these chos. Besides this, MCC is treating 30 mgd against
the availability of 60 mgd. This 30 mgd new sewage is also disposed of into the choes.
The surface and surface water of city is polluted having COD (Chemical Oxyge
Denamdrange more than 200 mg/l.
.
 Chandigarh stands second in India when calculations are made on the
urbanized population, among the other cities, with 89.8% population living in
urban area. The total land under sectors is 70 sq. km. i.e. 69.6%, of the total area.
Out of the total, 19.68% area is under roads. The total green cover of
Chandigarh now is 50 sq. km. 4.72% of total area is under water bodies.
According to the village papers, area under villages is 61.4%. Most of this area is
acquired or urbanized now. Total area under Agricultural crops has shrunk
to 5.9% in 2007. Total cultivated area in Chandigarh is 15% which includes area under
fodder, vegetables, and fruits. The northeast part of the Union Territory comprises
Shivalik rocks.

 The major driving forces affecting land in the Union Territory are
unplanned expansion, growth of slums & unplanned development around
periphery zone. These have resulted in change in land use pattern and pollution
from solid waste & agricultural run off. At present the city produces about 380 tons
municipal solid waste per day which is disposed off by land filling at village
Dadu Majra at a specifically designated landfill site spread in an area of
45.11acres. As per CPCC, 260 hazardous waste generating units also operate in
Chandigarh which generate about 955.832 MT hazardous waste per annum which is
disposed at Treatment Storage & Disposal Facility (TSDF) at Derabassi.

 The land use pattern has changed in Chandigarh in recent years with the
growth in the economy and commercialization. Several important land
acquisitions have happened. Projects like IT Park, Botanical Garden, Theme Park,
and Aquatic Park etc have been initiated and are under continuous development
while many phases have been already completed. Frequent change in the land use
pattern to bring more area under urbanization, developmental activities in the
peripheral zone, and generation of high volumes of solid wastes are putting
pressure on land and deteriorating environmental quality in the Union
Territory. The Municipal Corporation is, thus, under enormous pressure to upgrade
its efficiency of municipal waste disposal. As per the data provided by the Municipal
Corporation, the city presently generates about 300-325 tons/day of municipal solid
waste which is disposed off by the process of landfilling at the landfill site situated in
the west of Sector 38 near Dadumajra spread over an area of 45.11 acres.
RECOMMENDATIONS

Chandigarh being of a great significance at both regional and national level, it needs to
be conserved. However, considering its vast potential to serve the region, its constraints
to physical expansion, the development would have to be ensured through coordinated
efforts of three administrative entities. This would mean an integrated framework
relating to population redistribution, land use pattern, environmental factors, economic
activities and infrastructural facilities. The development impulse of Chandigarh must
spread to the entire Chandigarh Metropolitan Complex as one unit.

• While the population targets may be fixed for the CMC as a whole, the distribution of
the proposed population shall be targeted towards the achievement of uniform density
patterns. This would mean that the population flow must be checked at the doorstep of
Chandigarh.

• Natural constraints need to be regarded at CMC level for environmental and

ecological considerations. In this context, no intervention should be allowed into the
areas marked as forest zones. Safe distances along rivers or water courses have to be
ensured for taking up any development. No development zone needs to be specified.

• Good agricultural land in CMC should be protected and conserved. Till a statutory
development plan for the entire CMC is prepared, any interventions into the
agricultural land shall be strictly banned.

• Uniform standards for social infrastructure shall be adopted in the entire CMC to
avoid problems arising out of various disparities. National standards may be suitably
modified to suit the requirements.

• In view of the limited availability of land for use as landfill sites especially in
Chandigarh, there is an urgent need to find other mechanical means for minimizing
waste requiring disposal. In fact zero waste output may be aimed at. The waste
management has to be done in more organized, scientific, cost effective and
environment friendly manner.

• Policy decisions at least for the key areas of economic concern need to be taken up and
effectuated at a common platform. Strategies related to the spatial distribution of
activity nodes as also the regional level facilities shall have to be spelled out at the level
of entire CMC. This may also prove instrumental in checking traffic congestion on the
high intensity traffic corridors.

• Unified Metropolitan Board for water supply and sewerage shall help in bringing
down the cost of development while ensuring reduced detrimental effects to the
environmental quality.

• A comprehensive development plan should be prepared for the entire CMC area that
shall suitably demarcate the areas to be considered for development or
conservation. Clear regulations to that effect would check the tendencies of the
respective governments to benefit from their proximities to Chandigarh at the cost of
environmental and ecological concerns.
• In the entire planning process, Chandigarh must play a major role. The gap on
the part of Chandigarh itself must therefore be filled. It should be able to check the
large scale conversions as also the economic activities creeping into the system that
are highly detrimental to the character of the city.

• Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority may play a vital role for effective
integrated development of land use and transportation at CMC level. It might
help in reducing unnecessary traffic on the inter city road network. This would signify
sustainable development while also reducing development costs. The policies may
target the reduction of private vehicles on the roads, while improving upon
public transport system.

PROPOSED MASS
TRANSIT
CORRIDORS
CONCLUSIONS

Mohali as the New City Center: Preserving Chandigarh and Focusing

Growth to the South. In this vision, the Union Territory of Chandigarh is
preserved in its intended state with little change and no increase in population
density. Because of Mohali’s proximity to Chandigarh and propensity for
development (under the Punjab government), it becomes the regional hub of growth,
easing real estate pressures.
The existing 2016 Master Plan for Mohali establishes land use patterns in the city.
However, if Mohali became the core of the region, the City Center and central
residential areas would become much more dense, creating a pedestrian city that
serves as the commercial and business heart of the metropolitan area.
References:

- Chandigarh Administration, “City Development Plan(CDP) Chandigarh”

-- RITES LTD. ,”Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Chandigarh Urban Complex “,DRAFT
FINAL REPORT – July 2009

-Saini , Surjit Singh;” Land Use Changes in Haryana Sub-Region of Chandigarh

Periphery Controlled Area: A Spatio- Temporal Study”, Institute of Town Planners, India
Journal 8 - 4, October - December 2011, 96 – 106

- Jurong consultants Pvt. Ltd., “MASTER PLAN 2006-2031”, SAS NAGAR LOCAL
PLANNING AREA

-Krishan,Gopal;” CHANDIGARH 2020 (A FUTURISTIC PERSPECTIVE)”, UI lecture

Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of SloveniaLjubljana, September 2010

-Chandigarh Administration ,”GREENING CHANDIGARH ACTION PLAN 2010-2011”

-Kundu , Amitabh; TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF URBANIZATION AND THEIR

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

-Meenakshi; Integrated Planning Approach for Chandigarh Metropolitan Complex,

Institute of Town Planners, India Journal 6 - 3, 35 - 43, July - September 2009