HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND PLANNING

CHANDIGARH
INTRODUCTION
 Chandigarh is a city and a union territory in India that serves as the capital of the two neighbouring states
of Punjab and Haryana. The city is unique as it is not a part of either of the two states but is governed
directly by the Union Government, which administers all such territories in the country.
 Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the north, the west and the south, and by the state
of Haryana to the east.
 It was one of the early planned cities in post-independence India and is internationally known for its
architecture and urban design. The master plan of the city was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le
Corbusier, which transformed from earlier plans created by the Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and the
American planner Albert Mayer.
 The city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. The city was reported to be one of the
cleanest in India based on a national government study.
 According to a 2015 study, Chandigarh is named as the happiest city in India.
 In 2015, an article published by BBC named Chandigarh as one of the few master-planned cities in the
world to have succeeded in terms of combining monumental architecture, cultural growth and modernisation.
GEOGRAPHY
LOCATION
•Chandigarh is located near the foothills of
the Sivalik range of the Himalayas in northwest India. It
covers an area of approximately 114 km2. It borders the
states of Haryana and Punjab. The exact geographic co-
ordinates of Chandigarh are 30.74°N 76.79°E. It has an
average elevation of 321 metres (1053 ft).
•The city, lying in the northern plains, includes a vast area
of flat, fertile land.
CLIMATE
•Chandigarh has a humid subtropical climate
characterised by a seasonal rhythm: very hot summers,
mild winters, unreliable rainfall and great variation in
temperature (−1 °C to 46 °C OR 30.2 °F to 114 °F). The
average annual rainfall is 1110.7 mm. The city also
receives occasional winter rains from the Western
Disturbance originating over the Mediterranean Sea.
HISTORY
 Chandigarh was the dream city of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
After the partition of India in 1947, the former British province of Punjab was split
between East Punjab in India (mostly Sikhs and Hindus) and West
Punjab in Pakistan (mostly Muslim). The Indian Punjab required a new capital city to
replace Lahore, which had become part of Pakistan during the partition. Therefore,
an American planner and architect Albert Mayer was tasked to design a new city
called "Chandigarh" in 1949.
 Le Corbusier designed many administration buildings, including the High Court, the
Palace of Assembly and the Secretariat Building. Le Corbusier also designed the
general layout of the city, dividing it into sectors.
 On 1 November 1966, the newly formed state of Haryana was carved out of the
eastern portion of East Punjab, in order to create a new state for the
majority Haryanvi-speaking people in that portion, while the western portion of
East Punjab retained a mostly Punjabi-speaking majority and was renamed
as Punjab. Chandigarh was located on the border of both states and the states
moved to incorporate the city into their respective territories. However, the city of
Chandigarh was declared a union territory to serve as capital of both states.
PLANNING
NEW CAPITOL CITY AND ADMINISTRATION CENTRE ACCOMODATING HALF A MILLION PEOPLE AND
EXPANDABLE TO ONE MILLION.
MAYERS PLAN :
 LOCATED BETWEEN TWO BOUNDRY RIVERS .
 FAN SHAPED PLAN.
 GOVT. CENTRE - NORTH EAST SIDE OF THE CITY .
 SUPER BLOCK – ACCOMODATING SOME 1500
FAMILIES.
 THREE SUPER BLOCKS MAKE A DISTRICT .
 INDUSTRIAL AREA PLANNED IN SOUTHERN CORNER.
 ADMINISTRATION AREA IN NORTH EAST.
 2 LARGE PARK LAND ZONES ACROSS THE CITY .
 FUTURE EXPANSION IN THE SOUTH WEST ACROSS THE
PLAN .

CRITICISM : LACKS MONUMENTAL SYMBOLISM.

 GROWTH OVER TIME

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3
GROWTH OVER TIME

STAGE 5

STAGE 4
GROWTH OVER TIME

STAGE 6

STAGE 7
LANDMARKS- LE CORBUSIER
THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

Officially conferred the world heritage status by the UNESCO,

the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh is recognized all around the
world today. The second monument on our list to be designed by
the great Le Corbusier, the Capitol tends to draw in as many
people as the Open Hand Monument. More than a 100-acre
area spread, the dreamy backdrop of the Shivalik Hills all add to
the beauty of this breathtaking monument. The Capitol Complex
includes other buildings such as the Open Hand Monument, the
Punjab Haryana High Court, Geometric Hill, the Tower of
Shadows, the legislative assembly and the Secretariat.

THE TOWER OF SHADOWS

The Tower of Shadows, located in Sector 1 is an architectural

brilliance intended to demonstrate Le Corbusier’s various theories
of sun control. Designed to study the solar movement, this building
served to Le Corbusier to support his thesis that "it is possible to
control the sunlight in the 4 corners of a building, play with it even
in a hot country and finally obtain low temperatures".
LANDMARKS – LE CORBUSIER
THE OPEN HAND MONUMENT

The arrival of the Swiss family of Corbusier proved to be a turning

point in the history of our state. Modeled by a member famously
called 'Le Corbusier', the city beautiful is given that very name tag
due to the contributions of this man. One of them was the Open Hand
Monument. Heavily incorporating concepts of The Fibonacci Series
and the Golden Ratio in his dream monument, the official emblem of
Chandigarh was made on the sole idea that it would represent
everything good about the city. It stands for the motto of Give and
Receive: a symbol of hope in a world of catastrophe.

GEOMETRIC HILL

Geometric Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage Site spread

over an area of around 100 acres and is a prime
manifestation of Chandigarh's architecture. This hill is located
in the sector 1 and is a government compound designed by
the architect Le Corbusier. Corbusier made this hill with
construction waste.He created a mound that would hide the
assembly from the road. The Hill also has some artwork on it.