URBAN ARTS COMMISSION (UAC)

Urban Design / Ar. Sarath Mohan

 PRESENTATION FRAMEWORK
► introduction and need
► delhi urban arts commission
• composition of the commission
• functions of the commission
• powers of the commission
• acheivements of the commission
• projects undertaken by duac
► bangalore urban arts commission
► andhra pradesh urban arts commission
► conclusion
► bibliography
 INTRODUCTION
URBAN ARTS COMMISSION

URBAN ARTS COMMISSION

Thus URBAN ARTS COMMISSION is an authority or panel of experts having

expertise on art, culture, architecture, town planning, management etc, for
formulating guidelines for planning development in the cities prolonging the
inherited property.
Old v/s New Development
NEED OF URBAN ARTS COMMISSION

• India
•Ruled by different rulers
•Endowed wealth for construction of monuments.
•Monuments with artistic designs , difficult to be
documented.
•Development v/s Conservation Residency in lucknow, heritage not
conserved
• Functional Body for balancing the gap

• Urban arts commission is an administrative body, pursue their goals through publications, technical
consultation in construction projects, advisory functions in planning committees, appraisals, legal action and
financial grants for pioneering projects.

• In context of India, urban arts commission exist at present in Delhi, Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

DELHI URBAN ARTS COMMISSION

• “The Delhi Urban Art Commission Act, 1973

• To advise the Government and any local body
• To preserve, develop and maintain the aesthetic quality of urban
and environmental design within Delhi.
• To provide advice and guidance to any local body of any project of
building operations or engineering operations or any development
proposal which affects or is like to affect the skyline or the aesthetic
quality of the surroundings or any public amenity.

DELHI URBAN ARTS COMMISSION

 NEED OF DUAC
• Settlements in Delhi ranges from Paleolithic, Neolithic,
Late Harrapan, Buddhist, Ashokan, Kushan, Pre-
Sultanate, Sultanate, Khiljis , The Tughlaks, under
Sayyids, Lodis, Mughals, and the British.
• 174 monuments that come under the ASI 254 under
the state Department of Archeology. The INTACH states
1204 listings of heritage monuments.
• For the conservation of Historic monuments and sites
an administrative body is required to check the pace of
urbanisation along with conservation of rich heritage in
the city.

COMPOSITION OF DUAC

Section 3 of the Act explains the composition

Map showing heritage sites in Delhi
• Presently Urban Planner Professor K.T Ravindran is the Chairman of
the DUAC. He has been the head of Urban Design at School of Planning
and Architecture, New Delhi for over 20 years.

FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION :

• Under section 11 of the Act

• to advise the Central Government in preserving, developing and
maintaining the aesthetic. quality of urban and environmental design
• to provide advice and guidance to any local body in respect of any
project.
• Scrutinize, approve, reject or modify proposals in Development of
projects.
• Re-development of the area within the jurisdiction of New Delhi
Municipal Committee.
• Plans, architectural expressions and visual appearance of new
buildings in the centres, areas.

Surroundings of Jama Masjid

• Re-development of areas in the vicinity of Jama Masjid, Red Fort,
Qutab, Humayun's Tomb, Old Fort, Tuglakabad and of such other places
of historical importance as the Central Government .
• Under-passes, over-passes and regulations of street furniture and
hoardings.
• Any other project or lay-out which is calculated to beautify Delhi or to
add to its cultural vitality
• Promote and secure the development re-development or
beautification of any areas in Delhi.

ACHEIVEMENTS

• Delhinama: During Commonwealth Games highlighting city-level

issues in an exhibition ‘Imagining Delhi’.
• Layer by layer the team unearthed amazing continuities hidden in
the folds of time.
• Examining The new Metro lines and the Commonwealth Games projects,
and extensions to existing development.
• Pilot projects to serve as templates, proposals on Khirkee Village and
on Sunheri Bagh.
• Broad guidelines to acknowledge the contribution of architect, engineers
etc. to public buildings.
• Working for the improvement of Shahjahanabad
• Modification to the design of transport corridors.
The Commission with the approval of the Government is in the process of
taking up important city level projects indicated below :-
Site Specific designs for wards
Rehabilitation proposals for Unauthorized colony/slums
One proposal in respect of vision for Delhi
High Rise Development Proposals Along Metro Corridors
Rejuvenation of Delhi’s Gardens
Preparation of design and prototype for high-tech public toilets
Improvement in Shahjahanabad
Unified Building bye-laws for Delhi
• PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY DUAC
Heritage Protection of Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone
• On a request of Prime Minister’s office in 2006, prepared a proposal to
delineate the boundary of the “Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone “ and submitted it to
the ministry of urban development in Feb 2007.
• Delineation of three zones:
• Bungalow Zone.
• The Ridge
• The Heritage Zone
Guidelines have been formulated by DUAC inorder to prohibit any Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone
construction in Bungalow zone. Moreover no basements are allowed and any
propert change requires clearance from DUAC.
Present Status: Demarcation of Lutyen’s Bungalow zone is still under
controversy. There 60 colonies waiting for regulations that are on land but
are denoted as forest land on paper by DUAC. Till today DUAC is working on
demarcation and coming out with a new concept of Lutyen;s Conservation
Zone covering an area of 4,274 hectares and the New Delhi Bungalow
precint of 484 hectares.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DELHI METRO PROJECT
• DUAC directs guidelines for the Delhi Metro rail Project such as laying of underground
tracks near sites of historical importance like Chandani Chownk and Qutab Minar.
• On Dec 07, 2009 DUAC restricted the upcoming of five new metro stations in Delhi i.e
in South Delhi, located at Okhla, Lajpat Nagar, Moolchand, Kaliash Colony, Govindpuri.
• These elevated stations are part of Metro Projects Phase 2 network.
• parking spaces outside the station were not adequate.
• Needs of pedestrains and cyclists to be overlooked and the project to be coordinated
with the surroundings.
Verdant City to Vertical Slum:
• Proposal to amend the housing schemes in Kidwai Nagar, Sriniwaspuri, Mohammad
Park Ramkrishna Puran.
• The Commission described it as a vertical slum destroying the urban design of the
city.
• As per the proposal of these schemes would accommodate Government employees.

Parking problem al elevated stations

• For instance General Pool Residential Accommodation is meant to home
10,000 Government employees in area of 165 acres in the middle of Delhi at
separate locations in blocks that will rise to 14 floors.
• These Schemes follow the directions of the latest version of Delhi Master Plan
2021, which has called the tripling of the current building volumes in many parts
of Delhi.
• .
BANGALORE URBAN ART COMMISSION
Vertical Slum
In Karnataka, the Bangalore Urban Art Commission was formulated to
preserve and promote the development in Bangalore.
But the commission was not cover under any legislative framework that is why
it was withdrawn on 2002 due to its ineffective role in development.
The Commission is known for its stand against the demolition of the 18 th
century Kutchery Building . Also for the Cubbon Park , which was going to be
bisected by the metro project.
Presently there is a dire need for BUAC for directing development in
Bangalore. Formulation of a legislation like Bangalore Region Governance Act to
cover the BUAC and provide a legal backing to this administrative body.

Kutchery Building
 ANDHRA PRADESH URBAN ART COMMISSION

THE ANDHRA PRADESH URBAN AREAS DEVELOPMENT ACT 1957 provides legal backing for an art commission to
advise the government on conservation and restoration of architectural and artistic buildings.
Presently it has been merged with Hyderabad Metropolitan Area as its area of functions was confined to the
development proposals within the notified conservation areas falling under Hyderabad Metropolitan Area.

CONCLUSION

• Urban Arts Commission play a dominant role in prolonging the heritage.

• Providing guidelines for new development in continuity and integrity with existing one.
• Role of the commission in Delhi is magnificient .
• There should be a proposal for strengthening the role of UAC at state and central level .
• It proposes to create its counterpart national Urban Heritage Committee at centre, further which would lead to
the formation of a division or committee in proposed National Urbanization Council in the department of Urban
Development encompassing the utter need of including conservation in the development in a country like India
where poverty reduction v/s development is focused
Thank you
Urban Design / Ar. Sarath Mohan