City Planning and Realities - : A Case Study of Chandigarh

City planning and realities -
A case study of Chandigarh

BY
BIPIN KUMAR MALIK
Assistant Professor
Chandigarh College of Architecture
Chandigarh – India
Prepared for International Conference
On “City futures”
University of Illinois, Chicago, United States of America
8-10 July, 2004
Bipin Malik Planning Of Cities And Realities-A Case Study Of Chandigarh Page 1 of 31
City Planning and Realities –
A case study of Chandigarh
By:
BIPIN KUMAR MALIK
Assistant Professor
Chandigarh College of Architecture
Chandigarh
India
1.00 ABSTRACT:
Chandigarh designed by Le Corbusier as ‘Administrative City for definite
population (500,000 people) has completed fifty years of its inauguration.
Population has already crossed one million mark. Almost double, otherwise for
which city was designed for two new satellite towns were added immediately
next to the city by two states, Punjab and Haryana violating the periphery
control and changing the very shape of original Master plan which was based of
Le Corbusier’s planning.
Master plan’s legislation consists of Periphery Control, providing a green belt of
16kms. around the city consisting of 47 sectors. Each neighbourhood unit
(sector) is 1200x800 mts. and has a population ranging between 5000 – 35000.
Northern sector has less density than Southern Sectors.
All sectors are further under Architectural control, which consist of Frame
Control, Material Control, Elevation Control etc. Also there is hierarchy of
Road System (7Vs). Landscape is another feature incorporated in initial master
plan.
Paper will bring out these initial legislations and further assess their validity in
view of changing needs. A big hurdle at present is that there is large number of
people who treat city as a ‘painting’ from Master Corbusier. Anything done by
him is not to be touched upon and then always there are people who want to
freeze everything in the name of “Architectural Heritage” thus crippling the
very idea of a “Living city”. Paper will give analytical view of socio-economic
rd
situation, problem of slum dwellers who form 1/3 of population of city and
are on ever increase. Question broadly is should people’s participation in
building their own city be cut down by framing rules/regulations in the name of
policies framed by group of people from expert category and who have no roots
to the tradition of land. Should planners be given this exclusive right, while
designing future cities.
e-mail: [email protected]
Institutional affiliation: Working since 1977 in Chandigarh College of Architecture .
Presently working as Assistant Professor in the Institute.
1.01 Preamble
Architecture to a large extent is a product of the age. It cannot isolate itself from
social conditions, the thinking and objective and the ideals of age to which it
belongs. The static condition in regard to architecture in India in the last 200 or
300 years really was reflection of the static condition of the Indian mind or
Indian conditions. In fact India has been static architecturally considered for the
last few hundred years. The great buildings we admire date back to earlier
period. We were static before the British came. In fact the British came because
we were static. A society which ceases to go ahead necessarily becomes weak.
(1)
The weakness shows in all forms of creative activity.
1.02 The Site
Government of East Punjab in late March 1948 selected Chandigarh site out of
three possible recommended sites. 1) The Ambala site, 2) Chandigarh site, 3)
The Ludhiana site. “The site chosen is free from the existing encumbrance of
old towns and old traditions. Let it be the first large expression of our creative
(2)
genius flowering on our newly earned freedom”.
th
1) Prime Minister Nehru, 17 March 1959, Exhibition of Architecture, New
Delhi.
2) Nehru after his first visit to Chandigarh – Punjab Government

construction of the new capital of Chandigarh – Projected Report –
undated. Ambala a cantonment is 48km SW of Chandigarh, Ludhiana is
one of the industrial town, 90km NW of Chandigarh.
Notification dated March 23, 1948, Government of East Punjab placed whole of
the area in Kharar Tehsil under prohibition for the purpose of building and the
sale of building. Total area proposed to be acquired for the two phases of the
development of new capital consisted approx. 28000 acres of land in 58 villages
(3)
with a population of 21000 people or 6228 families.
o
Lying on the longitude of 76 48 minutes and latitude 30 degrees 50 minutes,
the altitude of Chandigarh varies from 304.8 to 365.76 above sea level with
o
extreme climate temperature rising to unbearable 45 Celsius in summer and
falling to almost freezing in winter. Total rainfall of 1.01 mts. mostly from July
to August in summer and January February in winter. Prevalent winds are from
south-east in summer and north-east in winter. Favours for hot season for
building consideration was based on Mughal and traditional village buildings.
(4)
3) P.L. Verma, “A note on the New Capital” page 3 1948
4) Maxwell Fry “Problem of Chandigarh Architecture” Marg (Bombay) Vol.
14 No. 1 Dec. 1961 page 20
2.0 The Architects
ALBERT MAYER – consultant to USHA (United State Housing Authority)
FNA (Federal Works Agency), New York State Housing division, member of
Committee on Post War Housing, The National Association of Housing official,
had served as director of the National Public Housing Corporation.
Albert Mayer came in contact with Indian as an officer in the United States
Army Corps of Engineers World War II, was introduced to Mr. Nehru by an
Indian friend Humayan Kabir, a Nationalist Muslim, who arranged a meeting in
1945. Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru was destined to become the first Prime Minister of
Independent India.
After discussing the possibilities of starting some model villages Mayer
returned to New York. Mayer returned on Nehru’s invitation in 1946 for the
assignment of planning new villages in India – but his first assignment was of
master plan of Kanpur and during this time he met Mahatma Gandhi and was
blessed for rural projects in Uttar Pradesh.
In January 1950, Governor of East Punjab wrote to Governor General of India.
“We have now reached what appeared to be final site of our capital. It is to be
Chandigarh. Planning is to be entrusted to Mr. Albert Mayer. On May 10, 1950
in Washington DC, before an August audience of Planners and architects,
Mayer presented his aims for Chandigarh”.
“In modern advanced country like USA. We are so surrounded by vested
achievement, by so many facts and figures and well-developed techniques, so
many highly developed technical means of one kind or another, that we are
almost never able to shake ourselves loose from them, not able to put them out
of the way while we concentrate on ends and objectives, not able to consider
calmly and think completely through. We can in a sense really only improve.
We cannot re-shape things entire and mold them to the heart’s desire. And if we
are not very careful, we even get further confused by piling complicated
ingenious means on top of each other, still further burying the ultimate causes
and objectives”.
I need to call your attention to the futility of our super-highways and our 3-level
crossings, which never for more than a short time catch up with themselves.
You all know of our handsome parkways in the New York region. What you
may not know is that various organizations have published directions on how to
avoid them because they are overcrowded. These detours are of course the poor
old inferior roads they replaced.
In planning de novo as we are doing in India, we are free to formulate ideas and
objectives as clearly and boldly as our creative spirit permits. We call in facts
and techniques as we find we need them, and in sequence with our developing
thought and study – but they are simply handy tools; they do not clutter up our
thinking.
We want to create a beautiful city. Since the City Beautiful concept was thrown
out fifty years ago, and the functionalists and the sociologists took over, the
concept of a large and compelling and beautiful unity has not been enriched by
these important later additional and integral concepts, but has rather been
replaced. We have creatively fused them, but we are unabashedly seeking
beauty.
Can anybody who has studied our proposed new civic centers here – such as for
example Foley Square in New York, or the Chicago Civic Center, seriously
claim that they have turned to some of the great exemplars to the Concorde in
Paris, the Piazza San Marco, St Peter’s and studied them… to extract the
essence.
Our basic purpose is to create a sense of pride in the citizens, not only in this his
own city, but in India, its past and its potential imminent future… We are
seeking symbols, to restore or to create pride and confidence in (the Indian)
(5)
himself and in his country.
5) Mayer’s address to Conventional Symposium “Urban and Regional
Planning” Washington DC May 10, 1950 American Institute of
Architects – Oct 1950 PP 171-73
Mayer work on Chandigarh also included his other associates Mathew Nowicki
and Clarence Stien. Separation of pedestrian to vehicular, neighborhood idea
(done earlier with American Traffic engineer W J Cox) were direct linked to his
work for greater Bombay and object was not to make a city of bold winged –
engineering and cantilevers but a city in India idiom fused with modern
(6)
simplicity, functional honest and imaginative sweep.
Helping Mayer further were Julian Whittlesey, Milton Glass, Clarence Slien,
James Buckley, Ralph Eberlin, Clara Cottey and Mathew Nowicki. Applying
prevalent American principles, plan of Mayer’s Chandigarh was based on two
units.
1) Neighborhood groupings 2) Site conditions to shape city character, road
system, the parks. Fan shaped plan which emerged was based on English garden
movement, Green belt towns together with Los Angeles suburbs, Baldwin Hills,
super blocks. It lacked originality though functionally efficient.
Nowicki offered “the leaf plan”, also blending modern architectural solution
with Indian way of life. Work done on Chandigarh for six months came to an
end with death of Nowicki while returning to America on August 31, 1950.
2.01 Le Corbusier’s Plan
Punjab Govt. informed Mayer by the end of Jan 1951 that work for architectural
development has been given to a group of architects from France and England.
(Le Corbusier and Jeanneret from France, Maxwell Fry Jane drew)
6) Mayer’s report - May 12, 1950
Long before being on team, Maxwell Fry has described Le Corbusier blue print
(7)
for city of tomorrow as fit for living in “only by robots” He remained
‘unconvinced’ regarding Corbu’s modular measurement. Fundamentally
different in their training, Le Corbusier introduction to architecture came
through art and he never for look art to build the city at Chandigarh was not for
highly industrialized nation of west but for a predominately agricultural society
just recently emerged from Colonial rule.
Le Corbusier arrived in Feb 1951. Along with Verma, Fry and Jeanneret in a
rest house and new plan of Chandigarh was “as good as done in four
days”. Mayer met all above in May 1951 and was told of shortcomings done
earlier by him on city plan by the new team. Mayer fought a loosing battle. Le
Corbusier consolidated which included influence on Mayer’s friend Pt. Nehru,
nd
who visited on April 2 1952, the City of Chandigarh. Work was divided
neatly between Le Corbusier and his associates. Le Corbusier in addition to
revising the plan of Mayer, architectural control of the new city reserved the
designing Capitol for himself. Fry, Dew and Jeanneret were given the
responsibility of directing actual construction of the city. Housing for govt.
employees, schools, shopping centers, hospitals, etc. Assisting their works were
Indian architects.
Le Corbusier’s plans main feature ‘7V Rule’ determined the essential function –
creation of the sector. City center was further to be designed by Le Corbusier.
Besides giving shape to a picture he painted in 1930 entitled ‘La Main Rouge’,
first of three monuments of Chandigarh ‘Open Hand’ to receive the newly
created health, open to distribute it to its people and to others, a beginning of
new era too, the era of harmony to the age of machine.
7) Fry letter to Richard Neutra, Sept. 9, 1940, New York Oxford Press 1982 –
pg. 193
City planning was now domain of Le Corbusier who has told Thaper and
Varma, ‘when they first knocked on the door of 35 rue de sevres in Paris on a
bleak November day that “Your capital can be built right here, we at 35 rue de
(8)
sevres perfectly capable of finding the solution to the problems”. (French
minister of Reconstruction and Urbanization M. Claudius Petil (1948-53) first
recommended Le Corbusier to Thaper & Varma on his visit to Europe). (P.N.
Thaper, the Administrative in-charge of Capitol project, Varma Engineer,
Capitol project)
With a philosophy of Town Planning of “Sun, Space and Quiet” yet Le
Corbusier was never interested in Urbanism, he only tuned to it when he
(9)
couldn’t get enough commission as an architect. Certainly Chandigarh as a
town plan, never was the brave new world that Nehru presumed it to be (far
from being a futurists city it is not even a contemporary one)
8) Le Corbusier in Oeuvre complete – 1946-52 (Zurich, Girsbergev 1953)
9) Charles Correa – “The view from Banares”.
Chandigarh conceived as planned government city in two phases,
accommodating uprooted strong traditional people, migrating due to partition of
India in 1947, promised 500,000 in 70 sq.kms of area with a label of being a
material symbol of the spirit and potential of independent India – the vision of
(10)
future – unfettered by tradition of past The city would also be last word in
beauty, in simplicity and in standards of such comfort as it is our duty to
(11) (12)
provide to every human being. Catering to poorest to poor as
visualized by the Swiss-French-English architects. The city now far from initial
vision after the years as planned for definite population has already double the
population, physically increased in the form of Chandigarh Urban Complex
projected with 62 million people with over 5700sq. miles and slums within and
outside periphery destroying the most sacred periphery control ever thought but
(13)
less exercised / monitored or less conceived. Was it all result of Le
Corbusier idea does not work and his building was never conceived with the
(14)
Indian psyche? “Planned city finally turning to ‘evolved’ organic city” is
the will of people occupying city determines the future of the city? In its infancy
Chandigarh has become old to die and be reborn –
3.01 The Master Plan
Primarily the standardized 800x1200 meter ‘sector’ and hierarchical circulation
resulting from Le Corbusier theory of 7Vs resulted into a well ordered matrix of
this generic completing itself into two phases ‘sector 1-30’ in first phase and
development up to 47 sectors in second phase. The ‘sector’ itself was a self
sufficient, introvert unit, enclosed by fast moving V3 road running NW-SE.
Recognizing the aesthetic role of trees in urban design, a comprehensive
(15)
plantation scheme was also devised for the entire city
15. Each V4 road, crossing in he middle of sector with shopping was planned with a different
colors of flowering trees to give separate character to each V4 in different sectors.
3.02 Administrative Government City
Primarily built as government city to accommodate and serve as capital city
after Lahore and Shimla, building which came up in the formative years were
(16)
large treats of ‘Government housing’ built with almost same vocabulary
from house of Chief Minister to a peon (13 type govt. houses were designed)
with exposed bricks, sunshades, uncluttered mass of simple geometric lines. To
control unpredictable vagaries of private housing and to ensure realization of
form conceived by them takes root, it all came under architectural controls.
4.01 Controls
Urban Control in Chandigarh were to operate at three levels, The Periphery, The
Master Plan and Architectural control on 7Vs, city centers and housing
(conceived areas include two major V2 roads (Madhya and Jan Marg) the city
center (Sec 17 and Sec.34) and neighborhood shopping on V4
All system of construction in city is governed by construction and architectural
treatment of exterior controls. A schematic design with 17’-3” bay size in
commercial sector and of standardized facades of set heights were produced.
Full architectural control was applied to shops, the only variation being in the
interior layouts.
16. Largest and most innovative compound to accommodate 20,000 people who moved within
first 3 years.
17. AR Prabhakaran, Marg Vol 15 no.1 Dec 61 pg.55
Clause no.4 of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952
reads as follows:-
(1) For the purpose of proper planning or development of Chandigarh, the State
Government or the Chief administrator may issue such directions, as may be
considered necessary, in respect of any site or building either generally for the
whole of Chandigarh or for any particular locality thereof, regarding any one or
more of the following matters, namely:-
a) Architectural features of the elevation or frontage of any building:
b) Erection of detached or semi-detached building or both and the area of
the land appurtenant to such building:
c) The number of residential buildings which may be erected on any site
in any locality:
d) prohibition regarding erection of shops, workshops, ware-houses,
factories or buildings of a specified architectural character or buildings
designed for particular purposes in any locality:
e) Maintenance of height and position of walls, fences, hedges or any
other structural or architectural construction:
f) Restrictions regarding the use of site for purposes other than erection of
buildings.
2) Every transferee shall comply with the directions issued under sub-section
(1) and shall, as expeditiously as possible, erect any building or take such other
steps as may be necessary to comply with such directions.
4.02 Architectural Control
While initially government housing was designed and city constructed of mostly
of these 13 type houses accommodating from Chief Minister of State of Punjab
& Haryana to the lowest, peon, yet 70% of housing in Chandigarh was to be of
private building. Yet these private building do not appear to be private because
of they are built under strict rigid system of architectural control. Chandigarh
was to develop both in private and public sectors, while most of commercial
building (along V4 road, city center and along V2 roads) are under architectural
control private housing by and large not been left to its own fate. Following
architectural control is functioning in Chandigarh.
4.03 Full Architectural Control:
This applies to all the commercial buildings and residential houses along the
shopping streets of sectors (V4s). Formally the houses in these streets were only
controlled as to the definite building line and the height and the manner of the
use of building materials, whereas the larger plots were under no architectural
control. This proved unsuccessful and standard design for houses were prepared
in which the interior could be altered by the owner as long as the exterior was
not vitally affected. For shops, complete designs have been provided from the
very beginning.
4.04 System of Construction and Architectural Treatment of
Exterior Controls:
This applies to all the buildings in city center and to all the commercial
buildings along the V-2 avenues. This system in the city center is based on a
grid of columns, fixed floor heights and fixed 17’-3” shuttering pattern on
concrete and system of glazing or screen walls behind the line of columns. The
interior planning is at the discretion of the owner, and in the exterior certain
variations are permitted to give variety to the architectural composition. Along
the V2 avenues the basic principle is the same as in the city center but other
types of treatments have been evolved for the Facades.
4.05 Schematic Design Control:
In cases where special types of buildings occur in the Architectural control
areas, a schematic design is prepared on the basis of which the developer
prepares the final designs in consultation with the Chief Architect. This has so
far been applied to the design of cinema buildings in the City center and to the
petrol station.
4.06 Architectural Control:
In this system the design has to be prepared in consultation with the Chief
Architect by a qualified architect employed by the developer. This applies to the
residential buildings along certain important areas like the avenue at the foot of
the hills, (Uttar Marg), along the leisure valley and certain V3s. This is to
ensure a certain architectural standard in these areas.
4.07 Frame Control:
This is perhaps the most important control introduced recently on all the small
plots upto 10 marla (250sq yds) category, where the houses have to be built in
terrace formation. In fact lack of control on this type of plots began to result in
extremely poor architecture, and since no one could predict what his neighbor
would do with his building, good street picture in such areas became impossible
even if good architects were to design building. It is well to contrast terrace
housing with the detached houses in big plots, which good or bad do not
influence the street picture so mush as they are surrounded by trees and are
visible in glimpses. Bulk of housing in Chandigarh is provided in terraces; and
lack of control on such streets foreshadowed the evil consequences. Frame
Control comprises in fixing the extent and height of the party walls and a top
course connecting these, thus forming a frame. The building portion which can
be of any design stays behind this frame. Certain standard sizes of doors and
windows have been specified from which a person may choose and use in any
manner he likes. In this way harmony is provided by frame and variety by the
individual treatment of any building.
4.08 Gates and Boundary Walls:
All the gates and boundary walls are also to conform to standard designs, which
also add to the unity of the street picture.
All these controls, which were followed like a bible, are now being revised by
state formed ‘Building byelaws Committee’, which mainly consists of
representation both from administration and public mainly consisting of people
from commercial establishments.
4.09 Landscape and Gardening:
Corbusier sums up the ideas of town planning thus: “The sun, space and
verdure” are the ancient influences, which have fashioned our body and our
spirit. Isolated from their natural environment, all organisms perish, some
slowly some quickly, and man is no exception to this general rule. Our towns
have snatched men from essential conditions, molested them, started them,
falsified them, embittered them, crushed them, even sterilized them; the third
generation to live in great cities tends to sterility. Fashioned throughout
millennia by the conditions of nature, man cannot with impunity disrupt the
natural order. Shut up in masonry walls and conditioned to the smell of petrol
fumes, men in large towns lead a cramped and unhappy life, deprived of the
essential joys of life – sun, space and verdure. Unless the conditions of nature
are re-established in man’s life, he cannot be healthy in body and spirit.
The fundamental elements are: accord with the laws of nature; harmony of
actions in the recurrent cycle of the solar day of twenty four hours; experience
of the essential joys; an intensity in consecrated work and in consecrated
leisure; definition of the métier of the contractor; exploitation of the
th th
architectural revolution accomplished in the laboratory by the 19 and 20
centuries; the idea of unity regulating the doctrine of the built domain and its
necessary overhauls; the intervention of the law giver reuniting again nature
with the built work in the land, in the province, in the region, in the town,
determining the scales and types of built volumes and tracing new routes; the
whole in conformity with the law of the land.”
In search of the sun, space and verdure, man drifts from the ancient town and
establishers himself, in garden suburbia. Ultimately, the so-called garden towns
also develop and expand, reducing the outskirts of the towns to miserable
shabbiness. Nature melts under the invasion of roads and houses. Horizontal
garden towns in the grip o the tentacles of the ancient city are ultimately
reabsorbed and the promised seclusion became a crowded settlement.
According to Corbusier, the real solution lies in the Vertical Garden City in
which the superimposed buildings rise above the park which contains amenities
such as sports grounds, crèches, primary schools and clubs. The housewife is
also liberated from domestic work. By the concentration of a large number of
dwellings in one building, considerable area of open ground is liberated, the site
effectively enlarging and merging with surroundings countryside. The dwelling
unit allows the organization of common services such as water supply,
electricity, air conditioning, medical services, sports and education. The
corridor street lined with houses on both sides is abolished, and in the place of
confusion architectural amplitude of simple splendour results. The towns no
longer a senseless pile of stone and masonry but becomes a park, and man and
nature are harmonized. Avenues of trees, sometimes three to five rows thick,
provide green walls and grouping of trees in the form of rectangles, squares and
(18)
circles creates green rooms.
“The keys of town planning are in the four functions – Living, Working,
Recreation and Circulation. The base of the City Plan is a rectangular grid of
heavy traffic roads enclosing the self-contained neighborhoods or Sectors. The
road and sector system almost completely separates vehicular and pedestrian
traffic. The sectors are interconnected by the shopping street running across,
and by park belts, lengthwise. The pedestrian can thus traverse the city in both
directions without walking on the major traffic streets. The fast moving traffic is
restricted to the rectangular grid of heavy traffic roads, which are designated V2
and V3. These roads are at the outer sides of the Sector. Inside the sectors,
protected from fast traffic are the V4, V5, V6 and V7, which provide access to
the houses, shopping center, schools, hospitals etc.
The avenue of the Capitol consists of a heavy traffic automobile highway of a
parallel band of parking, a large pavement on each side with shops and arcades
and high buildings.
(18) M.S. Randhawa, ICS, First Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, U.T. , landscape and
gardening flowering trees in India – Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Also outside this and parallel to it is the eroded valley. This road has been
planted with green grass and ornamental shrubs, like the bougainvillea.
Footpaths, which are provided at the sides for pedestrians, are shaded by four to
five rows of trees.
On the one hand, it seems useful to demarcate the automobile highway by a
border of high trees, and on the other to unite with the one glance the entire
width of the avenue in question, the shops, pedestrians, parking cars and the
localized contacts with the eroded valley and the leisure space. It is equally
necessary to cover the pedestrian promenade with shade along the shops.
For the car route, a single or double row of trees with high foliage will permit
the eye to travel across. This will be with light and evergreen foliage to avoid
the need for sweeping.
For pedestrians, a multiple row of trees with very heavy deciduous foliage is
required so that the sun’s rays may pass through in winter. There must also be
some evergreen trees with dark and glistening foliage.
This arrangement will contrast the height, the thickness, the colours and the
permanency of the foliage, and will explain the various functions of this
essential artery of the City.
V3 receives only high-speed traffic. Choice and planting of trees should be
studied to give the best conditions, especially in relation to the glare of the sun.
There are two directions of the V3s: horizontal V3s parallel to the Station
Avenue, and vertical V3s, which are parallel to the Avenue of the Capital.
The situation for the horizontal V3 is not serious because the sun in summer is
almost at its zenith at this time. On the other hand, the vertical V3 will be in a
bad way in winter when the sun is low on the horizon, and its rays are in the
same directions as the vertical V3. That is why the trees must be chosen and
planted differently. On some of the roads, evergreen trees with large umbrella
like crowns like Ficus infectoria have been planted, and in course of time their
crowns would meet, forming a green tunnel. For horizontal V3, the trees should
have light foliage.
It should be noted that the difference in the tree planting of the horizontal and
the vertical V3s will at once make it clear to the users in which direction they
are traveling.
The V4 is the place where the most intense activity of the urban life of the
sector is assembled. The V4 will be the street, which will give its own character
to each Sector. Consequently, such a V4 will be different from the others and
finished with special characteristics, because it is indispensable to create a great
variety across the city, and to furnish elements to classification to the
inhabitants. All the possibilities of nature at our disposal are to give to each V4
a personality that will maintain itself in the whole width of the town and thus tie
up five or six sectors traversed by a V4.
To specialize the character, each V4 has been planted with trees having
different colors of flowers. For example, one V4 is yellow another red and yet
another blue.
The V4 should be lively. Consequently, unlike V3s, it can have several different
types of trees as well as different types of shapes and mixtures of foliage,
deciduous as well as evergreen.
For roadside avenues along V4 roads, trees, which provide shade and are also
beautiful, have been selected. Trees with a regular shape such as cypresses,
Lombardy Poplar, Asoka, and chorisia are suitable for formal planting schemes.
On interior roads where the shape of the crown is not so important, trees with
beautiful flowers and foliage such as kachnar, jacaranda, coral tree, amaltas, gul
mohur, pink cassia, silver oak and Pride of India have been planted.
The countryside with these trees will be interesting and pleasant in all the
months of the year. In summer, the trees would provide shade and in winter
sunshine, as the deciduous trees will permit the sun’s rays to pass.
Ample areas have been provided for parks in the master plan of the Capital. For
these parks informal planting has been adopted. Interior belts with their
continuous flow combine with the outer green belts to give a verdant feeling to
the whole city. They also give a sense of direction and dramatically culminate in
the Capital. Facing the parks are building groups such as the Public Library, Art
Gallery, the Museum and the Girls College. There are narrow greenways
connecting major parks, and an area of seventy-five acres has been allowed for
a zoological garden, and hundred acres for the botanical gardens.
Bioaesthetic planning is closely connected with town planning. Before the
towns arose, there were groves of trees, meadows, moving horizons, hills,
mountains, rivers and lakes. By building disorderly piles of houses, many
beautiful vies have been obscured. This has been avoided in Chandigarh by
staggering the sitting of houses in such a manner that the Mountain View is not
obscured even at the ground level. Trees have been carefully chosen with due
regard to color of flowers, beauty of foliage and shape of crown. In addition to
utilitarian and aesthetic aspects, trees in city areas constitute an effective buffer
against dust and noise, and also act as windbreaks. Moreover, when planted
properly hey link up individual masses of buildings in a harmonious whole, and
enhance their architectural appeal by presenting a foil of texture, color and form
by way of contrasts.
ANNEXTURE
For the establishment of an immediate “Statute of the Land” by
Le Corbusier.
5.00 City of Chandigarh.
1. Definition of Use of Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city offering all amenities of life to the poorest of the poor of its
citizens to lead a dignified life. Chandigarh is a Government city with a precise
goal and consequently a precise quality of inhabitants.
On this presumption, the city has not to be big city (metropolis?) – it must not
lose its definition. People say that life must come in the city from other source
or activity specially industry. Industrial city is not the same as an administrative
city. One must not mix the two. It seems that complement of the original
definition should be the invitation of forces, which can supplement the forces of
the city not opening a conflict of rivalry. We must take care that any
temptations do not kill the goal, which was foreseen at the moment of the
foundation of the city. Therefore, naturally, old doors must be opened to
actually unknown initiatives. It appears that the future of Chandigarh will be
opened to all the cultural factors in different kinds of manifestation teaching
(schools) university, new science of imparting audio-visual training etc, etc – in
one word, all kinds of knowledge).
Means to express and to disperse the thought (editions: books, magazines and
eventually printing of books, magazines etc.) Means to express and disperse arts
(in time and space history and geography). All the kinds of reproduction of art-
witnesses (editions: visual means – photographs, diagrams etc. at different
scales). Diverse manifestations of exhibition, shows theatre, festivals, creations
of highest modernity etc. Such manifestations reclaiming the organizations and
use of traveling, possibilities of hostelry etc.
For the culture of the body there can be created an organism having at
disposition any possibilities of meeting for competitions or tournaments.
All this will afford the creation of a “Chandigarh Label” which will be the
guarantee of quality and worth emulation.
5.02 II The Four Functions
(CIAM “Charter of Athens”)
The force of this Charter lies in giving the first place to the dwellings: the
environment of living – the family under the rule of “24 solar hours.”
The second place is given to the ‘working’ which is daily act of human
obligation.
The third is the culture of body on one hand and an intellectual leisure on the
other.
When all these goals have received their definitive containers it is possible to
give to each of them a respective rightful place and at this moment can interfere
the problem of realizing the contacts: that is “circulation”.
******
5.03 III
With this line of conduct, the urbanism of Chandigarh emerged. The date
concerning the dwellings was an artificial one. The charter of 13 categories; The
city arising is one of 2½ storeys which has brought many appreciable factors but
which is now placed before the pressure of the city’s development, it is; “What
will be the future?”
Concerning the working, Chandigarh being an administrative city, two centers
have appeared; one of Government: the Capitol Complex buildings and parks
and its precise situation in the landscape. The second is the “Town Hall” placed
in the City Centre.
What are the other workings? The one which answers to the possibilities which
are listed in the paragraph (ii) coition, festivals etc. They ask for precise
locations on the ground of the city. One part is already realized in location and
in building: the University, the colleges and schools with proper zoning. (The
principle being that forms are located in the green on the limit of the city and
the latter located in the internal NE SW belt of green)
A small reserve of ground was given for an undefined industry east of the city
near to the station. Very little of this ground remains today available.
***
5.04 Constituent element occupying the ground of the city.
a) The Sectors.
b) The 7Vs which are 8
c) The resulting geography: concentration and dissemination (in the city and
out of the city)
d) Indispensable facts, unacceptable facts (their biology)
e) Statute of the land.
f) Augmentation (appreciation) in the value of land by clever methods.
a) The key of the modern urbanism is “the Sector” which is a container of
family life (24 solar hours: night and day). The contents being from
5,000 to 20,000 inhabitants (approx.) Chandigarh has 30 sectors: each
sector has its provisions, the schools (kindergarten and primary) the
necessary maintenance organization, the food, artisans (repairs etc) the
daily leisure (movies etc.) all traversing in the middle of each sector –
it is the “V4” (see below) The V4 given the horizontal connection
between the contiguous sector. The sectors are also specially devoted
to all what concerned family life (man, woman and child) day and
night. The sector is surrounded by high speed roads with bus stops
every 400 meters and giving the eight entrances in this social group.
The fundamental principle of the sector is that never a door will open
on the surrounding V3s; precisely the four surrounding V3s must be
separated from the
sector by a blind wall all along. In consequences, the sector will never
receive transit buses or cars. If there were today any actual
organizations which have broken this rule, it should be set right.
However, the V4 can accept the through passage of cars and buses but
only at low speed. Each sector will have a green properly oriented in
the direction of the mountain constituting a band vertically connecting
a series of sectors. In these bands will be installed the diverse schools
and the sport fields.
b) “The 7-Vs which are 8”
It is the rule, which was established before ten years at the demand of
the UNESCO to try constituting an eventual acceptable proposition of
urbanism for general world application. The resume of these 7-Vs for
this present report (which has to prepare “The Chandigarh Statute of
land” is the followings:
Seven kinds of ways (which are now 8) can bring in the modern life
the solution of contacts between different organisms, which constitute
the containers of the activity of the machinist age. The V1 is the going
throughout the continents, traversing rural areas and cities.
The V2 take immediately the succession of V1 at the beginning of the
city. Other V2s can be the trainings of international municipal will of
greatness and usefulness together.
The V3s are a new kind of roads devoted exclusively to vehicular
traffic (specially fast traffic) these ways must be interrupted the least.
They are surrounding the sectors as explained above.
The V4 is the right place of the 24 hours life of a sector. It is a linear
event and particularly in Chandigarh. It should be situated on the
shadow side (which is the SW side)
The V5 are roads, which assure the internal distribution of traffic
inside a sector.
The V6s have to give access to the doors of the dwellings. V5 and V6
must never receive a transit traffic (bicycle, cars and buses)
The V7 is situated in the green ribbon going SW to NE in the direction
of the hills. The V7 gives the vertical contact between the sectors and
crosses the V2 station and the V2 south and two other horizontal V3s.
We can affirm soon that the V7 (for pedestrians only) has to V2 and
V3 with parallel (foot bridges) which can be made now or later
depending on the situation (conjuncture). These bridges must
immediately be drawn on the urbanism plans from now on.
The traffic of the bicycles, to wheelers, auto-cycles will have to take a
separate way along the green ribbon with the intention to realize the
function of the bicycles in the modern city. These 7 ways have been
named after the creation of V7 because of the recent appearance of the
cycle with the two wheels the entire world over. The two wheeled
vehicles have never to use the same way as the four wheels and the
three wheels, Chandigarh is the first application of this new system of
roads – one must add that for the creation of urbanism, drawing,
discussions, meeting, this designation of V1, V2, V3 etc. has brought
an extraordinary clarity.
c) 5.05 The resulting geography: Concentration and
dissemination (in the city and out of the city).
“Charter of Athens” of the CIAM has proclaimed the four functions of

the urbanism (as already given above). Each function is to be
contained in one container, it is one building. The first problem is to
give the specific size of this building. The first problem is to give the
specific size of this building according to each function. The modern
life has to locate all its activities in containers of conformed size:
“unites do grandeur conform” (for living, industry and for leisure,
school, museum, etc. “sports”.
Each of these tools (“containers of conformed size”) has to find their
rightful place on the land. Their locations must be fixed on the paper
(plan) with their necessary surrounding. The contact will be given by
direct or indirect ways, which have to be foreseen and fixed from the
beginning.
Some of these containers constitute a concentration; the other
dissemination. At Chandigarh the place was given to the family
containers (the Sectors”) for the work place was given in the Capitol,
University, City Centre, and a limited industrial area.
d) 5.06 Indispensable facts: Acceptable facts (their biology)
The human factors must be put on the summit; it is the relationship

between the cosmos and man. Law of the Sun is of the greatest
importance. In Chandigarh, the Sun must be controlled, so that the day
hours can be employed for working. It is a technical intervention in
the domain of construction of dwellings and public buildings.
The air, which will be breathed, is a condition of human life. The
problem of “aeration” (breathing) is very important.
The control of noise is to be introduced in the urbanistic conception
like in the construction of buildings – specific technical problem. The
three following words express the problem to be solved: Air-Sound-
Light.
e) Statute of the land: This denomination express exactly what is to be
done? The duty of an authority is to be honest; it is to control things,
which belong to a regime of rules (existing and understandable),
which have to be created by the will of a collectivity. In other words
there exists true merchandise, which has to be sold to true customers,
and which will never lose their primitive value in the case of arbitrary
decision coming later.
Is it possible to conserve such realities during the time, which is going

on?
The Statute of Land is the description of what is proposed and has to
be proposed in the future and the engagement of the authority that
such realities will never be destroyed by inattentive resolution or
decisions.
When a national Bank signs a paper (a bank note) promising that this
paper has a value fixed at a figure printed on it, it is impossible to
change it except for an unexpected national or world catastrophe.
The statute of the land has also to include the date of the creation of
the city as it has also to foresee some possibilities of evolution or
change, which are hidden in the future.
f) 5.07 Appreciation of Land
When such a working has been made in a city: obtaining the money,
buying of necessary ground, first bye-laws, permitting to begin
construction, arriving of the first inhabitants, selling of the first plots
etc.
A phenomenon is born: it is the appreciation of land. A game, a play
has begun. One can sell cheap or at a high price; it depends on the
kind of “tactic and strategy” put in this operation.
One phrase must be affirmed: “The good urbanism makes money; the
bad urbanism loses money:
The problem is also to be vigilant: one must sell true merchandise;
noting must be allowed to provoke circumstances, which will bring
loss to any single habitant.
One has the “Statute of the Land”. It is like a seed. What can be grown
from the seed? It is in the hands of Administrator.
Chandigarh
17 December 1959 LE CORBUSIER
6.00 Present Scenario
Chandigarh to Chandigarh Metropolitan Region
1) 6.01 I Phase I Population 150000
Sector 1-30
Density: 40 persons/ha
Total area: 43sq.km.
II Phase II Population 350000
Sector 31-47
Density: 144 persons/ha
Total area: 70sq.km.
III Phase III Re-densification of Phase I if population goes beyond 500000.
(Present population is touching 1 million marks)
The Punjab new periphery control act 1952 was enacted by which 8 km. Green
belt provided around the city boundaries which was further
extended to 16kms in 1962. Main objectives were to:
1. To prevent slums and haphazard growth.
2. Forests to be protected.
3. Agriculture area/water resources to be protected.
4. Brick kiln and surface mining to be regulated.
5. No development upto 90 meters on either sides of major roads and
30 meters on other roads.
6. Religious buildings and houses were permitted “abadi area”.
2) 6.02 Re-organisation of the state of Punjab was done in the year 1966.
Chandigarh now a Union Territory became also the capital of two states
namely Punjab and Haryana. Physical features were as under:
1) Union territory of Chandigarh – Total area 114sq.kms, capitol city 17sq.km,
26 villages 44sq.km. Out of the total periphery controlled area Union
Territory of Chandigarh had 44sqkm. State of Punjab 1021sqkm and
Haryana state 295sqkm
2) Constructions of farm houses and poultry farms in 16km in green belt were
allowed.
3) Chandigarh Urban Agglomeration (CUA) area.
Government of India in 1972 formed a high powered committee to ensure
integrated development of the region. Ministry of works and housing
de-marketed CUA area which consisted of :
i) Union Territory of Chandigarh.
ii) SAS Nagar and 27 revenue villages in Punjab State.
iii) Panchkula, a new town of Haryana and 23 revenue villages.
6.03 LAYERS OF CHANDIGARH URBAN AGGLOMERATION

AREA
Layer 1 - Sector 1-30 Pop.150000 Area 43sqkm.
Air force
Railway station
Manimajra
Layer 4 - CUA area Pop.350000 Area 435sqkm.
SAS Nagar
Sec.56-71
Industrial area SAS nagar
Panchkula, Sec.1-17
Cantonment,Chandimandir
Layer 5 - Between CUA boundary (Chandigarh, SASnagar,Pkl ) and
16km radius belt.
3) 6.04 CHANDIGARH INTER-STATE CAPITAL REGIONAL
PLAN 2001
1) Plan approved by high-powered committee in 1984 with a projected
population of 2.5million and an area of 2431sqkm. The key feature of
this plan was it was non-statutory with intent to reduce rate of growth
in layer 1 and 2, regulate growth rate of 3 and 4, eccerlate growth rate
in layer 5 and 6 (area beyond 16km. Green belt)
2) Growth trends 1981-91. Showed population growth was higher in
layer 3 in U.T. relativity high in layer 4 and low in layer 5 and 6.
4) 6.05 CHANDIGARH INTER-STATE METROPOLITAN

REGIONAL PLAN 2021
1) Consisted of Union Territory of Chandigarh and eight tehsils of
adjoining districts. (Roopnagar ,Kharar, Rajpura, Fethagarh of Punjab
State). Panchkula, Kalka, Nalagarh area of Haryana state, which
extended to a total area of 5612sqkm. with the radius extending to
50km and total projected population of 6.5million out of which
1.8million in layer 1,2 and 3 , 1.2million in layer 4 , 3.2million in
layer 5 and 6.
Far from the Le Corbusier’s idea of a ‘Definite City’ city has stumbled to the
natural pressure including political. Within the city area large open spaces
planned for “cared for body and spirit” have become the heaven for slum
dwellers to an extent that at present 33% of the city’s population is from the
slums.
CONCLUSION
Future cities have to be designed for ‘human’ and not for ‘robots’. Technology,
which has widened the distance between man and nature, cannot be advocated
as the bases of planning. City as a ‘settlement’ for a community cannot be
standardized or be a multiple of any ‘generic’ like ‘sectors’ in Chandigarh.
Future of cities lies in past from where they must continue and develop. New
city planning is to be understood and drawn right on the site along with people
and their roots, who put soul to otherwise ‘Dead’ city. To view that Chandigarh
can be planned right at 35 rue de Sevres was as childish as Le Corbusier’s
genius. People must be given expression in terms of buildings where they have
to live and work and live life rather than control them to boxes (mass housing in
handigarh). Urban character has to come out of collective will of people who
make the city.
Regional planning, statutory monitoring and subject to change just like stream,
which under natural force changes its course, should be part of accepted norms
for planned city. ‘Icon’ and ordinary (Borrowed from Jen Henkett article –
Modern Movement Heritage London & New York E & FN 1998) cannot be
planned. These are to be generated by people and adopted in that sense. Only
this recognition can truly create ‘Icons’ and ordinary. Chandigarh Capitol
Complex if not visited by people cannot be idealized as ‘Temple of
Democracy’. Future city must generate the feel and warmth of community
living.
Achieved ‘Icon’ status not due to designer’s vocabulary but status is given by
‘adoptive ness’ of people. Rock garden by ‘Nek Chand’ in the very heart of
great settings of Le Corbusier Capitol is more of an ‘Icon’ and then any other
element in that space because it is visited by people who can establish
familiarity of space produced there. Inability of modern city planning to carry
cultural continuity, organic, and regional style has plugged the life with which
city must beam to be its soul.

City Planning and Realities - : A Case Study of Chandigarh

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

City Planning and Realities - : A Case Study of Chandigarh

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

City Planning and Realities - : A Case Study of Chandigarh

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

City planning and realities -

A case study of Chandigarh

2) Nehru after his first visit to Chandigarh – Punjab Government

“Charter of Athens” of the CIAM has proclaimed the four functions of

The human factors must be put on the summit; it is the relationship

Is it possible to conserve such realities during the time, which is going

6.03 LAYERS OF CHANDIGARH URBAN AGGLOMERATION

4) 6.05 CHANDIGARH INTER-STATE METROPOLITAN

You might also like