Semester 8
8th semester Ar. Shrila Gupta Landscape Architecture and Design 29 January 2019
The Lutyen’s Delhi Streetscape There are trees that bloom in the planters in between the avenues of the Lutyens Delhi. Being quite treaded since the old times they are still very functional. Getting a global foot print and ushed with embassies and central government buildings makes it extra ordinary and away from monotonous. A tropical vibe runs through the straight avenues of this part of New Delhi. “When city planning went under way and the main arterial avenues of New Delhi were rst being sketched in 1912-13, planners had to take into account the fact that the vistas were mostly at and uninterrupted.” - 1 The nal Report of the Town Planning Committee (1913) said: …the size of the special trees selected for the avenues determinate width of avenues in which they are to stand. For the purpose of getting the right e ect from the design of an avenue both the size and shape of trees are of importance; and with this end in view the committee have picked out 13 kinds of avenue trees out of a very large number, which will grow in Delhi… A deviation from the kind of tree selected to suit each avenue means a loss of a large general e ect. From a perspective of a citizen of Delhi who’s seen it go through phases, experiencing extreme climates (composite climate) and having the best of crowd in the footfall which is quite diverse, it is de nitely the most deserving city centre and the best the Manas S. Vij
ff
fi
ff
1
fl
fi
D.B.H.C.O.A.
fi
fl
Research Paper
Research Paper
Semester 8
city could have. As diverse as the crowd is the species of trees that have been installed in this city centre which makes it unique and signi cant. ‘What sort of views did Swinton and Lutyens “want to be seen”? Ancient ‘architectural e ects’ such as Inderpat (the Purana Qila), the Lodi tombs and Safdarjang’s mausoleum, mostly. Some new ones too, like the Viceroy’s Palace (now Rashtrapati Bhavan). Trees were clearly desirable, but could - if they were not careful - become visual impediments, and the earliest planning documents about tree-planting in New Delhi show an awareness that the choice of species was of crucial importance.’
A lot has happened to Delhi in the second half of the 20th century. The population of the twin cities exploded after Independence in 1947, and the twin cities exploded after Independence in 1947, and the frenetic development that followed has seen the city teeter on the brink of environmental crisis. The Yamuna river is little more than a trickle of raw sewage now. The water table has plummeted, and the aquifers are dangerously
2
fi
ff
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
tainted with toxins. Delhi’s air is thick with the belched emissions of more vehicles than all the other 4 Indian metropolitan cities combined. Monuments built by the numerous rulers of Delhi have also become home to some of the city’s old, indigenous trees. These were termed as “natural heritage” by the delhi government in September 2016. The list includes 16 trees which are spread over south and New Delhi districts. Here, a Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) tree at the iconic India Gate (Credit: Adithyan P C/CSE).
*PATHS -Avenues spread out in descending hierarchy starting from Kingsway and Queensway.Continuity of spatial hierarchy, façade identity, visual scope, usage, paving and planting, formality and activity lend it a uni ed city image. *NODES - Roundabouts were placed at the path intersections. They functioned as origins and destinations for avenues.
3
fi
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
*LANDMARKS - Were essentially located at important foci. E.g.: Teen Murti house, the club, the old monuments etc. They express the character of Lutyens Delhi and form its associative image ability. * EDGES - The ridge forms its western edge, while the Lodhi Gardens and other greens also mark its boundary. Other parks separated Imperial Delhi forming a green belt that virtually ringed the capital city.
Trees once established do not need maintenance and continue to serve mankind for many hundred years. They not only provide comfort and beauty but also improve productivity of human beings. Therefore functionally suitable trees are very essential for the betterment of our built-environment - the cities.
Lutyens worked with a very short list of trees that were known to possibly grow in New Delhi. This list was prepared by A.E.P. Griessen of the Horticulture Department of New Delhi.
D.B.H.C.O.A.
4
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
It consisted primarily of indigenous species of trees such as Neem (Azadirachta indica), Arjan (Terminalia arjuna), Jamboa (Engenia operculata), Jadi (Ficus amplissima), Imli (Tamarindus indica), Bahera (Terminalia bellirica), Tree of heaven (Ailanthus excelsa) etc. Lutyens used these trees on almost all the roads he planned and planted Lutyens also created the landscape design of this part of the city. He collaborated with William Robertson Mustoe, a gardener and Walter George, a town planner in planning, selecting, planting and maintaining this stretch of the city. Tree plantation along roads in New Delhi is one of the best in India. It is a an exemplary model of architectural, structural and aesthetic excellence. Some of the remarkable features that can be attributed to its artistry are:
▪Use of structurally large trees with very tall, straight trunks that form excellent sprawling crowns
▪The use of indigenous species that are hardy, sturdy and durable that makes them easy to grow and maintain. They are able to withstand the extreme environmental pollution from toxic automobile exhausts that
usually threaten delicate
trees
▪Evergreen varieties of trees used which lends to year-round green effect and protection from severe weather conditions
▪The entire expanse of open space be5
.
.
.
.
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
tween the concrete buildings and roads covered, creating a soothing visual effect
▪
Avenues planted with single kind of trees that offers a glorious collective impact. The consistency, homogeneity of structure, texture and pattern it creates has helped bind the entire city together
▪
Trees planted in straight rows and geometric patterns help create a beautiful effect in a city the magnitude of Delhi
▪
Planting trees close to the verges, has helped separate vehicular and pedestrian traf c
▪
All owering species of trees that are structurally small, short-lived and dif cult to grow and maintain have deliberately not been used for roadside plantation. Instead these have been exclusively planted in parks and various open spaces where they grow well and provide colour and beauty to the city
Undoubtedly, the tree plantation along roads in New Delhi is a landmark in the history of landscape design in India which other cities should have followed. But unfortunately except for Chandigarh, no other city in India is anywhere near to New Delhi and Chandigarh. In an era of, the so called, Smart Cities, the administrators, planners, and landscapists should follow these cities and make all human settlements worth living. Akbar road, Tilak and Pandit Pant Marg, Imli tree decorates Akbar road with tall straight trunk, spreading crown, providing green cover on the entire road and pedestrian path separating vehicular and pedestrian traf c. Imli tree has also been planted on Tilak road, Pandit Pant Marg and a stretch of Mother Teresa Marg
.
fi
Manas S. Vij
.
.
.
6
.
fi
.
fi
fl
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Research Paper
Semester 8 Janpath, Arjan tree planted close to the verge has separated vehicular tra c and pedestrian movement and looks fantastic. Arjan has also been planted on Teen Murti and Mother Teresa Marg. Large structured Arjan trees with big branches, thick foliage have developed green walls, ceilings and outdoor rooms creating a spectacular e ect.
Barakhamba Road, Sikandra and Rajendra Prasad Roads were once pure baheda avenues, but there has been noticeable erosion in the plan. Canning Road has lots of trees and the zoo has 2 prominent groves. Baheda is a tall, handsome tree with a massive dome shaped crown and broad leaves prominently clustered at the ends of twigs. Deciduous tree with smooth, broadly oval leaves.
7
ffi
ff
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8 Motilal Nehru Marg, Jamboa tree is structurally big and evergreen. Its high trunk, well formed crowns provides complete cover with spreading and dropping branches and foliage –making the avenue functional and attractive. Plantation of Jamboa has been repeated on Tughlak road, Rajaji road as well as Tyagraj Marg.
Copernicus Marg, all along the avenue (with maharukh) in front of Khan Market are planted sausage trees. Sausage tree is the only exotic tree among the 13 species selected to line avenues in Lutyen’s Delhi. A large tree from tropical Africa with a short, thick trunk and spreading crown. At most times of the year it either has large, waxy, livercoloured owers or grey sausage-shaped fruit dangling at the ends of very long, ropelike stalks.
fl
D.B.H.C.O.A.
8
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
So the people who planned New Delhi’s avenue trees selected species that they believed to be evergreen, and weeded out candidate species that they knew to be deciduous. They got it egregiously wrong, and we are living with the consequences of their miscalculation. It is this criterion for selection that explains why some of the most familiar avenue trees of the Mughals were rejected. With hindsight, we can see that the planners and horticulturalists made an elementary ecological miscalculation. Trees like the imli, Arjun, neem or narked behave like broadleaf evergreens when they are growing in moist forests or near river banks. When planted in Delhi, however, they must contend with a long period of drought. As we have seen, for most trees the most e ective response to sustained drought is to drop their leaves.
9
Manas S. Vij
ff
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Research Paper
Semester 8
Trees are everywhere in Delhi, of manifold species, which contribute to the biodiversity that complements the other life forms and the spectrum of colours and shapes that one witnesses amidst a metropolitan. As the archival record suggests, careful and premeditated intent of the arboriculturists and the planners of Imperial Delhi plumb for the particular tree species.
The intricately planned sidewalks, planters and rotaries result in a sustainable and sound city centre which is served with regular maintenance. Serenity and peace lies in the core of the city as it’s embellished with the evergreen ora along with harmonious colour scheme in the material palette of the street scape.
10
fl
D.B.H.C.O.A.
Manas S. Vij
Research Paper
Semester 8
Bibliography ; Works cited : Book : Trees of Delhi, Pradip Kishen ; Design Process, Noida Website : downtoearth.org.in ; Heritage Trees of Delhi worldarchitecture.org ; Tree Plantation Along City Roads ; Sarbjit Bahga scroll.in ; Modern Delhi’s founders wanted its trees to last 300 years. We’re killing them within a century ; Selina Sen Pictures : iPhone SE , Manas Vij
D.B.H.C.O.A.
11
Manas S. Vij