Handbook for zonal plan case study chandigarh

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HANDBOOK FOR ZONAL PLAN CASE STUDY CHANDIGARH

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Handbook for Zonal Plan Case Study Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH : THE MOST PLANNED CITY OF THE SUB CONTINENT

About Chandigarh Chandigarh is the best-planned city in India, with architecture which is world-renowned, and a quality of life, which is unparalleled. As the capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh it is a prestigious city. The face of modern India, Chandigarh, is the manifestation of a dream that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru envisaged and Le Corbusier executed. Serenity and a city are two diametrically opposite concepts, which however, get

belied in the 'City Beautiful'. Chandigarh is a rare epitome of modernization co-existing with nature's preservation. It is here that the trees and plants are as much a part of the construction plans as the buildings and the roads. India’s first planned city, is a rich, prosperous, spic and span, green city rightly called “ THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ”.

IN THIS ISSUE

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About the Planner Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965) Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), was a Swiss-born architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also painter, who is famous for his contributions to what now is called Modern Architecture. In his 30’s he became a French citizen. He was a pioneer in theoretical studies of modern high design and provided better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities. His career spanned five decades, with his buildings constructed throughout central Europe, India, Russia, and one each in North and South America. He was also an urban planner, painter, sculptor, writer, and modern furniture designer.

THE PLANNER This article provides information about the team of Planners that created the Master Plan for the City of Chandigarh

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History of Chandigarh The turn of event that paved way for creation of a completely new city, called Chandigarh.

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History of Chandigarh August 15, 1947, the day of independence of India was also the day of division of a nation into India and Pakistan, this was also the day of division of State of Punjab (Punj+Aab) named so for being the land of five rivers being divided into two states West Punjab gone in Pakistan with retaining Lahore as its capital and East Punjab in India became a state without a capital. Shimla which used to be the summer capital of India and had the infrastructure was selected as the temporary capital of Punjab. The Government of Punjab selected brilliant young engineer Mr. P.L. Verma to undertake the tasks of search for a permanent Capital City for the State of Punjab. At that time the Punjabis were very nostalgic about Lahore. Till the last moment they hoped that Lahore would remain with India. The loss was felt acutely and people were eager for a city similar to Lahore be built. So Verma and his team of engineers savoured the concept of a larger independent town,

when most of the bureaucrats and politicians favoured the concept of a small settlement attached to one of the existing towns. Bureaucrats were conscious of the acute shortage of funds and the very small financial outlay for Punjab. Each politician was eager that this capital be built in the area from where he came. All politicians were trying to pull the capital towards their own constituency. Under such circumstances Mr. Verma had to lobby intensively with the bureaucrats and the politicians. And it was essentially an

account of his dedicated and relentless efforts and lobbying that this idea of a large independent town was finally accepted by Government of Punjab. REFERNECE Please log into the Chandigarh Tourism Website to find this content and more information as per requirement. WEB ADDRESS

www.chandigarhtourism.gov.in

Selection of Site After investigating a no. of sites, the team of engineers & bureaucrats headed by Mr. P.L. Verma, selected the existing site of Chandigarh which met almost all the requirements for a new city. The area was a flat, gently sloping plain of agricultural land dotted with groves of mango trees which marked the sites of 24 villages or hamlets -- one of which was named Chandigarh on account of its temple dedicated to the goddess. The general ground level of the site ranges from 305 to 366 meters with a 1 per cent grade giving adequate drainage. To the northeast are the foothills of the Himalayas - the Shivalik Range -- rising abruptly to about 1524 meters and a dramatic natural backdrop. One seasonal stream, the Patiali ki Rao, lies on the western side of the city and

another, the Sukhna Choe, on the eastern side. A third, smaller seasonal stream flows through the very center of Chandigarh. The area along this stream bed has been turned into a series of public gardens called the Leisure Valley. And finally, in March, 1948, the Government of Punjab in consultation with the Government of India, approved a 114.59 sq. km tract of land at the foot of the Shivalik Hills in Ropar district as the site of the new capital. An existing village gave its name (Chandi - Goddess of Power + garh - fortress) to the new city. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the First prime minister of India was also quite intimately involved with the Chandigarh project.


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INTERESTING INFO

Art & Culture Chandigarh is the cultural capital of the region. Many artists and writers live in the city. The frequently held exhibitions, and performances by singers, dancers, musicians and actors have inculcated among city residents a desire for the best in performing visual and plastic arts besides literary encounters.

The Cultural Complex At present there is the Government College of Arts, the Government Museum and Art Gallery along with a separate 'Pavilion for Temporary Exhibitions' - now converted into the City Museum. The 'Miracle Box' has been substituted by the Museum of Evolution of Life, not designed by Le Corbusier, but located in the Cultural Complex. The Theatre for Performing Arts was later realized as the Tagore Theatre designed by Aditya Prakash in Sector 18.

FAST FACTS

40% Total Green Cover of Chandigarh

FOR MORE INFORMATION ENVIS Centre of Chandigarh's State of Environment ENVIS

http://chenvis.nic.in/

MASTER PLANNERS An American Firm, M/s. Mayer, Whittlessay and Glass was commissioned in 1950 to prepare the Master Plan for the new City. Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki evolved a fan shaped Master Plan and worked out conceptual sketches of the super block. The super block was designed as a self –sufficient neighborhood units placed along the curvilinear roads and comprised of cluster type housing, markets and centrally located open spaces. Novicki was tragically killed in an air accident and Mayer decided to discontinue. Thereafter, the work was assigned to a team of architects led by Charles Eduard Jeanneret better known as Le Corbusier in 1951. He was assisted by three senior architects, Maxwell Fry, his wife Jane B Drew and Corbusier’s cousin, Pierre Jeanneret. These senior architects were supported by a team of young Indian architect and planner consisting of M.N. Sharma, A. R. Prabhawalkar, U.E. Chowdhary, J.S. Dethe, B.P. Mathur, Aditya Prakash, N.S. Lanbha and others.

1965. M.N. Sharma took over from Pierre Jeanneret as the first Indian Chief Architect of the Project and after the reorganization of the State of Punjab in 1966 and the establishment of Union Territory, Chandigarh, he was appointed as Administrative Secretary of the Department of Architecture in the Chandigarh Administration. The major buildings designed by these architects are the important landmarks in the city.

Le Corbusier

Pierre Jeanneret

Maxwell Fry

Jane B. Drew

The Master Plan was developed by Le Corbusier who also designed the Capital Complex and established the architectural control & design of the main building of the city. The design of housing for Govt. employees, schools, shopping centers, hospitals were disturbed among the three senior architects. Maxwell Fry and Jane B. Drew worked for about three years on the project and then left due to their engagements elsewhere. Pierre Jeanneret who ultimately became the Chief Architect and Town Planning Adviser to Govt. of Punjab returned to Switzerland in


HANDBOOK FOR ZONAL PLAN CASE STUDY CHANDIGARH

Le Corbusier's Master Plan

harmony ... It is for us to learn from them when we are organising the ground that lies beneath our feet. The 7Vs are no longer the sinister instruments of death, but become an organised hierarchy of roads which can bring modern traffic circulation under control'." [ Prasad Sunand, 1987].

'The Master plan prepared by Le Corbusier was broadly similar to the one prepared by the team of planners led by Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki except that the shape of the city plan was modified from one with a curving road network to rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern for the fast traffic roads, besides reducing its area for reason of economy. The city plan was conceived as post war ‘Garden City’ wherein vertical and high rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the socio economic-conditions and living habits of the people. Due to economic constraints, the master plan was to be realized in two phases, catering to a total population of half a million. Phase-I consisting of 30 low density sector spread over an area of 9000 acres (Sector 1 to 30) for 1,50,000 people whereas Phase-II consisting of 17 considerably high density Sectors ( Sectors 31 to 47) spread over an area of 6000 acres for a population of 3,50,000.

SECTOR- THE BASIS PLANNING UNIT The primary module of city’s design is a Sector, a neighborhood unit of size 800 meters x 1200 meters. It is a self-sufficient unit having shops, school, health centers and places of recreations and worship. The population of a sector varies between 3000 and 20000 depending upon the sizes of plots and the topography of the area. The shops are located along the V4 street (shopping street), which runs North-West to South-East across the sector. Every sector is introvert in character and permits only 4 vehicular entries into its interior.

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green of each Sector also stretches to the green of the next sector

CIRCULATION Le Corbusier's traffic system followed Mayer's lines but was more elaborate; he called it Les Sept Voies de Circulation, or Seven Vs. The rationale of his planning was the motor car. "From his early studies in urbanism, Le Corbusier had identified the motor car as the central factor of modern town planning. His initial, primarily aesthetic, quasi-Futurist response to the motor car and to rapid movement in the cities had, by 1950, metamorphosed into a theoretical solution

The shopping street of each sector is linked to the shopping street of the adjoining sectors thus forming one long, continuous ribbon like shopping street. The central

to the problems of modern traffic -- a graded system of circulation, from crossing continents to walking to the front door. [As Le Corbusier put it] 'The 7 Vs act in the town plan as the bloodstream, the lymph system and the respiratory system act in biology. These systems are quite rational, they are different from each other, there is no confusion between them, yet they are in

The 7Vs establishes a hierarchy of traffic circulation ranging from : arterial roads (V1), major boulevards (V2) sector definers (V3), shopping streets (V4), neighbourhood streets (V5), access lanes (V6) and pedestrian paths and cycle tracks (V7s and V8s). The essence of his plan for Chandigarh rests on preserving intact the true functions of these seven types of roads.[For details see Le Corbusier's Statue of Land] The entrance of cars into the sectors, which are exclusively reserved to family life, can take place on four points only; in the middle of the 1,200 meters; in the middle of the 800 meters. All stoppage of circulation shall be prohibited at the four circuses, at the angles of the sectors. The bus stops are provided each time at 200 meters from the circus so as to served the four pedestrian entrances into a sector. Thus the transit traffic takes place out of the sectors; the sectors being surrounded by four wall-bound car roads without openings (the V3s). The road system was so designed 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." Buses can ply on the V4s, the horizontal connection between contiguous sectors, but not within the sector interiors. [Evenson, Norma, 1966]


HANDBOOK FOR ZONAL PLAN CASE STUDY CHANDIGARH | Issue 1 LIVING 'The functions of living occupies primary place. Keeping in view the habits of he peoples, Le Corbusier planned that every dwelling should have three elements of Sun, Space and greenery. The housing in the city can be sub-divided into two partsGovernment housing and Private Housing.

and every category of houses in which it was mandatory to provide open to sky courtyard both at he front and rear side of every house. These courts provided light and ventilation to houses besides serving as private open-tosky spaces. A series of such houses were planned around community level open space which served the purpose of holding social and religious functions and outdoor activities and games by children.

Government Housing The Govt. housing in the city was divided into 13 categories, ranging from the house for the Chief Minister to the two-room house completer with sanitary facilities, a kitchen, a verandah and a courtyard for the lowest paid

The hierarchy of open space is prominently visible in the city. At the city level, the open space consist of the Leisure Valley and special gardens. At sector level, the open space constitute the central green in each sector whereas open space at community level consist of parks around which clusters of houses re arranged. The smallest category of open space is the courtyards provided in each dwelling on the front and rear side.

private buildings in the city. These included architectural controls, frame controls and zoning controls in the city. The basic aim was to maintain uniformity in skyline, heights and the architectural character. Architectural controls is applicable specially to buildings to be built by private enterprise in special areas of architectural interest such s V-2 roads, V-4 roads, City Centre etc. Further controls on private construction in the city have been imposed through building byelaws, which govern and lay down the minimum standards of light ventilation, living area and sanitation. Each plot of land in the city is governed by the specific use and building volume that can be developed on it through ‘zoning restriction’. In small residential houses frames control was devised which is an architectural element limiting projection lines and unifying heights. Opening of desired size and shape may be arranged within this frame as per individual requirements. Similarly in shopping street, architectural order is ensured by development of shops as architectural controls. This ensures harmonious development in accordance to the plan.

Private House-Controlled Development

Keeping this factor in view, Corbusier conceived a series of Architectural Controls / frame controls/ zoning regulations for each

Le Corbusier conceived a number of mechanisms to regulate the development of

City’s Green

employee. The socio economic conditions of the city restricted the height of most of the residential buildings to two to three storeyed structures.

In view of the needs of various economic classes, plots of areas ranging from 114sq. mtrs. To 4500 sq. mtrs. were planned. The living habits of the people are of outdoor type because of hot summers and hot and humid rainy seasons comprising most part of the year.

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Architectural Controls In important civic areas, aesthetical harmony between all buildings is a must because architectural is a visual art and the visual impact forms should be as beautiful and organized as can be. Accordingly, to curb undue individualism in the built environment,


HANDBOOK FOR ZONAL PLAN CASE STUDY CHANDIGARH | Issue 1

Working in Chandigarh Chandigarh has four main work centers : The Capitol Complex in the northeast The Educational institutes in the north-west The City Centre in the heart The industrial area in the southeast CAPITOL COMPLEX The Capitol Complex is the focal point if the city, both visually and symbolically whose architectural whose architecture is considering to be the most representative of Le Corbusier’s work. This complex of Govt. buildings representing all three essential components of a complete democracy the Legislature, the executive and the judiciary stands against the blue silhouette of lower Shivalik ranges, on the foothills of Himalayas. The Capitol Complex is the embodiment of the spirit of exaltation, power & permanence experienced by Indians on acquiring self government after long, bitter struggle for freedom.

number of monuments symbolizing Le Corbusier’s theories of City planning have been placed. These include the Open Hand monument, often called the B ‘Monument of Chandigarh’ conveying ‘open to give, open to receive’. These symbolic forms were designed by Corbusier as a means to punctuate the axis of the Complex. Other monuments included the Martyrs Memoriala tribute to the martyrs of the Punjab partition and the Tower of Shadows – a demonstration of Corbusiers’s theories of sun control. Another important component of the Capitol, which is yet to be built, is the Museum of Knowledge. The University and the Educational Zone The Panjab University with its various departments and the adjoining various government technical and non-technical colleges, together form the University and temporary Administrative Block was designed by J.K.Chowdhury. The Master Plan was later reorganized by Pierre Jeanneret alongwith designing of all major buildings including Gandhi Bhawan and the Administrative Block, Arts and science teaching blocks. In this task he was assisted by B.P.Mathur. The most distinctive and well-known landmark of the Panjab University is the 'Gandhi Bhawan' building which is lotus shaped, appearing as if floating in a pool of water. Gandhi Bhawan forms the focal point on the main North-East to SouthWest axis and is of major architectural importance. Adjacent to the university in sector-11 are the two undergraduate colleges; one for men and the other for women, which were planned by Maxwell Fry.

The Capitol area was designed as a great pedestrian plaza with motorized traffic confined to sunken trenches. The complex is planned on a cross axis wherein rigid symmetry has been avoided in placement of various buildings. The three major components of the Capitol are the Assembly (Legislation), the Secretariat (Administration) and the High Court (Judiciary). While the linear façade of the Secretariat marks the edges of the Complex on the left side, the Assembly and the High Court are placed on the opposite ends of the Cross axis, facing each other across a 450 mtrs. Esplanade where a

To the north of the university is located at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. It is a multi-facility, super speciality referral institute with a 1300 bedded hospital attached to it. This institute put Chandigarh on the medical map of India

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and patients come here from all over the country. The first phase of the including the Hospital and Research Blocks were designed by Pierre Jeanneret, in which he was assisted be Jeet Malhotra and H.S.Chopra. After Jeanneret left, the remaining works were done by M.N.Sharma who was the Chief Architect and was assisted by O.P.Mehta. The City Center The City Centre representing the heart of the city lies at the intersection of two main axial Roads, Madhya Marg and Jan Marg. Designed on a monumental scale of uniform four-storied concrete buildings, it is laid out along four pedestrian promenades intersecting at a nodal point, where all civic buildings are located. There is a central chowk or a piazza marking the crossing of two-wi9de pedestrian ways running northeast to south-west and north-west to southeast. Around this chowk are created the most important civic and commercial buildings, the town hall, the central library and the General Post and Telegraph office, large cinemas, commercial houses and banks.

Besides the monuments that mark the large piazza, there are a number of attractive structures in the piazza. The City Centre contains large shopping stores, office buildings, banks and cinemas and other public buildings. The three water fountains amidst the central piazza or the chowk are the focal point of the sector, which were designed by M. N. Sharma. The city centre is landscaped with trees, which presents a subtle contrast of form and colour against the concrete facades. This sector also houses the district courts, the central police station and the inter-state bus terminus


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AROUND TOWN

Timeline of Development of Chandigarh • • • •

1947- Capital City of Lahore lost to Pakistan in partition of India 1948- Punjab Government approves the setting up of a new capital 1948- Site for new capital city selected in consultation with Govt of India 1949- First Team- Albert Mayerhired to plan the city

• • •

• • •

1977-Formulation of Chandigarh Urban Complex Plan Involving CHD, Mohali, Panchkula -330 skm 1984- Chandigarh Interstate Regional Plan -2001 preparedTCPO-2431 skm-pop-25 lakh 1999- Preparation of Chandigarh Interstate Metropolitan Regional Plan for 50 kms radi. 2008- Notification of GMADA Regional Plan 2056- with area of 1021 skm Post 2008- Haryana added 1550 Acs to Panchkula development 2009 December- Expert Committee Constituted for Draft Master Plan for Chandigarh

Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Technology Park, which has changed the economic scenario of the city and the vicinity by facilitating the growth of the economy, especially in the Services sector. RGCTP has been planned to retain this upgraded human capital by providing them employment opportunities here itself.

Mayer’s Plan

• • • • •

• •

• •

1949- First Master Plan prepared, Details of superblocks finalised 1950- Death of Mathew Nowiski in a plane crash and hiring of Second team led by Le Corbusier 1951- Second Master Plan evolved 1952- Capital of Punjab, Periphery Control Act, 1952 put in place—8 Kms of periphery notified 1962-Army cantonment, Air Force Station and HMT established in periphery 1962 –Periphery extended from 8 kms to 16 Kms/Periphery controlled area plan put in place 1966– Re-organisation of PunjabChandigarh made UT with 114 skms area- City 70 kms+ 44kms of periphery ( Punj-1021 skm, Haryana-295 skm out of periphery total area of 1360 skms Post 1966- Mohali (5500 acs)and Panchkula (5000 acs)created by Punjab/ Haryana in periphery 1975- High Powered Co-ordination Committee constituted by GOI under Sec MOUD

Sector 17 Market This is a popular shopping and food destination with international brands and trendiest restaurants! Surrounded with the city's coolest hotels and trendiest restaurants, Sector 17 Market in Chandigarh is a heady cocktail of high-end stores and savvy local boutiques. To keep the foodie in you satisfied, the market also offers a number of restaurants and road-side eating joints. A must visit if you want to soak up the local flavours to the hilt!

Elante Mall Elante Mall has a retail space of over 1 million square feet. the retail area, Elante Mall hosts retailers of various Indian and international brands a food court and a courtyard full of cafes. The Mall has an 8-screen Multiplex of PVR Cinemas. On its top floor, the mall has restaurants and fast food joints. For kids entertainment there is a Fun City on the top floor.


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Zonal Plan Case Study Sector 11 The following obejctives have to be fulfilled in order to create an effective case study of the Sector 11, Chandigarh: •

• • • • •

Introduction to Sector 11 o Location o Lat/Long o Area Land Use Map About Sec -11 Features of Sec-11 Landmarks Connectivity Map

The following surveys maybe carried out to generate a successful case study: • • • • • • • •

Households Road Inventory Land Use Parking Urban Façade Pedestrian Shadow Transportation Waste Management

The following tasks should be completed during the Case Study: • • • •

Photo & Video Documentation Actual Measurements of Road Inventory Physical Counts of Houses & Vehicles Analysis of the effectiveness of Master Plan

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Handbook for Zonal Plan Case Study Chandigarh

JAIPUR, NOIDA PLANINO


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