People and Space | Urban Design Portfolio | Cept University

People and Space Master Plan Studio

Sathwik Srinath A V | PG190862 Master’s in Urban Design

Acknowledgment

My sincere gratitude to all the people who made this semester happen, during these strangest times.

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who provided me the possibility to complete this report. A special gratitude to our studio tutor, Prof. Purvi Bhatt. Whose contribution in stimulating suggestions, Guidance, Inputs and encouragement, helped me to understand the concepts and design process of my Studio Design.

Furthermore I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of Teaching Assistant Ar.Sopiya Islam, who gave the required inputs and suggestions to improve the design and overall framework of design process . A special thanks goes to my batch mates, for their peer reviews and crucial inputs. Last but not least, many thanks go to the studio director, Prof. Brijesh Bhatha and all the people involved in this crucial times and making this semester happen.

Integrated Township A is a self-sustained township development with all the basic modern amenities including residential, commercial, retail, recreational, educational units contribute to an enhanced life style

Studio Brief

The studio focuses on preparing Master Plans for large green field developments in Peri urban areas. To Respond to the demand of expansion in the rapidly growing urban centers, governments facilitate such new developments through various development mechanisms. The studio operates within the existing development framework of the Integrated Township Policy which is a typically developer driven activity and involves design on a large tract of land under single ownership.

The design of the project will involve preparing a three dimensional urban design master plan with strategies of street network and urban block, public open spaces, public amenities and infrastructure, integration of public transport systems, strategies for pedestrian and vehicular priority on streets, defining the building height and bulk, building uses and landscape strategy.

Students will be required to prepare an urban design master plan for these developments with an emphasis on creating livable neighborhoods that explore the ideas of future living through their designs. The design process will consistently retain its focus on how these ideas can be translated into reality. The studio outcome will also involve preparing effective representation graphics and persuasive communication strategy for the design project.

Contents

A is a self-sustained township development with all the basic modern amenities including residential, commercial, retail, recreational, educational units contribute to an enhanced life style

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Project Premise

Case Study

1. About the Township 2. Delayering the Master Plan 3. Inference

Concept and Strategies

1. Introduction to Site 2. Analyzing the site Context 3. Vision 4. Spatial Strategies

Design Framework

1. Delayering of Master Plan 2. Neighborhood Urban Block 3. Open Space 4. Urban Design Guidelines

Phasing Strategy

Learning

Project Premise

The studio focuses on developing a greenfield integrated township, on the outskirts of Ahmadabad city.

The design process revolves around making a township with an intention of integrating the people living in the township and the public space around them.

In the current development trend where in the township is developed with segregation. Where each activity and building use are segregated. The Township aims at having a new development pattern which aims at blurring the lines between different activity and building use and also to integrate the township with the city.

The Township with the assumption of future development trend based on the analysis and case study, with flexibility in land usage and implementation so that the township can be more agile and respond to the market demand.

The Township also aims at having a more connected streets with emphasis on pedestrian friendly,Non Motorized transport and public transport system. The streets are integrated with the public space to make streets more active and also create a social life paradigm around the streets.

Case Study

Magarpatta City

Pune, Maharastra

Magarpatta is a 450 acre, privately owned gated community in the Hadapsar area of Pune, India. The Magarpatta City grew out of an idea where farmers came together and pooled the land to develop a township. The township is developed as a mixed-use residential area comprising of residential, Commercial institutional areas.

Magarpatta City

Magarpatta is a 450 acre, privately owned gated community in the Hadapsar area of Pune, India. The Magarpatta City grew out of an idea where farmers came together and pooled the land to develop a township. The township is developed as a mixed-use residential area comprising of residential, Commercial institutional areas.

Key Figures

Development Model

Magarpatta city township have unique development model, where instead of buying land from the farmers. The land is pooled from the farmers and these farmers were made equitable partners in the development process. Hence reducing the initial development capital.

In a normal condition the developer buys the land, and then starts developing the township, while the initial land owners has no say in

In Magarpatta city the Initial land owners are made equitable shareholders in the township development and then developer is appointed to develop township.

Site location

Magarpatta city is developed along the peripheral region of Pune City. It is around 12 Km away from the city center.

Magarpatta city is a private owned and developed township. With an proximate area of 450 acre it is developed as mixed use township with a concept of City within a city

Vision of the township The vision of magarpatta city is to create a new way of life for the networked society of the new millennium Master Plan Future expansion and sports complex

IT offices

Bungalows and Villa’s

Central Public Open Space

Bungalows and Villas’s

Institutional Buildings

High rise Apartments

High rise Apartments

Delayering of the master plan Built Vs open

Though the township follows the mixed use development pattern. The Built space of 35% overall site and remaining space is left as open space.

The Township has a mixed use character with mid-rise office buildings and High rise residential apartment buildings

Road Network

The Road network does not follow the conventional grid-iron pattern, but has the combination of grid-iron and cul de sac.

The road network has clear set of hierarchy with Primary road running NorthSouth and East-West connect all Neighborhoods and the loop roads within the neighbourhood connecting all the buildings within it

Public Transport

Since the Township is developed as a private township. The Township lacks Public transport integration and hence the township lacks integration with the city.

Open space and Land use Open Space

Land Use

Learnings

The township has a central open space, and but also the pockets of open space are distrubuted evenly across the township with various degree of privacy for the open space. and each of the open space have easy accesibilty from the streets and for the disabled.

The Township follows a simplied approach for land use, with a open space at the center of township, with the open space surrounder by offices and commercial building and at the pheripherial the land is used for residential development.

What unique about the magarpatta city township is its development model, which standout from the rest of the development model . The implementation and phasing strategies of he township also helps us to understand how the township master plan need to agile and respond quickly to Market demand.

Evolution of the township

2002

2008

Walk to Work,School,Shop.

2014

Concept and Strategies

The first strategy of township design is to make the design choices with respect to ecological and topographical condition’s that the township is designed in response to ecological factors like site contours,existing ecologically sensitive area’s.

The design process also considers the existing development pattern near Bhopal and Santej.with the existing sprawl in the nearby village and settlements. It also the upcoming development near North Sanand DFC Station. With expected economic development around the Dedicated freight corridor.

Site location

The site is located on western part of the city 5 km from S.P ring road within A.M.C Boundary. The site lies along the Shilag road, and lies between Ranchandra village and Unali Village. To Dholka branch canal forms the western boundary, while a non perennial lake forms the eastern boundary and to Shilaj Road forms the northern boundary of the site.

The site is around 22 K.m away from the center of the city. The site is well connected through road, but lacks effective public transport system,but the site has A.M.C bus stop in the vicinity and nearest other modes of public transport are B.R.T.S stop in Bopal (15 min drive) Metro Station in Thatlej (20 min drive).

Connectivity to the city

Development Pattern along the Shilaj Road

Bopal-Shilaj Commercial and Residential development pattern in Bopal

Ranchandra Village Village settlements immediate to the site.

Thatlej : New urban sprawl and settlements in Thatlej

Shilaj : Plotted development along the shilaj road.

Site Analysis

The site is located on western part of the city 5 km from S.P ring road within A.M.C Boundary. The site lies along the Shilag road, and lies between Ranchandra village and Unali Village. To Dholka branch canal forms the western boundary, while a non perennial lake forms the eastern boundary and to Shilaj Road forms the northern boundary of the site.

Site Topography

The site is agricultural with little or no natural vegetative condition with +50 meter being highest point and +45 meter being the lowest elevation point in the site.

Due to low site gradient the site has huge watershed area and some of the area’s in the site are more prone to flooding.

The above diagram shows, wind pattern in the site, and designing with respect to climatological condition will helps the township being sustainable and carbon neutral.

Site proximity and context

Though the site is in close proximity to village settlements around it but it lacks elements which can define the character of the area.

Residential Settlements near the site

Institutional development on the eastern side of the site.

Agricultural land near the site

Site Scale Comparison

The site scale comparison with the known entity helps to visualize the actual vastness of the site and to design the space with proper scale and proportion.

Covers 110 Manhattan city blocks ¼ of the Central Park Block size : 100m x 70m

Covers 120 Barcelona city blocks Block size : 133m x 133m

Scale comparison of site with respect to Context with respect to CEPT University locality

Vision

Envisioning an integrated township with flexible use of land and a township which offers an inclusive public spaces

Integrated township

Its not just about having self-sustained development with all the basic modern amenities, its about integrating the township with the city and what the township can offer to its context.

Flexible use of Land

Creating a Spatial Strategy which responds to the market demand and its context.

Contextual Analysis

Within the 4 km radius/15 min drive there major economic/job centers, North Sanand DFC station being a major future economic center , while Bopal and Snatej being a job center, the site has huge potential to act as satellite residential township for people working in these centers

In current condition the access to these jobs centers like Bopal,Santej is limited but by developing the existing connection/roads which are currently undeveloped/unsurfaced can act as catalyst for development along these area and in the nearby settlements.

The neighboring Ranchandra village and Unali village, has huge potential to provide blue collar jobs to the township or township can absorb the outgrowth of these settlements.

The Non Perennial lake and Ranchandra lake provide huge potential to develop the site edge as recreational edge which brings in more people from outside the township and hence opening up a new economic potential

Spatial Strategies

The spatial strategies is developed on the overlay of topographic and watershed pattern in the site.

Topographical Condition

+

Watershed Pattern

+

Connectivity

Bottle necks for water flow

The site has very low contour gradient with highest being level being +50 m and lowest being +45 m. Though this helps being construction easier but hampers speed of water flow inside the site.

Due to low site gradient, there is larger watershed area in the site The area under +46 m contour covering the larger area, is much prone to flooding, due to natural bottle necks in the topography.

Spatial Strategies

The spatial strategies for the township development takes into consideration of existing topographical condition, integrating the site to its context and connecting township to the city and also acts as anchor for the future development.

The secondary road connects the anchor points between the eastern end and western end of the township. It connects the ecological zone of the non perennial lake on the western side and the canal front on western side and beyond.

The site is around 1.4 Sq.km, the access to site is limited only from northern side from the shilaj road.

The thoroughfare roads gives access to the township and acts as crossover infrastructure. It also helps in controlling the rain water shed since these roads infrastructure doubles up as storm water drain hence the road cuts perpendicular to the natural water drain to control flow of rainwater

The intersection of Thoroughfare road and the secondary road forms the districts in the township. There are 7 districts in the township 5 5 residential districts,1 institutional/recreational districts and 1 IT park. Each of these district have flexible residential and commercial typologies which are connected through pedestrian trails.

The thoroughfare roads gives access to the township and acts as crossover infrastructure. It also helps in controlling the rain water shed since these roads infrastructure doubles up as storm water drain hence the road cuts perpendicular to the natural water drain to control flow of rainwater

Design Framework

Design Framework

Based on the spatial strategies, the design framework is evolved into making the master practically feasible and economically viable. With proper set of design language and pattern in the master plan, with clear hierarchy of spaces and streets. To make the township livable and to truly integrate the people and public space within and beyond the township.

Master Plan

The master plan focuses on making the township far more inclusive and integrated services and connectivity, where the people tend to spend more time in the public/community open space rather than inside a private domain.

Canal Front Park A park at the edge of the provides buffer and transition space between Canal and the built environment.

High rise apartments

High Rise apartment at the central part of the township.

Commercial Edge

A Retail edge at the front helps to capture and respond to development along the Shilaj Road (State Highway)

Affordable Housing To absorb the growing sprawl of near by settlements.

Commercial Center This acts as a anchoring point for lake front park which houses cafe,restaurants and retail outlets.

Bungalows/Villa

Private Bungalows and Villas which are surrounded by urban green.

Institutional Building

School and Hospitals which can carter to the nearby neighbourhoods.

Institutions

Institutional buildings with response to the existing instutional fabric.

Lake Front Park A park at the edge of the non-

perinial to preserve its ecological edge of the lake.

IT Park

To bring in new type of fabric/built environment/ demographics to the township

Legend Built Open

g

Built Vs Open

25% Built

The built environment designed where Buildings with larger footprint along the central thourghfare road. The buildings facing oublic open space have smaller footprint. The bigger building footprint/grain along thourghfare road gives the notion of Mixed use / commercial building. The building with relatively smaller grain are the residential apartments.

r

Legend < G+3 G+4 - G+7 G+8 - G +11 G+12 - G+16

Building Heights

High rise mixed use building along the thourghfare road, building.The building height along block periphery is higher, The building height decreases as the proximity of the building increases towards the Open space. Thus not overhelming a open space with a taller buildings.

The building height mainly depends on the road width and its proximity to the open space.

Master Plan - Road Networks

The township accounts for 65% of the developable land, with majority portion of the developable land is reserved for the residential units. The rest are divided into commercial, Mixed use, Institutional.

Towards DFC corridor.

Towards DFC corridor via Unali village.

The Primary road/Thoroughfare provides access to the township and also acts as a cross over infrastructure for future development beyond southern edge of the township

The secondary road connects all the neighborhood blocks, and also opens up new access way to township from the western side of the township.

Towards Ahmeda

Towards North Sanand DFC Station.

Towards Bopal

Thoroughfare Road and Secondary Road

The tertiary road links all the and parcels in the neighbourhood block. These tertiary road are planned as a loop road inside a neighbourhood. Hence it avoids the vehicles from using these road as a thourghofare and hemce making the neighbourhood level safe for the pedestrains. The right of way

abad city

Pedestrian trails are 9 meter wide pathways, dedicated only for non motorised transport vehicles. These pathways connect all the neighbourhood buildings with little are no cross over with vehicle, further these pedestrian trails connect with anchorm spaces.(which further connects to public transort)

Master Plan - Building Use

The township accounts for 65% of the developable land, with majority portion of the developable land is reserved for the residential units. The rest are divided into commercial, Mixed use, Institutional.

Undevelopable land includes public open space, streets. Though these cannot provide direct economical benefit to the developers but these play crucial role in defining the township character and public lifestyle of the people living in the township

Legend

Based on the zoning and land flexibility, The Commercial and mixed use buildings are placed along the thoroughfare and secondary road. The institutional buildings are placed around open space to create a new environment for itself, since institutional buildings like school/ colleges tend to utilize large open space effectively.

Legend

The residential buildings makes up the core of all residential neighborhood block. The residential block is secluded from both Thoroughfare and Secondary Road and hence the residential block are more safer for pedestrian access.

Urban Block- Canal Front Block Shilaj Road

40 m wide state highway

Canal Front Park

A park at the edge of the provides buffer and transition space between Canal and the built environment.

Residential Apartment These are mid rise residential apartment comprising of 3BHK and BHK residence.

Central Open Space To provide a platform for a community interaction and to create a sense of belonging.

Mixed-

Podium type street as a h

Delayering Anchor Space

The space are integrated with transport and mobility infrastructure which connects towship to the city by the means of transport

Commercial Buildings

Public Open Space

Private Open Space

A Retail edge at the front helps to capture and respond to development along the Shilaj Road (State Highway)

Anchor Space

Pedestrian Trails

The loop road inside the neighborhood connects all the buildings and avoids neighborhood level streets from being used as thourghfare. The Pedestrian trails encourages NMT within the neighborhood,

The residential buildings are placed at the core of the neighborhood block, and each of these block has a central open space, to bring about community engagement within the block.

-Use Building

e of building to make to human scale

The outer peripheral buildings of a block comprises of Mixeduse and commercial buildings which acts as enclosure for the residential building and acts as transition zone between the blocks.

Urban Block- IT Park

Delayering

IT park is developed to bring in new character and public life to the township, since IT companies tend to bring in younger and diverse demographics with it.

IT park will be developed partially with along the edge of the secondary road, to check wether its functionality is economically vaiable in the township

The IT Park also helps to bring out the new public life character and also a new night life to the township

Open Space - Township open space

The main strategy of the open space is have a distributed public open space across the township. With certain set spatial hierarchy in the open space.

In this township the open space are categorized into two types 1. Private Open Space.

2.Public Open Space. each of them catering to different end users.

Public Open Space.

These space are to bring about community engagement and to integrate various other activity and acts as a link which connects all parts of the township.

The public open space are categorized into 1. Township level Open space 2.Neighbourhood Level Open Space 3. Streets and Anchor Space Private Open Space.

These space are developed within the residential units, and in the upper level floors of a commercial or mixed-use building.

The residential buildings facing public open space are low rise and the building height gradually increase as its proximity is far away from the open space The pedestrian trails connects all the open space i.e private open space, Neighborhood level open space, and Township level open space .

Streets are integrated with green space to increase the green cover and also to provide shade for the pedestrian and cyclist hence encouraging the NMT within neighborhood The park at the edge acts as buffer/transitional space between the built environment and canal. These public space incorporates several activities and also preformatted vending space in order to increase people footprint and also provide jobs.

Township level open space are located at east and west edge of the Township. at the eastern edge is the Lake front park and at the western edge is the Canal front park.

Open Space - Streets

With 21% of the area of the Township is streets, Streets play a very important role as a public open space.

The street design and building guidelines re proposed to make interaction between the building and its edge more cohesive. a Here the streets are designed and proposed to hold various activity like vending, public engagement etc, to make the streets more interactive and make street safer for the end users

Creating active street edges and the street edges and having a street and buildings respond and interact with each other rather than building isolating itself from the street.

Making the streets active by formalizing the informal sector like street vending and prove space for the vending activity and hence make street safe by increasing “Eyes on the street”.

Irrespective of the street R.o.W, the street R.o.W is divided in such a way that atleast 55% of the street R.o.W is reserved for Non-Vehicular activity like Vending space, leasure space etc.

Anchor Space

Anchor space are the public open space which integrates Public transport and mobility infrastructure. Hence connecting neighborhood/township to city. These space also helps to formalize street vending activity and provide dedicated commercial space for the unorganized sector. Hence increase the public activity in the vicinity.

Regulations and Guidelines

The proposed regulations and building guidelines is to ensure healthy development of the township and to achieve the desired built form. The building regulations mainly regulates the Setback and step back of the building, Building Heights and the parking regulations.

Commercial/Mixed-use Buildings

The regulations for the commercial buildings are aimed at having a good street character, and to increase the physical interaction between the streets and building and also to make sure the building responds to streets.

The buildings shall be built to line, with the setback of 8 meter along 30 meter wide primary road, and 6 meter along 24 meter wide secondary road and half this setback should be treated as public domain space.

The Maximum allowed floor for commercial and mixed-use buildings are G+16 floors and building should follow podium typology, with each building have a step back of 6 meter from all side after G+4 floors .

Any type of Parking is not allowed at the front and sides of the building,Parking is allowed only at the rear end of the building with single access from the street. Basement parking of up to 2 levels are allowed in the building.

Residential

The regulations for the commercial buildings are aimed at having a good street character, and to increase the physical interaction between the streets and building and also to make sure the building responds to streets.

The buildings shall be built to line, with the setback of 8 meter along 30 meter wide primary road, and 6 meter along 24 meter wide secondary road and half this setback should be treated as public domain space.

The Maximum allowed floor for commercial and mixed-use buildings are G+16 floors and building should follow podium typology, with each building have a stepback of 6 meter from all side after G+4 floors .

Any type of Parking is not allowed at the front and sides of the building,Parking is allowed only at the rear end of the building with single access from the street. Basement parking of upto 2 levels are allowed in the building.

Phasing Strategies

Due to vastness of the project and to other constraints like market demand, economic and financial viability. The township development and implementation has been divided into 6 phases with each phases helps to test out the market demand and to make course correction for the future development of the township.

Flexibility and Implimentation

Envisioning the project in a phased manner helps in effective utilization of available resources.

So the Township projects are broken down into six smaller, more flexible built forms. Phasing allows to organize the buildings use and to make sure the township reflects the market demand and making it more flexible to sudden change in the market demand.

Phase 01 (2021-2026)

This phase is a experimental phase, where a mixture of commercial/mixed use and residential is built to try and test the market demand and build further based on this outcome

Phase 02(2027-2031)

This phase is to develop along the thoroughfare road to penetrate the development into the township and also to develop beyond the site boundary on the southern end of the township.

Phase 03 (2032-2034)

This phase focuses on developing the IT park at the southern end and housing near it in order to cater to demand arose by IT Park. IT park is developed on the half the plot allocated to it analyses the demand for it, if the IT park does not meet expected revenue or economically unenviable the plot can be transformed into other use without affecting overall built fabric

Phase 04 (2035-2037)

After the development of IT Park, the residential parcel will developed which are zoned as a infill development and hence it can cope up with the demand and also some of the institutional building along the thoroughfare road will be developed.

Flexibility and Implimentation

Phase 05 (2037-2039)

This Phase revolves around developing high rise luxury apartments and Residential bungalows and villa’s and institutional buildings along lake front park

Phase 06 (2040)

The Final phase of the township development is beautification of the township and developing,upgrading and maintenance of the public infrastructure and public open spaces

Urban Form

The urban form aims at having a Low density, mid rise structures, with the provision for high rise structure at the center of the township.

The key outcome of the studio is to develop ability to understand the scale and vastness of the project and break down the given problem to find a simpler solution and strategies to greater design problems.

Scale

In a urban design project scale play very important role in solving the Design problems. Understanding and visualizing the scale of various neighborhood block,open space and its proportion helps in further understanding urban environment and future learnings.

Understanding Context and relationships

In the development of township context helps us understand how the township need to evolved, its framework. Its not just about the analyzing the physical context, but also contextualizing market trends in the region, understanding the demographic of the region and also the relationship of the site between its context and the city helps us better understand and plan the township with better integration with its context.

Remote analyzing and learning

Due to ongoing Pandemic situation, and whole semester was conducted remotely through Online. The new approach for learning helped us bring about various way of thinking and bring about the solutions. Understanding the site and its context through various satellite images and other sources helped to improve remote analysis skills without actually being on site.

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication