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 ”.
I feel honored to post a blog about the city where the grew up, spend most of my time exporing the city in every aspect as a teenager, as a college student, as an architect and now as a planner.
Chandigarh was the dream city of India’s first Prime Minister, Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru – A Contemporary City for Traditional People. As a city built from Scratch, Chandigarh is one of the boldest experiments in design and architecture in recent times. Picturesquely located at the foothills of Shivaliks, it is known as one of the best experiments in urban planning and modern architecture in the twentieth century in India. This is the cleanest city in India. Everything is provided in the right proportions. Each sector is self- sufficient.
-
Masters Planning of the City
First Plan prepared by Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki 1949:
The Plan envisaged a fan-shaped city,with narrow section to the north.The entire city was organized by a vehicular circulation system with the roads curved to respond to the natural features of the terrain.
Second Plan prepared by Le Corbusier in 1951
Taking over from Albert Mayer, Le Corbusier produced a plan for Chandigarh that conformed to the modernist city planning principles of CIAM (International Congress of Modern Architecture), in terms of division of urban functions, an anthropomorphic plan form, and a hierarchy of road and pedestrian networks. Planning concept:In the revised master plan Le Corbusier developed a checkerboard of rectangles called “Sectors” each measuring 800m x 1200m enclosed by roads for fast moving traffic. All the main roads were straightened out. The central green strips ran from north to south through all the sectors ( as in plan by Nowicki) and were intersected at right angles by the shopping streets running from east to west through the sectors. In this way all the sectors were linked with each other.
Comparison between the Plans-The Mayer Plan and The Le Corbusier Plan
The Mayer Plan: Each residential neighborhoods was called super block. They were further subdivided into three equal blocks. Each super block accommodated the basic amenities of a neighbourhood such as a market,primary and secondary schools,hospital,meeting hall etc.
The Le Corbusier Plan: Size of the sector was designed in such a manner that no one would have to walk more than 10 mins from the furthest point of the sector to its centre. Self contained sectors,with shops,schools,hospitals,place of recreation,etc.
- Circulation
The roads,the veins of Chandigarh, are arranged in a strict hierarchical system based on the speed of different types of transport.
V1: Arterial inter-state roads
V2: Two major cross axial boulevards-328 ft wide
V3: Sector-definers
V4: Shopping streets, usually linking with those in adjoining sectors
V5: Neighborhood streets typically a loop road going round the interior of the sector
V6: Access lanes to houses 36 ft wide.
V7: Pedestrian paths and cycles tracks to be planned throughout the city meandering through its green spaces.
V8:Le Corbusier later added the bicycle trails traversing the greenbelt.
- Density
The Densities in Chandigarh are relatively low-one estimate of the overall density is about 30 persons per acre as compared to about 300 persons per acre in the walled parts of Jaipur. Three categories of sector density:
25 persons per acre in the north
50 persons per acre in the centre
75 persons per acre in the south
As per the analysis Chandigarh has the lowest density among all the well planned cities in India.
Chandigarh is known internationally for its architecture and urban planning. Last but not the least I could conclude that Chandigarh is the best-planned city in India, with architecture which is world-renowned, and a quality of life, which is unparalleled.