Paper looks at the history and geography of Chandigarh in terms of its conceptualization, planning, designing,growth and development besides looking at the issues and options which the city has to overcome emerging problems. Paper is based on earlier papers loaded on Chandigarh

1. Making and Unmaking of Capital City of
Chandigarh
*Ar Jit Kumar Gupta
Introduction
Known as city of crisis, Chandigarh has its genesis in the partition of India in 1947,
when state of Punjab lost its capital city of Lahore, which went to newly created
Pakistan. With state looking for options to resettle millions of migrants from Pakistan
and capital shifting between Jalandhar and Shimla, search for a permanent capital
began soon thereafter. After detailed study, analysis and discussions, decision was
taken to create a new capital city instead of opting for upgrading an existing city.
Search for an appropriate site for locating the capital city was soon initiated. Tract of
land, measuring 114.59 sqkms falling in the erstwhile Ambala district with 59
villages, at the foothills of Shivaliks, flanked by two seasonal rivers on east and west
with mountains on the north, was approved as the site for the new capital in
March,1948. Located in the sub-mountainus region, 260 kms North of Delhi, site was
considered appropriate due to its centrality, proximity to the national capital,
availability of sufficient water gentle gradient for natural drainage and freedom from
physical encumbrances with mango groves and temples dotting the site.Chandigarh,
positioned under the shadow of nature, derives its name from the temple of Goddess
“Chandi”(the power) located in the area and a fort or “garh” lying beyond the temple.
Site of capital city of Chandigarh is known for its unique setting, character, location
and natural features.
Launched in 1951, for a population of 0.5 million, city was conceived not only to
serve as the capital of East Punjab and resettling thousands of refugees but also to
serve as the role model of urban planning and architecture to launch the region and
the nation on the path of state of art planned urbanisation. City was mandated to be
first large expression of creative genius flowering on newly earned freedom.
Chandigarh was supposed to be a planned paradise, symbolic of the freedom of
India, unfettered by the traditions of the past and expression of the nation’s faith in
the future.
.Planning of City
The Mayer Plan-Near vacuum of local design expertise led state to seek best of
western skill to realize the dream of creating a beautiful city. Considering the
financial, other constraints and defined goals, search was narrowed down to the
team lead by American Architect Albert Mayer and Mathew Nowicki, who conceived
the city as a fan shaped layout, set between the two seasonal streams, defining the
location and setting four major elements of the capital city with capitol complex

2. placed at the head, the civic centre in the
middle, the university campus on the western
edge and the light industrial area to the east,
adjacent to the Kalka-Ambala railway line.
The basic planning unit was conceived to be
the superblock. Three such blocks,
accommodating 3500 families, were to be
grouped together. The superblock covered an
area of 500m x 1000m, and was graded
according to population density, representing
three different income groups-low(75
persons/acre),medium (50 persons/acre) and
upper (25 persons/acre).Mixing of these
categories was also envisioned. The residential areas were placed at the edge of the
superblocks, while facilities and amenities (schools, parks, community centres etc.)
were located in the centre. The house design included an inner courtyard, a
characteristic feature of a traditional Indian house. A curvilinear network of main
roads was to surround the superblocks. Separate interior roads were planned for
pedestrians, cyclists and animal-drawn traffic. The plan provided for two large parks
extending east-west through the city. Series of dams on Sukhna Choe were
proposed to create a permanent water basin around the Capitol Complex. According
to Mayer, the proposed plan, based on 'humane ideals', was meant to create a
peaceful city, not one where complications are counteracted by other complications.
The Corbusier Plan ; Sudden demise of architect Mathew Nowicki in 1952, in an
air crash, changed the destiny of Chandigarh. Second team of architects lead by Le-
Corbusier, Pierre Jeanerette, Jane B Drew and Maxwell Fry took over. City reflects
the forceful personality of Le-Corbusier in many tangible ways’ using the urban
philosophy laid down by CIAM, creating modular, geometric and cubist idioms using
‘brute’ materials yet the sub- text was drawn from nature and incorporated the
essentials of site /climate/culture/tradition. Planned on a rigid rectangular grid iron
pattern of roads, half a mile apart in the east- west and three- quarter of a mile in the
north-south direction, the Chandigarh
promised basic amenities of life even to
the poorest of the poor of its citizens to
lead a dignified life. Safe from fast traffic,
in easy reach of all needs of material,
mental and moral sustenance and growth,
surrounded by nature in an intimate
community and yet part of a real city, this
was the life envisioned for the 5 lakh
inhabitants to be brought into the city in
two distinct phases of development. A
distinct quality of life was accordingly

3. assured to a distinct class of people to be housed in
this capital city to be established on a terrain with
great mountains to the north, and two rivers flowing
approximately 7-8 kms apart. Life in the city was
proposed to be compartmentalized and put into air-
tight containers of working, living, care of body and
spirit, known as SECTORS, each having human
contents varying between 5,000 & 25,000, separated
by fast moving traffic arteries known as V2 and V3
and connected with a central green flowing from
south to north in the direction of great mountains. The
Master Plan of the city re-drawn by Le-Corbusier in
four hectic days of inspired activity in February 1951,
was largely based on the well-advanced master plan
prepared by Albert Mayer. It changed the shape of the city from a leaf to a
rectangle, reducing considerably the size of the city. The basic unit of planning was
changed from a super-block to sector based on the neighbourhood concept i.e. city
within a city. Sector constituted an attempt to create space, which provided for day-
to-day material and social needs of the citizens in easy reach of home, but at the
same time linked to a larger scale of the city in terms of transport and services. The
entire network of sectors was woven around efficient system of traffic and
transportation governed by the rule of 7 Vs, changed by adding V8 to suit the
specific needs of the city. Sector planning was made introvert with no door opening
on to V2 & V3. The focus of life within the sector was V4 – the shopping street -
which was to contain amenities needed for catering to the material needs of the
residents. The size and shape of the sector was based on human scale, human
needs, aspirations and their welfare. The industrial area was placed on the south-
east of the city to eliminate heavy traffic entering the city. A 500 feet wide green belt
provided an organic green to seal the residential sectors from industrial fumes and
noise. Educational area occupied the north-west side with work centers concentrated
in the Capitol Complex, City Centre, Sub-city Centre and along the major axis. The
Master Plan envisaged a distinct pattern with density level much higher in the
second phase as compared to the first phase. An effective mechanism of controlling
and safeguarding the space around the new city, from the onslaught of haphazard
growth and development, was provided by declaring initially an area of 5 miles,
which was subsequently increased to 10 miles, as periphery area. Tree Preservation
Order and Advertisement Control Order were put into place to protect trees and to
regulate the display area. These in nut-shell were the planning and protective
mechanisms evolved to safeguard the quality of life in the capital city.
Impact of Chandigarh: During the short span of 67 years of its existence,
Chandigarh has emerged as the role model of urban development locally and
globally. It is known for its state of art planning and architecture. It has given a new
theme to urban living and quality of life. In addition, Chandigarh achieved number of

4. mile-stones ranging from achieving substantial degree of growth and development
as per the provisions of the Master Plan; achieving its projected and targeted
population of 5 lakh in the year 1991; making provisions of a sufficiently high order of
amenities and services; ensuring much better quality of life to the residents; setting
high norms and standards of planning and development; creating awareness about
the importance of planned growth and to prove good urbanism makes good money.
These mile-stones have been achieved despite tremendous population and
developmental pressures, unforeseen developments emerging out of changes in
geo-political situation in 1966, when state of Haryana was carved out and
Chandigarh became union territory besides capital of states of Punjab and Haryana.
Contributions of Chandigarh in the urban context can be enumerated as:.
 Defining a new system of urban planning in the country.
 Inducting a system of urban controls, zoning and architectural controls
 Using Master Plan for promoting planned development
 Promoting neighbourhood planning through Sector planning
 Leveraging 7Vs as a strategy to rationalize traffic and transportation
 Introducing concept of Periphery to promote Regional Planning
 Safety from fast moving traffic through Introvert planning
 Proving good urbanism makes good money.
 Ushering a new era in urban planning through Sector planning.
 Reinforcing efficacy of Linear Shopping in the shape of V4.
 Naming roads on direction/purpose, served instead of individuals
 Promoting Garden city concept in city planning.
 Proving efficacy and efficiency of Grid Iron Planning.
 Emphasizing role of Pure Land Use Planning.
 Establishing the hierarchy of commercial areas.
 Proving efficacy and efficiency of bureaucratic and professional dominated
model of city planning, development and management
 Recognition of importance of Planners/Architects in the urban context.
Issues
Chandigarh, of today is passing through a crisis, which is threatening its basic fabric
and structure City in the recent past has started showing signs of enormous stress
due to ever increasing population and administrative pressure, rapidly transforming
urban form, fast changing class-structure, traffic and transportation, mushrooming of
slums, deficiency in basic services of water supply, energy, solid waste
management, ever rising carbon footprints, increasing pollution, lack of safety and
unplanned and haphazard development.City has failed to honour its commitment of
providing basic amenities of life to the poorest of poor, with more than 20% of
population living in slums. Informal sector has virtually taken over the city and has
overshadowed the formal development. Traffic and transportation network is reeling
under enormous pressure due to highest car -man ratio prevailing in the city. Majority
of city infrastructure is under pressure, including health and education, leading to fast
deterioration of quality of life. Land speculation has made shelter unaffordable for
majority of residents leaving them with no option but to tap illegal/grey markets. City

5. looks clearly stratified into North and South divide, with distinct variations in quality
of life, open spaces, basic services, amenities etc. Ruthless exploitation of urban
villages by speculators has created high degree of congestion and pollution.
Periphery, which was created primarily to protect the city, has emerged as the
greatest threat to the very fabric and existence to the city with large scale haphazard,
planned and unplanned urbanization taking place in the area. Creation of Mohali and
Panchkula, in close vicinity of the Chandigarh, has converted periphery into a large
urban mass. Chandigarh, as it stands today, has lost most of its administrative
relevance and is fast emerging a commercial city with large scale industrialization
taking place in and around the city. With option of granting permissions to allow
change of land use of industry into commercial use, basic principle of pure land use
planning stands diluted and violated. Allowing much higher FAR, on existing
residential plots is adversely impacting the growth and development of the city .
Tempering with the development controls, on large scale is fast changing the
vocabulary of Chandigarh Architecture.
Way Forward; Chandigarh has recently been mandated to be a Smart City,
accordingly it becomes critical that the entire process of growth and development of
Chandigarh is re-looked, reviewed and redefined in order to make it more rational.
Looking at the ground realities, growth of Chandigarh cannot be seen in isolation. It
needs to be looked in the Regional context with strategy focusing on preserving the
basic character of the city and diverting major growth and development to the
surrounding settlements. Chandigarh needs to redefine its basic character from a
government city to city of people, by changing the focus from administration to
people. City needs to create its ownership clearly detailing the role and function of
Chandigarh administration and Municipal Corporation. Option for travel in the city
must change from promoting accessibility rather than mobility, shifting emphasis
from planning for vehicles to planning for people. City should immediately put in
place a new agenda to promote green buildings; make Chandigarh smart,
sustainable and liveable; reviewing sector planning to create green communities;
making sectors self-reliant; doing away with policy of urban villages; rationalising
traffic and transportation; valuing periphery and managing slums. Adopting new
agenda will help remaking the city as Chandigarh in true meaning of the word.
* Author
h *Ar. Jit Kumar Gupta,
Founder Director,
College of Architecture, IET Bhaddal, Punjab,
#344, Sector40-A, Chandigarh-160036
Email-jit.kumar1944@gmail.com,