The Aranya Community Housing project in Indore, India aimed to provide affordable housing for 65,000 low-income residents through 6,500 dwellings on 85 hectares of land. Architect B.V. Doshi designed the development using a classic architectural approach to large-scale, low-cost housing that allowed for incremental growth. The master plan included distributed amenities, interlinked open spaces, and climate-responsive design like north-south building orientations. Dwelling units started with a basic service core and residents could expand over time. The planning approach considered the street, sector, and township levels to create cohesive, walkable sub-communities within the larger development.

1. Aranya Community Housing
Case study on:
Presented by,
Rajat Rana (114ar0013)
Shritam Selma (114ar0016)
Tanisha Rout (114ar0034)

2. Introduction:
• Location: Indore, MP
• Architect: B.V Doshi
• Project Site: 85 hectares, 6500 dwellings
• Projected population: 65,000
History:
• 1980’s: 51,000 families were homeless/ illegal settlements
• Indore Development Authority initiated a project to solve the
problem
• Previous schemes included ready built houses that took a lot of time
and not affordable by the low income groups
Hence,
• Planning done for an affordable scheme for all classes of the society,
focusing on a sense of family and neighborhood while striving to
encourage adaptation and personalization according to individual’s
needs and resources
• Classic architectural approach to large scale low cost dwellings
• Included models for future dwellings

3. Planning: Programming
1. Auditorium
2. Bank
3. Bus Stop
4. Community Science Center
5. Central Complex Unit
6. Community Hall
7. Car Parking
8. Electrical Substation
9. Folk Art Mission
10. Fire Station
11. Health Centre
12. Library
13. Open Air Theatre
14. Play Ground
15. Petrol Pump
16. Primary School
17. Police Station
18. Post and Telegraph Office
19. Restaurant
20. Religious Institution
21. Sports Club
22. Secondary School
23. Swimming Pool
24. Water Tank and Children's Park

4. Aims and objectives:
•Planning at the Township Level
Needs a focus and a well ordered hierarchy of all
amenities in a balanced and cohesive environment
•Planning at the Sector Level
Intertwined sectors have designed to gel as viable,
almost autonomous, sub-communities
•Planning at the Street/Cluster Level
To have spaces for group activities
•Planning of the EWS Dwelling
Planning of the individual dwelling and the master plan
happened simultaneously
Also, allow people to expand their house in the future:
INCREMENTALISM
•Planning of the Service :
Core To not have a rigid and conventional plan

5. Planning: stages of development
Initial planning done by
IDA, without any concern
for open space hierarchy,
circulation, climate
orientation
Initial stage of proposed
plan with distributed open
spaces and street
hierarchies
Later stage of development
with rectified orientation to
minimize heat gain and
increase natural shading
Proposed master plan with
interlinked open spaces,
builtform variations,
distributed amenities, road
network hierarchies and
climate friendly orientation

6. Planning: Distribution of amenities
•Community facilities,
grouped in local sub
centres
•Formal organisation
•Community facilities,
distributed informally
•Accessibility improved
•Lower level community
facilities organised in green
spaces
•Even distribution
•Maintains link with the
town centre
•Pedestrian access easier

7. Planning: Road network
Highway
City roads
Central spine
Sector level roads
Roads within sectors
•Staggered roads
create spaces for
Community
congregation
•EWS, LIG,MIG, HIG,
flats

8. Planning at various levels:
1. Street/Cluster level
A well designed street can forge a collection
of individual households into an interactive
group. To achieve this the street must
assume a unique identity on human scale
with spaces for group activities.
So the streets connecting individual
dwellings were not so spacious to
discourage vehicular traffic and for the
social interaction only to occur.
2. Sector Level
The impact of the motor-car has yet to be
felt on a large scale. People continue to
live, work and play within easy walking
distances. In essence, an Indian city is no
more than a collection of self-contained
'villages'. Therefore, in planning a new
town, intertwined 'villages' or sectors have
to be designed to gel as viable, almost
autonomous, sub-communities.
3. Township level
The mere assemblage of various elements
covered in the previous section does not
make a township. There has to be a higher
theme and an overall order within
which the components have a meaning.
A township needs a focus and a well
ordered hierarchy of all amenities in a
balanced and cohesive environment..

9. Planning: circulation network
Vehicular access is in the form
of rectilinear
and formal roads which draw
the vehicles outwardly
Pedestrian access in the form
of informal interlinked open
spaces drawing people
inwardly
Clear and safe segregation of
pedestrian and vehicular roads

10. Planning: hierarchy of open spaces
Interlinked open spaces in the
Town level
System of open spaces in the
sector level
Space pockets around dwellings

11. Incremental growth:
•Form variations on a standardised plan is achieved through permutation and combination of various elements which are to be exercised by users
•This participatory process satisfies users priorities of house form while offering pleasing varieties to street facade.
Users decide how much to build Users choose how to build Users make their own combination
Of elements

12. Planning: dwelling units
•For EWS, a service core was provided along with
the plot where the options being
 site, plinth and service core (latrine + tap)
 site, plinth and service core (latrine + bath)
 site, plinth and service core (latrine + bath) + 1
room (kitchen)
•A verandah or house extension helped in expanding
the small EWS houses
•Transition zone of 0.5 m: permissible extensions like
porch, staircase, platforms etc.
•Other income groups were sold only the plot

13. Progression of Design:
Core
Nuclei
The houses grow and the communities eventually develops around this core nuclei/ service cores (W.C.,
Kitchen, Washrooms etc.) . Insensitivity to these needs of the people in this respect can condemn the
whole community to an unpleasant future.
The service core and the supporting infrastructure become the critical elements in the design of the
dwelling and it should be considered as the core while designing the adjoining spaces.

14. Progression of Design:
Sequence of drawings showing the progressive growth of dwellings starting with the site core unit (and one cow)
and evolving into habitable spaces.

15. Planning: Circulation network
• Having
breathing
spaces in
between
• Play areas for
the young,
provide space
for temples or
platforms for
small gathering

16. Planning: Rough sketches
• Sketches by
B.V Doshi:
Layout of
foundations
• Street-house
interface

17. Planning: House types

18. Climate responsive planning:
• Longer side of blocks arranged in N –S axis to reduce
solar heat gain
•Each dwelling: minimum exposure to wall surface and
have common wall
•Building height to street width ratio such that the streets
are shaded
•Opening in N & S permit cross ventilation
•Courtyards within houses, public squares and open
spaces shaded by buildings

19. Conclusion:
• It understands the traditional Indian habitats
• Planning and design in accordance with the socio-economic and technological conditions
• Staggered roads: through traffic, prevent speed of vehicles
• Low cost materials and construction techniques
• Participatory incrementalism: Starting point- to understand the problems in a city level.
Later, offer a design to help.
• Open system that customizes itself that channel people’s own building capabilities

20. References:
• Aranya housing, Indore, India - An approach to Settlement Design. Affordable housing. Changemakers.
Retrieved from https://www.changemakers.com/competition/affordablehousing/entries/aranya-housing-
indore-india-approach-settlement-design
• K. Sharma (2011), A BRIEF NOTE ON ARANYA HOUSING PROJECT, INDORE, MP, (1990's). Articles Directory
India. Retrieved from http://www.articlesdirectoryindia.xyz/brief-note-aranya-housing-project-indore-mp-
1990s
• Luke W. Perry (2008). Aranya not Arandiya. The Incremental house. Retrieved from
http://incrementalhouse.blogspot.in/2008/04/blog-post.html
• Aga Khan development network (AKDN). Aranya Community Housing. Retrieved from
http://www.akdn.org/architecture/project/aranya-community-housing

21.  THANK YOU 