The Aranya Housing Project in Indore, India provided serviced plots of land for residents to build homes, rather than constructing ready-built units. The project developed 6,500 residential plots ranging in size on 220 hectares for different income groups. It created a township layout with roads, open spaces, and distributed amenities to foster a sense of community. The masterplan and housing designs incorporated climate responsive features and mixed land uses to meet housing needs affordably while improving living standards.

2. INTRODUCTION
▪ Traditionally, architects have contributed little to housing for the Third World urban poor. Those
who opt to work for the poor need to rethink their roles; the numbers are overwhelming, the
issues complex and the resources are very limited. One solution is to use land as a resource to
produce housing for the urban poor, by allowing them access to it to build their homes. A study
was conducted of such initiatives in a case-study in India: The Aranya Housing Project, completed
in 1988 and considered a model project.
▪ Indore, India in the early 1980’s was facing a shortage of Housing. It had been estimated that
approximately 51,000 families were homeless or living in illegal settlements. The Indore
Development Authority initiated an affordable housing project for 60,000 people that would tackle
this issue and at the same time be affordable to the government and urban poor. Previous efforts
by the government to provide low-cost urban housing in India were aimed at supplying ready-built
units. However, it took too long to construct a complete house and it became expensive for the
low income group and also ate up too many resources.

3. GENERAL INFORMATION
▪ Location – 6km from the centre of Indore, Madhya Pradesh
▪ Client – Indore Development Authority
▪ Architect – B.V. Doshi
▪ Project Associate – Mr. Himanshu Parikh
▪ Structural Engineer – M/s. Stein Doshi and Bhalla, New Delhi
▪ Project Engineers – Environmental Engineering Consultants,
Bombay
▪ Total Built-Up Area – 100,000 m2
▪ Land Area – 220 hectares
▪ Number of Plots – 6500
▪ Population – 40,000 (initial), 65,000 (final)
▪ Project Cost – 100 million Rupees
▪ Year of Completion – 1989 (took 7 years to complete)
▪ Awards – Aga Khan Award for architecture in 1996

4. OBJECTIVES
▪ To improve and upgrade the existing slum area
▪ To provide serviced sites for new housing developments instead of
building completed houses
▪ To provide for 6,500 residential plots ranging in size from 35 m2 for
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) to 475 m2 for higher income
groups.
▪ The idea was to mix some middle income plots with the EWS plots
to use the profits to raise capital towards development of local
trades.
▪ To create a township with a sense of community and fundamental
values of security in a good living environment
▪ To achieve a community character by establishing harmony
between the built environment and the people
▪ To create a balanced community of various socio-economic groups
to evolve a framework through design.

5. DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME GROUPS
▪ The high income group (HIG – 9%), is
along the periphery of the national
highway and part of the south-east
border of the arterial road in the south.
▪ The middle income group (MIG – 14%) is
planned along the periphery of arterial
roads on the north-west sides and part
on the south arterial road along the part
of spine.
▪ The lower income group (LIG – 11%) and
the EWS (65%) are located in the middle
of all six sectors.
INCOME GROUPS
HIG MIG LIG EWS

6. FINANCIAL ASPECTS
AND COSTING
▪ Idea was to mix some middle income
plots with EWS plots to use the profits
to raise capital towards development of
local trades.
▪ Funding – 100% public sources.
▪ A substantial surplus of 11.7 million
rupees has been generated against the
investment of 57.2 million rupees based
on 1982 prices.
▪ Building materials were locally available
thereby reducing the cost of the
project.

7. SITE ANALYSIS
▪ The site is flat with no major physical
features, except a natural rainwater
channel that runs diagonally across the
south-west corner.
▪ An accurate level survey shows a fall of
9m across the site’s width of 1km,
which gives a gradient of 1 in 110.
▪ Topography determined the orientation
of the major infrastructure network and
hence, influenced the overall spatial
organization of the township.
▪ The site and the rest of the city has a 2-
2.5 m thick top strata of evenly
deposited black cotton soil, expansive
clay with some organic content.

8. MASTERPLAN
▪ The masterplan/structure plan of the township was informal and
emphasized enrichment of spatial quality in the plot layout plan
with inter-linked space of cultural context; maintenance of a
hierarchy of road, open spaces, and commercial spaces; a
central location of basic community services, institutional,
commercial, social facilities; and the allowance of growth of
population density and house extensions in the context of the
Indian lifestyle.
▪ At the six sector level the aim was the formation of a social
compatibility of an interactive and integrated income/social
group who have attained a viable community in each socio-
economic sector; segregation of pedestrian and vehicular
movement and good distribution of land use and infrastructure;
and to reflect local, historical characteristic in built form
promoting multiple and overlapping interactive land use,
maintaining contact with built and green land.

9. DISTRIBUTION OF
SPACES
▪ The masterplan was divided into six sectors
with a central spine area of commercial
and institutional land use.
▪ The town centre in the middle of the spine
consisted of shopping, residential, and
office complexes.
▪ At the end of the spine, two more clusters
of social functions were located. This was a
mixed-use zone with a five storey building.

10. STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

12. Plan initially prepared by
Indore Development Authority
which shows a typical rubber
stamping attitude without any
concern for open space
hierarchy, circulation system,
climatic orientation, or the
built form.

13. Initial stage of proposed plan
with distributed open spaces
and street hierarchies.

14. Later stage of
development with
rectified orientation to
minimize heat gain and
increase natural shading.

15. Proposed master plan with
interlinked open spaces,
built form variations,
distributed amenities, road
network hierarchies and
climate orientation.

16. Essentially a low rise high
density development the
built form echoes the
traditional fabric with
continuity of built edge,
shared walls, favourable
micro climate, house form
variations and culturally
appropriate settings.

17. TOWNSHIP
LEVEL PLANNING
▪ The design method was approached at
different levels which eventually resulted
in the creation of neighbourhoods,
living areas, working areas,
thoroughfares, landscaping, and the
public spaces.
▪ At the township level, the aim was the
creation of a central spine with the
Central Business District. This was a
focus on the six sectors converging
with a centrifugal-like force. Conversely,
the CBD sent out its tentacles through
the staggered open spaces into the
sectors.

18. COMMUNITY/STREET LEVEL PLANNING
▪ At the community/street level, the aim was to
produce a design linking the scale of the built
form and the human scale by incorporating a
street life with plugged cluster houses,
sympathetic and aesthetically complimenting each
other and a socio-cultural life of community
interaction of families in the “otta” (outdoor
platform).
▪ An important feature of the Indian home, at the
service space between house, community spaces
and the cul-de-sacs.
▪ The street corner spaces are formed by the
alternating arrangement of the road, the green
space, and the pedestrian pathway.

19. DWELLING LEVEL PLANNING
▪ At the dwelling level, a service core was
provided with the prime objective that the
basic house when completed will be
sensitive to the lifestyle of daily needs of the
individuals with the freedom to integrate
indoor and outdoor spaces with privacy
within and from outside the homes, by
designing optional plans.
▪ Priority was also given to the orientation,
light, ventilation, and climatic control; to
future scope for vertical expansion and the
provision of subletting and commercial
options; and the use of appropriate utility
technology, materials and construction
methods.

20. ARRANGEMENT OF
SPACES
▪ A house plan included two rooms and a living area
followed by a kitchen and a lavatory was constructed
between the front extension and the multi-use
courtyard at the back.
▪ Most houses were provided with an additional access
at the back, which allowed for keeping animals, a
vehicle or even renting out part of the house to
provide income.
▪ Ten houses formed a cluster that opened into the
street. The courtyard at the back opened into the
open space of the cluster and was used as a play
area and service area; trees and multi-use platforms
were added.

21. HIERARCHY
OF
ROADS

22. ROADS, CIRCULATION AND OPEN SPACES
▪ Segregation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic
▪ Offsets break visual monotony
▪ Hierarchy is based on the volume of the traffic and
activities
▪ The roads suit human scale
▪ Use of cul-de-sacs to avoid traffic
▪ For clear segregation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic –
▪ Vehicular access in the form rectilinear and formal roads
in the hierarchy of 4.5m wide to 15m wide road draw the
vehicles outwardly.
▪ Interlinked informal spaces
▪ Continuous system of open spaces is provided’
▪ Staggered roads create spaces for community
congregation
▪ A single large open space is provided

23. DISTRIBUTION OF AMENITIES

24. LAND DISTRIBUTION CHART
ROADS COMMUNITY/COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL OPEN SPACES

25. NEIGHBOURHOOD CONCEPT
▪ Concept –
✓ Slum development project
✓ Inspiration from existing slum settlements in
Indore
▪ Characteristics –
✓ Mixed and multiple land use
✓ Formation of small neighbourhoods and houses
extending to the outdoors
✓ Small shops operating within congested areas
✓ Trees planted in public places
✓ Streets accommodating social, economic, and
domestic activities.

26. ACCESSIBILITY

27. CLIMATE RESPONSIVE
FEATURES
▪ Most of the plots are small in size and clustered in low rise blocks
▪ Longer side façade oriented in the north-south axis to reduce the
solar radiation on the building.
▪ Each house has minimum exposure to wall surface and a common
wall.
▪ The building height-to-street width ratio is such that streets are
shaded except when the sun is overhead.
▪ The two openings on the north and south permit light and cross
ventilation
▪ Courtyards within houses, cul-de-sacs, public squares and small
activity areas shaded adequately by adjacent buildings.
▪ Use of locally available building materials.
▪ Topography used for orientation of major infrastructure network and
spatial organization.

28. SERVICES
▪ Services like water tap, toilets and street lights and a plinth are provided around which houses can have
different configurations.
▪ Longer side of a block of row house was oriented north south to reduce solar radiation.
▪ Provision of vertical expansions.
▪ Housing was seen more as a process than a product.
▪ Each family provided with a plot having a water tank, sewerage connection, paved access with street
lighting, storm water drainage.
▪ Service cores – key to this site and service scheme, nuclei around which houses were built.
▪ Water was drawn from 3 local reservoirs.
▪ To economize, 20 toilets are connected to 1 manhole.
▪ One service line serves four rows of houses.

29. SEWERAGE SYSTEM
▪The soil being impermeable black soil of 2m
depth, conventional sewerage system was
adopted.
▪Designed after thorough analysis of
topography
▪Higher income groups, using more water were
located at high ground level to generate large
flow.
▪Lower income groups, using less water located
at lower ground level
▪This results in 10-15% savings.

30. STORMWATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM
▪ Very efficient and facilitates healthy and clean living
▪ Combination of underground and surface drainage system.
▪ Underground used for wider roads.
▪ Surface drainage used for internal roads.

31. ELECTRICITY
▪ High income and middle-income groups were provided with
overhead cables.
▪ Economically weaker sections were provided with
underground cables.

32. CONSTRUCTION DETAILS AND LANDSCAPE
▪ Foundation – under rimmed piles in concrete, cast in situ locally was used as the soil was black
cotton soil
▪ Structural Members – reinforced concrete plinth beams, load bearing brick walls, reinforced
concrete slabs.
▪ Exterior Finishes – bright colour in the façade, railing, grills, and cornices, seen in the old houses of
Indore used in some houses in the township
▪ Residents were free to use any material like brick or stone that were locally available
▪ Landscape and green areas included flowering and shade giving trees with thick ground cover,
including lantana, an evergreen tree, that requires a little maintenance.
▪ Trees include casuarinas, bottle brush, and eucalyptus

33. EWS HOUSING
▪ For the EWS, the options of core housing
included –
▪ Site, plinth and service core (latrine and water
tap)
▪ Site, plinth and service core (latrine and bath)
▪ Site, plinth and service core (latrine and bath)
and 1 room (kitchen)
▪ For other income groups, only plots were sold.
A verandah or house extension helped in
expanding the small EWS houses and
enhanced the space quality.
▪ A transition zone of 0.5 meters between the
street and house was provided. Permissible
house extensions such as platforms, porches,
and open stairs were built which created an
interesting street character.

34. BUILDING DATA
▪ The net planning area of Aranya Housing
Scheme was around 85 hectares of which 58%
was residential use, 23.5% roads, 8.15% open
spaces and 6.73% community and commercial
facilities.
▪ The marketable area was 68.16%. there were
6500 plots divided into eleven types in the
scheme depending upon the income level and
plot sizes.
▪ The smallest plots belonging to EWS whose
income level ranged from 200-400 rupees per
month was 35.32 sq.m.
▪ EWS plots accounted for nearly 65% of total
plots and nearly 66% of the entire population.
▪ Plot sizes ranged from 35.32 sq.m. for EWS
to613 sq.m for HIG.

35. OVERALL GUIDELINES CONSIDERED
▪ Promote person-to-person contact through cluster of human scale.
▪ Provide an individual character to each other.
▪ Create functionally sympathetic and aesthetically pleasing street
environments.
▪ Provide spaces for social and religious activities.
▪ Promote income generation at cluster level.
▪ Provide all essential amenities and utilities to every street.
▪ Define clearly each cluster’s territory and the sense of entry.
▪ Have regard for pedestrian.
▪ Optimise cluster patterns for economic activities and easy access.
▪ Consider the environmental impact of the sanitation core.
▪ Provide safe and adequate sanitation for all families.
▪ Make the sewage system adaptable to alternate treatment/disposal
methods.
▪ Ensure full privacy to W/C and wash areas.

36. FOUR MAIN ISSUES FOR LACK OF SUCCESS
▪ Aranya Township is a respected example of
these new settlements but, despite the
architectural brilliance of this township, it has
failed to show itself as an effective way to
house the poor.
▪ Four main issues have been responsible for
the lack of success of the project.
▪ These are –
1. Government investment
2. Construction Standards
3. Service provision
4. Retention of dwellers.

37. SUMMARY
▪ Aranya, 6 kilometres from Indore, will eventually house a total population of 60,000 in 6500 dwellings, on a
net planning area of 85 hectares.
▪ The master plan, prepared by the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation in 1983, is designed around a central spine
comprising the business district.
▪ Six sectors, each with populations of 7000-12,000, lie to the east and west of the spine and are diagonally
bisected by linear parks.
▪ Ten houses, each with a courtyard at the back, form a cluster that opens onto a street. Internal streets and
squares are paved.
▪ Septic tanks are provided for each group of twenty houses, and electricity and water are available
throughout.
▪ The site plan accommodates and integrates a variety of income groups. The poorest are located in the
middle of each of the six sectors, while the better off obtain plots along the peripheries of each sector and
the central spine.
▪ Payment schemes, and a series of site and service options, reflect the financial resources of this mixed
community.

38. SUMMARY
▪ Eighty demonstration houses, designed by architect Balkrishna V. Doshi, display a wide variety of
possibilities, ranging from one room shelters to relatively spacious houses.
▪ Most of the income groups buy only a house plot. Available to the poorest, in addition to the plot itself, are a
concrete plinth, a service core, and a room.
▪ The down payment is based on the average income of the family, the loan balance being paid in monthly
instalments.
▪ Brick, stone, and concrete are available locally, but owners are free to use any material they choose for
house construction and decoration.
▪ The jury found Aranya to be an innovative sites-and-services project that is particularly noteworthy for its
effort to integrate families within a range of poor-to-modest incomes.