Auroville - City Planning

AMRUTA BADODKAR (241014)
SOUMYA SHILPI (241182)
KINJAL TRIVEDI (241180)
NARENDRA SURPNANI(241171)
PARIKSHIT THAKUR (241173)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

Auroville (City of Dawn) is an :
 “Experimental" township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India,
near Pondicherry in South India.
Auroville was founded as a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society founded in 1968
by Mirra Alfassa(also known as "The Mother")
 Designed by architect Roger Anger.
 As stated in Alfassa's first public message about the township, "Auroville is meant
to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace
and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The
purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity."

What is Auroville ?
Auroville is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 50,000 people
from around the world.

Where is Auroville?
Auroville is located in south India ,in the State of Tamil Nadu (some parts are in the
State of Pondicherry), a few kilometers inland from the Coromandel Coast, approx 160
kms south of Chennai (previously Madras) and 10 kms north of the town of
Pondicherry.

How did Auroville begin?
The concept of Auroville - an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human
unity. The concept was then put before the Govt. of India, who gave their backing and
took it to the General Assembly of UNESCO. In 1966 UNESCO passed a unanimous
resolution commending it as a project of importance to the future of humanity, thereby
giving their full encouragement.

 Who are the Aurovilians ?

They come from some 45 nations, from all age groups (from infancy to over eighty,
averaging around 30), from all social classes, backgrounds and cultures, representing
humanity as a whole. The population of the township is constantly growing, but
currently stands at around 2,160 people, of whom approx one-third are Indian.

THE CITY AREA WITH A RADIUS OF 1.25 KM.

 PEACE ZONE
 INDUSTRIAL ZONE
 INTERNATIONAL ZONE
 CULTURAL ZONE
 GREEN BELT

PEACE AREA :

 At the centre of the township,
 Comprising the Matrimandir & its
gardens, the amphitheatre with the Urn
of Human Unity that contains the soil of
121 nations and 23 Indian states.
 And a lake to help create an
atmosphere of calm and serenity and to
serve as a groundwater recharge area.

INDUSTRIAL ZONE :
 A 109-hectare area to the north of the
Peace Area.
 The Industrial Zone, a zone for "green"
industries, is focused on Auroville's efforts
towards a self-supporting township.
 It will contain small and medium-
scale industries, training centers, arts and
crafts, and the city's administration.

RESIDENTIAL ZONE :
 The largest of the four city zones.
Comprising of 189 hectares.
 The Residential Zone is bordered by parks on the north, south and west.

INTERNATIONAL ZONE :
 A zone of 74 hectares to the west of the Peace Area,
 Will host national and cultural pavilions, grouped by continents.

CULTURAL ZONE :
 Planned on a 93-hectare area, situated to the east of the Peace Area,
 The Cultural Zone will be a site for applied research in education and artistic
expression.
 Facilities for cultural, educational, art and sports activities will be located in this
zone.

 Green Belt of 1.25 km width.
 Zone for organic farms, dairies, orchards, forests.
 Wildlife areas, this belt will act as a barrier against urban encroachment,
 Provide a variety of habitats for wildlife.
Serve as a source for food, timber, medicines etc. and as a place for recreation.

PREAMBLE OF AUROVILLE : Through its Master Plan,

 Auroville wants to break new ground in settlement-planning a way as to help other
cities, which are experiencing high urbanisation trends.

 Auroville also hopes to demonstrate how 'urban' & 'rural' areas can
complementarily develop in an integral and holistic way for their mutual benefit and
well-being.

 We talk about an 'integrated' masterplan, implying here that both city and
environment are integrally planned for, since Auroville has come to care for its
'hinterland'.

Undesirable trends in urban growth : Good example of establishing rural-urban
linkages.
Concerning village settlements : improved quality in housing, sanitation or quality of
life.
Auroville's approach :The approach of its Master Plan is to create equitable and
economically sound society.
Optimum mix of densities : Auroville's concept is to build a city that will economize
on land needs by introducing sustainable development approaches.

Broad framework :

Stages of developing the Auroville Master Plan:
Perspective plan (conceptual),
Development Plan (details),
Annual Plan (Implementation Plan).

EXISTING LAND USE :
developed area
 40% is Residential.
 Public spaces about 28%
 Commercial, manufacturing and other economic activities constitute about 12%.
About 13% is under roads and streets serving both urban and non-urban uses.

Developed areas :
 Village settlements : Six village settlements within the Auroville township area.
 Auroville Communities: At present there are 95 Auroville residential communities.
 The Commercial area in the Township includes retail services .
The Manufacturing use includes about 100 large and small manufacturing and
processing units.
 Public and Semi-Public uses include amenities such as
schools, health facilities, services and utilities.
Administrative and Institutional uses include centre
(Bharat Nivas) & Auroville Foundation offices.
Recreational uses : few playgrounds,centre field.

DEMOGRAPHICS :
 Resident Aurovilians
 Researchers and students
 Day-workers for economic and service activities.
 Casual visitors and tourist.

AGE GROUP %
0-14 19.62
15-19 6.52
20-24 5.99
25-29 8.62
30-39 18.30
40-49 20.28
50-59 15.01
60+ 5.66

ECONOMY OF THE TOWNSHIP :

 Agriculture which includes allied land regeneration efforts, is an important sector of
the Auroville economy.
100 small and medium manufacturing units : computer software, electronic and
engineering products, equipment used in alternate and appropriate technologies such
as windmills, solar lanterns and heaters, and biogas systems.
Cottage type industries producing a wide range of products such as garments, candle
and incense products, printing, food processing, etc.
Setup : renewable energy and appropriate building materials.
research and training activities :

HOUSING :
Since Auroville is experimenting with appropriate construction elements,
wall materials vary widely from stabilized earth blocks and rammed earth to fired bricks
Implications in terms of design and materials, of reduction in energy consumption,
and adoption of eco-friendly practices.

INFRASTRUCTURE : ROAD NETWORK
Car-free Galaxy plan :
All areas of the city are within 5 or 6 minutes walking
distance from the Crown Road.
The outer ring road could take motorised traffic and
connect with centralised parking areas there.
Onward travel would be BY bicycle .

Pedal-power within the city proper:
 Inside the outer ring road area, transport of
people and goods would be by pedal-power
(there will be a network of pleasant cycle and
walking paths) and electric-powered vehicles.

Parking at outer ring-road : The outer ring road will
be large storage yards for accommodating supplies while
awaiting dispatch into the city.

Water Supply:
 The entire water supply both for drinking and irrigation is dependent on
underground sources.
A number of deep wells
Extensive water management research and application.

Sewerage and Sanitation:
Consisting of septic tanks, Imhoff tanks, baffle reactors, and root zone and lagooning
systems.

Power:
About 150 houses use solar PV electricity
and heaters for their energy requirements.
 The power distribution of around 600
consumer connections is carried through
a system of 28 distribution transformers.

Education:
Two primary schools (Transition and Deepanam),
Three high schools (Last School, Centre for Further Learning and After School) for
children residing in Auroville.
The Sri Aurobindo International Institute for
Educational Research (SAIIER), an organisation
established in 1984, co-ordinates the multi-faceted
educational and cultural activities in Auroville.

Health:
The Auroville Health Centre, serves the community.

Tourist Infrastructure:
Visitors and tourists consists of information centres,
guest houses, and the Visitors Centre.

Recreation:
The township has presently four play fields for various outdoor sports, such as tennis,
football, volleyball and badminton, and a gymnasium and indoor sports facilities.

Socio-Cultural Facilities:
The most important facilities include the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium at Bharat Nivas
with a sitting capacity of 840 persons. Workshops and recitals of both traditional and
modern dance, drama and music are regularly held.
Spiritual Centre: The Matrimandir, the spiritual as well as the physical centre of
Auroville, is in the Mother's words, "the symbol of the Divine's answer to man's
aspiration for perfection, union with the Divine manifesting in a progressive human
unity". The Matrimandir is a place of silence and concentration.

FROM DUST TO DAWN : SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION :
 Extensive networks of raised earthbanks and ditches called ‘bunds’ were placed
along the contours of the land, along with a series of earth check dams and
catchment ponds.
Work units ‘Palmyra’ and ‘Water Harvest’ are currently targeting the rehabilitation
of an ancient network of community catchment tanks that once covered the land, in
an attempt to recharge the aquifers, prevent saltwater intrusion and conserve water
for irrigation .

REFORESTATION :

12 MILLION TREES PLANTED IN 30 YEARS.

As the vegetation has grown the
microclimate has changed.

 Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) that are used like bricks. The presses are robust,
using a high compression ratio of 1.83 with 13.5 metric tons (15 tons) available force,
and produce up to 1,000 accurate blocks per day of adjustable height and shape
(including hollow strong, enduring and also simple to learn how to use.
 Auroville mostly uses ferrocement for water tanks,
roof materials and biogas plants.

RENEWABLE ENERGY :total of around 250kw of
electricity producing solar panels are installed

Solar Kitchen : The solar concentrator that generates
enough steam to cook for 2,000 people a day .

Aureka’s efficient and successful multi-blade windmill.

20 biogas digesters used.

WASTE WATER TREATMENT :
 First wastewater recycling solutions : septic tank and soak pit
 Develop planted filters, also called constructed wetlands or
 Root zone treatment systems.
 Effective Microorganism (EM) technology .

Auroville
 is a success story for sustainability.
 A pioneer in environmental restoration,
it has gained international acclaim for innovative developments in
appropriate technology, sustain-able agriculture and rural regeneration.
 A flagship community of the ecovillage movement.
 Auroville has received unanimous endorsement from UNESCO as a
‘city the earth needs’ and been commended by such notables as the
President of India, the Dalai Lama and HRH Prince of Wales.

Auroville - City Planning

Auroville - City Planning

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