This document provides an introduction to the city of Gandhinagar, India. It discusses how Gandhinagar was planned and developed as a new capital city for the state of Gujarat in the 1960s on a greenfield site. The city was planned with a 1000m x 750m grid layout and divided into residential and commercial sectors. However, bureaucratic control over land development led to underdevelopment and vacant land. The document examines proposals to transform Gandhinagar by developing the vacant land along the Sabarmati River into productive landscapes and ecological spaces that establish Gandhinagar as the "productive capital" or "biodiversity capital".

1. GANDHINAGAR CITY
SITE INTRODUCTION
By Mansi Shah
Prepared only for academic purpose
Special Thanks to Purvi Bhatt, Narendra Mangwani, Pooja, Shashank, Chandrani Chakrabarti for initial data
Image credit: Chandani Patel

2. Location
About 23km north of Ahmedabad
On the west bank of Sabarmati |177 sq.mt in area

3. New Capital
Planned and designed in 1960 on a greenfield site
as a model capital city with indigenous ethos

4. New Towns
After gaining independence in 1947, over the next two decades, India built 118 new towns, including three state capitals (Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, and
Bhubaneshwar), and numerous industrial townships/company towns.
Chandigarh Bhubaneshwar Gandhinagar

5. Chandigarh
After independence, the Indian Punjab required a new capital because the former capital, Lahore, had become part of Pakistan after the partition. Designed by Le
Corbusier in the architectural modernism ideology, Chandigarh is widely considered a model of modern town planning.

6. Bhubaneshwar
Situated on river Mahanadi, the old capital of Cuttack had very limited opportunity to physically grow and expand. The new capital was planned and designed in
Bhubaneshwar, surrounding the old city, by the German architect Otto Königsberger.

7. Gandhinagar
The Gujarat state came into existence in 1960. Ahmedabad functioned as a temporary capital, but because it was old and congested, the new and modern capital
of Gandhinagar was built. Keeping with the swadeshi ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhinagar’s planning was indigenous. The team was led by Mr. Mewada, the
state planner who had earlier worked with Corbusier in Chandigarh.

8. Gandhinagar?
What is the single most important thing that is required to implement city wide large scale productive landscape?

9. Vacant Land
Undeveloped, underdeveloped, and decadent

10. And When Developed…

11. And When Re-Developed (Swarnim Park)

12. How Was It Planned?
Gandhinagar was developed by the state government via
bulk land acquisition from farmers of 39 villages at cheap prices through eminent domain

13. City Grid
1000M X 750M grid

14. City Grid
1000M X 750M grid was turned to align with the river, and orient according to sun and wind direction

15. City Layout
The city was divided into two equal halves with the Vidhan Sabha or Capital Complex at its centre.

16. City Layout
Next to the Capitol Complex, are the civic centre and commercial areas. Rest of the city is primarily residential and divided
into 30 sectors divided by the town roads. Industrial areas were planned in the north and west fringe

17. City Character
Credits- Sashank Triwedi

18. City Character
Credits- Sashank Triwedi

19. What Was It Planned For?
Primary objective was delivering governmental administrative functions and housing for government employees
Very limited private opportunity and all land development and disposal were through state allotments and auctions
Restricted development, a tightly controlled land market, and regulated prices resulted in artificial land scarcity

20. Private - Public
65% is Government owned land, and 35% was for private ownership.
The entire river side green belt is also public land.
Sectors were inward looking – many road facing and corner plots are vacant.
CEPT University – MArch – Urban regeneration studio – Chetan Sodaye

21. Result Of Bureaucratic Control?
In 1997, over 7500 lots (about 930 ha) were vacant that had capacity to accommodate additional 56,500 residents
15% land remained to be plotted, auctioned, or allotted (source: GUDA 2001a)
CEPT University – MArch – Urban regeneration studio – Chetan Sodaye

22. Current Situation
In 1974, the target population for 2015 was 350,000. Given the slow growth, this is a hard target even for 2031 census.
1991 – 123,359 | 2001 – 195,985 (1.58)
2011 – 206,617 (1.05)
2021 – 292,167 (1.40)

23. Planned Density
The Capitol Complex, the City Center, and larger office and commercial areas have upto 9 stories building (around 15,000 persons/km2)
Residential areas were generally limited to 2 or 3 stories (5,000–10,000 persons/km2)
Medium gross density of 10,000 persons/km2 was planned.
10,000 persons/km2 1,700 persons/km2

24. Destination, Not Home
Even with its monumental civic architecture and large decorated temples, nature parks and recreational activities, most of the city has lost its identity with
neglected brick buildings, badly maintained open spaces, and vast stretches of non-descript vacant lands.

25. Direction Of City Growth?

26. `
GNA
Credits – Sashank Triwedi

27. `
GNA

28. `
GNA
GUDA

29. Development Plan For Guda 2011
Growth pressure, haphazard development
The GUDA was established in 1996 to prepare a comprehensive, long-range, statutory Development Plan
The objective of this plan was to transform Gandhinagar from an administrative capital to an economically and culturally vibrant city, and promote regional growth
particularly in areas outside the GNA.

31. Roads

32. Town Roads
Main arterials

33. Primary Roads

34. Secondary Roads

35. Tertiary Roads

36. Underdeveloped infrastructure along the river

37. Sites along the Sabarmati- Fly ash dumping site

38. Sites along the Sabarmati- Central area along Putin Van

39. Dry river bed-Access to other side of the river

40. Social space- on the other side of the barrage

42. The River Bank/Edge

43. THE RIVER BANK/EDGE
1493188 smt

44. REGIONAL ECOLOGY

45. CEPT University – Affirming Identity through design – Sandip Patil and Yati Sengupta
Agro-Ecology
Arid-a arid region
Limited precipitation
Land productivity is medium to low
Average rainfall – 340mm/year, Average temperature – 30.7 degrees C

46. Altitude
Main ranges are Aravalli, Sahyadri, Vidhya, and Satpuraa

47. Climatic Zones And Rainfall
Arid-semi arid region
Limited precipitation
Land productivity is medium to low
Average rainfall – 340mm/year, Average temperature – 30.7 degrees C

48. Geohydrology
Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Bauruch – alluvial formation upto 300mm deep – provide a rich aquifer
Alluvial formation is of clay, silt, sand, and gravel
Relatively easy access to ground water

49. Soil Moisture Content
Main rivers are Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Tapi, Banas

50. River Systems And Basins
Main rivers are Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Tapi, Banas

51. Droughts And Dams
Narmada canal – lifeline for the drought prone areas

52. Projected Population
2021 – 292,167 (1.40)
2031 – 320,000 (1.05) to 430,000 (1.5)
320,000 total number of people
220,000 in 30 sectors
7,300 people/sector
9777persons/km2
430,000 total number of people
330,000 in 30 sectors
11,000 people/sector
14,600 persons/km2

53. A new identity- The River Bank/Edge
The unit approach focuses on natural processes to create resilient ecosystems suited to the climate, habitat and
biodiversity creation, recharged water systems, and working with existing land forms with minimum artificial
controls while creating attractive usable social spaces.
Can this corridor be visualized as a ground for large radical strategies for new type of productive infrastructures.
Can this be a laboratory for pilot test sites and a centre innovative research and development treating fly ash
dumping sites?
Can there be active aquaculture and water treatment because of its proximity to the river?
Can it be new kind of ecological and social space, a new typology of park with minimum change in the topography.

54. The New Food Capital?
Historically productivity (or agriculture) was the starting point of a city building
Cultivating, processing and distributing food was interweaved within the city structure.

55. The Productive Capital?

56. The Wild Capital?

57. The Biodiversity Capital?

58. Cultivate module 5%
Exercise 1- Site visit + Gandhinagar base plan + CPUL Vision plan
Exercise 2- Catalogue to explain the strategies employed to achieve CPUL