PLANNING OF

CHANDIGARH

Jaskirat singh
 SELECTION
OF SITE
To select a suitable site, the Govt. of Punjab appointed a
Committee in 1948 under the Chairmanship of P.L Verma, Chief
Engineer to assess and evaluate the existing towns in the State for
setting up the proposed capital of Punjab.
However, none was found suitable on the basis of several reasons,
such as military vulnerability, shortage of drinking water,
inaccessibility, inability to cope in flux of large number of refugees
etc.
The present site was selected in 1948 taking into account various
attributes such as its Central location in the state, proximity to the
national capital & availability of sufficient water supply, fertile of
soil, gradient of land for natural drainage, beautiful site with the
panorama of blue hills as backdrop & moderate climate.
 PLANNER
An American Firm, M/s. Mayer, Whittlessay and Glass was
commissioned in 1950 to prepare the Master Plan for the new City.
Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki evolved a fan shaped Master
Plan and worked out conceptual sketches of the super block.
Novicki was tragically killed in an air accident and Mayer decided
to discontinue. Thereafter, the work was assigned to a team of
architect known as Le Corbusier in 1951.
 Le Corbusier's
Master Plan
The Master plan prepared by Le Corbusier was broadly similar to
the one prepared by the team of planners led by Albert Mayer and
Mathew Novicki except that the shape of the city plan was
modified from one with a curving road network to rectangular
shape with a grid iron pattern for the fast traffic roads, besides
reducing its area for reason of economy.
The city plan was conceived as post war Garden City wherein
vertical and high rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the
socio economic-conditions and living habits of the people.
Due to economic constraints, the master plan was to be realized in
two phases, catering to a total population of half a million.
Phase-I consisting of 30 low density sector spread over an area of
9000 acres (Sector 1 to 30) for 1,50,000 people
Phase-II consisting of 17 considerably high density Sectors
( Sectors 31 to 47) spread over an area of 6000 acres for a
population of 3,50,000.
 THREE
DISCIPLINES
The discipline of money - In working up his designs,le corbuiser
consulted the program for each building as given in the budget
and then prepared the initial project.
The discipline of technology Available in quantity, however,
was good clay stone and sand,and,above all human labour. The
materials of which chandigarh has been constructed are rough
concrete in the capitol complex and the central business district
and for most of the city, especially in housing,locally produced
brick.
The discipline of climate Besides the administrative and
financial regulatons there was a law of the sun in india. The
architectural problem consists;first to make shade,second to make
a current of air[to ventilate], third to control hydraulics.
 SECTOR- THE BASIS
PLANNING UNIT
The primary module of citys design is a Sector, a neighborhood
unit of size 800 meters x 1200 meters.
It is a self-sufficient unit having shops, school, health centers and
places of recreations and worship.
The population of a sector varies between 3000 and 20000
depending upon the sizes of plots and the topography of the area.
The shops are located along the V4 street (shopping street), which
runs North-West to South-East across the sector.
Every sector permits only 4 vehicular entries into its interior.
 Circulation
Le Corbusier's traffic system followed Mayer's lines but was more elaborate; he called it Les
Sept Voies de Circulation, or Seven Vs.
The rationale of his planning was the motor car. "From his early studies in urbanism, Le
Corbusier had identified the motor car as the central factor of modern town planning.
The 7 Vs act in the town plan as the bloodstream, the lymph system and the respiratory
system act in biology.
The 7Vs establishes a hierarchy of traffic circulation ranging from : arterial roads (V1), major
boulevards (V2) sector definers (V3), shopping streets (V4), neighbourhood streets (V5),
access lanes (V6) and pedestrian paths and cycle tracks (V7s and V8s).
V1 connects chandigarh to other cities.
The entrance of cars into the sectors, which are exclusively reserved to family life, can take
place on four points only; in the middle of the 1,200 meters; in the middle of the 800 meters.
The bus stops are provided each time at 200 meters from the circus so as to served the four
pedestrian entrances into a sector.
The road system was so designed that "never a door will open on the surrounding V3s:
precisely the four surrounding V3s must be separated from the sector by a blind wall all
along." Buses can ply on the V4s, the horizontal connection between contiguous sectors, but
not within the sector interiors
Road Circulation
 Working
Chandigarh has four main work centers :
The Capitol Complex in the north-east
The Educational institutes in the north-west
The City Centre in the heart
The industrial area in the south-east
 AREAS

A Hierarchy of Green Spaces can be observed in both the layout

ranging from Public Greens at City Level to Semi-Private to Private
Green Areas.

City Level Public Green Space

with Artificial Water Body
Free- Flowing Green Space,
connecting the entire site
Semi-Private Green Areas for
neighborhood pockets
Private Green Areas for
Residential Units
 CONCEPT
The 7Vs establishes a hierarchy of traffic circulation
ranging from : arterial roads (V1), major boulevards (V2)
sector definers (V3), shopping streets (V4),
neighbourhood streets (V5), access lanes (V6) and
pedestrian paths and cycle tracks (V7s and V8s). The
essence of his plan for Chandigarh rests on preserving
intact the true functions of these seven types of roads.
 ROADS
V-1 Roads connecting Chandigarh with other cities like Ambala, Kharar and
Shimla.
V-2 They are the major avenues of Chandigarh, with important
institutional and commercial functions running alongside. In
Chandigarh they are identifiable as 'Margs'. Madhya Marg,
DakshinMarg, Jan Marg, Himalaya Marg, UttarMargand PurvMarg are
important examples.
V-3 They are the corridor-streets for fast moving vehicular traffic. A
Sector is surrounded by either V-2 or V-3 roads.
V-4 Roads bisecting the Sectors with shopping complexes located
along their southern edge.
V-5 Roads meandering through the Sector giving access to its inner
areas.
V-6 Roads leading off the V-5s and providing access to dwelling.
 V-7 They are intended for
pedestrian movement and run
through the middle of the
sectors in the green areas. A
few examples are along the
Jan Marg, in Punjab University
& Sector 15.
V-8 They are intended to run
parallel to V-7s for bi-cycles
and are not fully developed.
 THE CAPITOL
COMPLEX
THE AREA OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE IN
CHANDIGARH WAS THE CAPITOL COMPLEX , WHICH IN ITS FINAL
FORM WAS BASED ON THE DESIGN OF A GRAET CROSS AXIS
THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP OF THE BUILDINGS CONSTITUTING
THE CAPITOL- RIGHT, THE PARLIAMENT, LEFT,IN THE
BACKGROUND, THE SECRETARIAT
IN THE FOREGROUND, THE POOL OF THE PALACE OF JUSTICE
THE ARTIFICIAL HILLS IN THE FRONT OF THE SECRETARIAT HAVE
NOT BEEN CREATED AND LAID OUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH
COEBUSIER;S CONCEPTIONS
ALTHOUGH THE SCENE IS HARMONIUS IN EFFECT, THERE ARE STILL
MISSING THE BUILDINGS THAT BELONG HERE ,SUCH AS , FOR
INSTANCE, THE TOWERS OF SHADOWS
 The
Capitol

Complex
The City Centre
 City Centre DLF is located at Rajeev Gandhi IT Park Chandigarh,close to Golf range
and Sukhna lake. It is hardly 15 minutes drive from sector 17 and very close to the
heritage residential areas of Chandigarh. It is built on 2 lakh square feet at the
junction point of Panchkula, Manimajra & Chandigarh overlooking the beautiful
Shivalik Range. The mall welcomes visitors of Tricity-Chandigarh, Panchkula and
Mohali.
The Mall caters to the taste of discerning shoppers across a broad age spectrum and
offers a unique blend of international and indigenous brands, a mix of handcrafted
Indian designer wear, Fashion Accessories and yet also the latest international
Fashion trends for Men, Women & Kids. Some of the premium brands at City Centre
Chandigarh is Harley Davidson , United Colors of Benetton, Puma, Nike, Alcott, Arrow,
mothercare, Tommy Hiliger, U S Polo, Madame, Chemistry, Meena Bazaar and more.
Shoppers can indulge in their favorite Sports brands, choose from a range of Fashion
Eyewear, Fragrances and Accessories. It also offers various dining options like
Rajdhani and the Tricitys most Beautiful restobar Black Magic. Needless to say EAT
FOOD LOUNGE, the Food Court is visited by more than 15,000 food lovers every
Weekend. It offers the best of the international fastfood such as Subway, Baskin
Robbins, Dominos, Sindhis Moti Mahal, Froyo.
 SITE PLAN

OPEN HAND

GOVERNOR,S PALACE

HIGH COURT

ASSEMBLY

SECRETARIAT
 THE
SECTOR
TAKING CHANDIGARH AS AN EXAMPLE,WE MAY SEE AT ONCE THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA WHICH ALLOWS
US TO DEVOTE AN EQUAL CARE TO HOUSING ALL CLASSES OF SOCIETY TO SEK NEW SOCIAL
GROUPINGS, NEW PATTERNS OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WELFARE,AND MADE MORE POSSIBLE BY
PRACTICAL APLICATOIN OF THE SCIENTIFIC IDEA WHICH THROUGH INDUSTRIALISM,GIVES US SUCH
BENEFITS AS PIPED WATER,ELECRICITY AND CHEAP TRANSPORT.
EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH THE
REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER OF THE CITY.
AT PRESENT THERE ARE 30 SECTORS IN CHANDIGARH,OF WHICH 24 ARE RESIDENTIAL.
THE SECTORS AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CITY ARE OF ABBREVIATED SIZE.
IN ALL TYPE OF HOUSING ,PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE GLAZING EXPENSE,PARTLY TO KEEP OUT SUN.
AS THE MOST ECONOMICAL AND READILY AVAILABLE MATERIAL FOR BUILDING AT CHANDIGARH WAS
LOCALLY MADE BRICK.
THIS BECAME THE MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION.
THE FLAT ROOF WAS EMPLOYED THROUGH OUT IN CHANDIGARH HOUSING BECAUSE OF ITS
USEFULNESS AS A SLEEPING AREA
70% OF THE BUILDING WOULD BE PRIVATE IN ALL THE SECTORS.
RESIDENTIAL PLOTS RANGING IN DIMENSIONS FROM 75 SQ. YARDS TO 5000 SQ YARDS.
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 THIS IS BECAUSE THE CAPITOL COMPLEX IS CONTAINED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF SECTOR 3
EXTENTED TO ITS FULL DIMENSIONS.
GOVERNMENT HOUSING
LE-CORBUISER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GENERAL OUTLINES OF THE MASTER PLAN AND THE
CREATION OF THE MONUMENTAL BUILDLINGS,WHILE PIERRE JEANNERET,MAXWELL FRY AND JANE
DREW WERE CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF DEVELOPING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SECTORS WITH
THEIR SCHOOLS,SHOPPING BAZAARS,AND THE TRACTS OF GOVERNMENT HOUSING.
IN THE PROGRAM PRESENTED TO THE ARCHITECTS,13 CATEGORIES OF HOUSES WERE
SPECIFIED,EACH CORRESPONDING TO A LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT.
SMALL WINDOWS OPENINGS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY EMPLOYED
CHANDIGARH UT IS SPREAD OVER AN AREA OF 114SQ KMS INCLUDING MANIMAJRA AND BURAIL
THE BIRTH OF CHANDIGARH HAS NOT INFLUENCED ONLY THE NORTH WEST REGION BUT THE
WHOLE COUNTRY IN THE MATTERS OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING
PROJECTS HE HANDLED WERE CAPITOL COMPLEX, HOUSING, MUSEUM, CITY PLAZA ETC

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 HOUSING
Lower category residential
buildings are governed by a
mechanism known as frame
control to control their
facades.
This fixes the building line
and height and the use of
building materials.

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PLAN OF THE CITY
 OPEN
SPACES
Some 800 hectares of green open space are spread over the
approximately 114 square kilometers of the Capital Project area.
Majoropen areas include the Leisure Valley,
Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and many other special gardens.
The sectors are vertically integrated by green space oriented in the
direction of the mountains.
 LANDSCAPING
Three spaces were identified for special plantation: the roadsides,
spaces around important buildings, parks and special features
such as Sukhna Lake.
Le Corbusiers Le Corbusiers contribution to landscaping was of
categorising tree forms.
1. functional needs
2. aesthetic suitability for the various
3. areas, devoting special attention to specific roads.
 prominent flowering trees are gulmohar (Delonix regia),
amaltas (Cassia fistula), kachnar (Bauhinea variegata),
pink cassia (Cassia Javanica) and silver oak (Grevillea
robusta).
Among the conspicuous non-flowering trees one finds
kusum (Schleicheta trijuga) and pilkhan (Ficus infectoria)
along V3 roadsides.
These trees, noted for their vast, thick spreading
canopies form great vaulting shelters over many of the
citys roads.
In all, more than 100 different tree species have been
planted in (Fieus religosa) Chandigarh .
parks in every
sector