Sunday, May 4, 1958 THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE Page Three
K A New Capital City
From the Ground Up
Chandigarh, a Place of Pilgrimage
for Planners and Architects
By ASHOK SIBAL separation of main roads from (
WHEN INDIA gained independ- living areas. For the first time, a
ence in 1947, Punjab, a state city was built segregating fast -
traffic and thus giving security,
in undivided India, was split into well-being and dignity to the pe-
West Punjab and East Punjab. destrian.
West Punjab was given to Pakistan Corbusier is inspired by the hu-
and East Punjab to India. Lahore man body. He says the nerves play
was the capital city of undivided an important role in the human
Punjab. When the people of Pun- body, and similarly the roads play
jab lost Lahore in the partition an important part in a city. Traf-
they had to look for the new fir-way is the life of the city. He
capital. Simla was chosen as the assigned a particular function to -
temporary capital of East Punjab, each road and he defines these in J
but as it was situated on hills and the following manner:
in one corner of the state, trans- V1. Fast through roads to the
portation was expensive and dif- airport and other cities. .a-
ficult. It was decided a capital a Virdt
intepan fPna a h V2. Arterial roads for city- _ -.:~., .
in the plains of Punjib was the wide traffic, sunken as deep as MODERN CITY PLANNING-A most modern hostel for the members of the legislative assembly fu
osly an, wee. The decipion was 14 feet. Chandigarh, new capital city of East Punjab, was designed by one of the senior architects of the
November 1950, V3. Fast traffic roads for Project, The rooms base be protected from rain, sun and heat by verandahs. The most interesting
About 9,000 acres of land con- automobiles only; no pedes- feature of the building is its main entrance.
sisting of seventeen villages in the trians or cyclists. (Express traf-
southeast region of the state was fiT rns on V3 roads of the city HE PLAN of the city is very as a market square. It has local working in various government of-
acquired for the capital of East V4. Bazaar streets for mixed simple. A grill of roads divides municipal services, library, cafe- fices.
Punjab. slow traffic; no cars. the city into 25 sectors or neigh- terias and cinema in the denser The old idea of the government
The project was initiated by the V5. Neighborhood access roads, borhoods which are self-contained sector. Running in the other direc- headquarters being central to the
firm of Mayors and Whittlesey of slow traffic separated between communities whose life is centered tion is the band of open space city is rejected. Here the capitol
New York and their partner Ma- automobiles, pedestrians a n d in them. A community is consider- which contain schools, playing does not dominate the city, rath-
then Nowicki. Mr. Nowicki visited cyclists. ed to be a primary residential unit fields, swimming pools and the er it asserts prominence in a very
the site and studied Indian archi- V6. Inmate roads to houses; of well defined size, all points of community center. Most interest- subtle way, being glimpsed through
tecture and Hindu culture. While no cars. activity and interest in the neigh- ing are the quiet paths and cycle the numerous groves of huge man-
coming back from India to New V7. Cycle trails, pathways, borhood are within about ten tracks under the trees with no go trees which are plentiful in
York, he was killed in a plane So the basis of the plan is a minutes walking distance at the automobile traffic to disturb them. this land.
crash, So it became necessary to gridiron of fast moving traffic most. Its. size would be confined The capitol forms a pattern or
find another team of experts. After roads intersecting at half a mile to an area with a radius of about HOUSES form the periphery of composition which stands out in
finds anohe teame ofiper exet.ffe bold contrast with the symmetri-
interviewing a large number of acro.s and three-quarters of a one-half mile. each neighborhood. They can cal cas t of the sy.
architects and city phanners frons mile up the plan. These roads are A typical neighborhood is three- be entered only from within the al classic layout of the city.
all over the world, the govern- 100 feet wide with a carriageway quarters of a mile long by one neighborhood sector and not from tecetd bydcar and p -
mient selected four architect, two of 44 feet only, and tree-lined half a mile wide, about 240 acres, the main roads forming the grill tranapces by cepedes-
from England, Mr. Maxwell Fry borders. There is no frontage de- with a population of 5,000 to 15,- of the city. different levels, The circulation
and Miss Jane B. Drew, and two velopment. 000. A neighborhood has elemen- By providing soctal, cultural and
from France, Le Corbusier and In order to reach the Govern- tary and junior high schools, a administrnatg ci ult oal d
Mr. Jeanerat. Le Corbusier was ment Secretariate, for instance, a shopping center, health center, centralized basis for each neigh-
chief architect of the Chandigarh person can take any of the roads clubs, playing fields and parks. In borhood, it will be possible to re-
project and the adviser to the V2 to V6 if he wants to travel each neighborhood, dwellings of duce the traffic congestion in the -
senior architects-Fry, Drew and in his own car, otherwise public different types and sizes are con- dun eter consierablh.
Jeaneret. transport will be available on V3 strutted to satisfy the needs of community center considerably.
and V4 roads. A cyclist will take various income groups of families. The 25 sectors which comprise
V7 cycle track along an open There are thirteen categories of the present town vary from one
THE MASTER PLAN was ore- space. In every case the route is government houses ranging from dwelling per acre in the northeast
pared by Corbusier, therefore defined and the function is segre- the lowest costing only $625, to sectors of the town, to 15 dwellings
the whole city is built on his con gated. $1,365. Special class for sweepers per acre in the southwest, thus
cept His solution to the taffic The two central fast traffic and "malies" cost only $431. The helping the city to move south
problem common to large cities is roads and cycle track split the minister's house costs $40,000. The when it has a possibility of an ex-
uique. He believed in complete city into four quadrants and inter- lowest categories of houses cost- tension. It can accomodate even-
connect the importance centers of ing only $625 include two rooms, tually up to 500,000 but the plans
Ashok Sibal, a graduate the city - capitol complex, city a verandah, kitchen, separate bath for the first stage are 150,000 peo-
student from India, is study- center, industrial area and uni- and toilet, small garden yard, phe.
ing city planning at the Uni- versity section. water and electricity. In the case of heavier density LOCATION-The black dot on
versify. He worked for a A transit across the town was Across the center of the neigh- sectors, the dwellings are grouped the outline of India shows the
period as an architect on the assured by a highway which will borhood runs a bazaar street, a in villages of about 150 units and location of the new city in the
project described in the ar- not give access to any house. It is continuous, irregular, slowmoving keep in very close contact with northern area of the country.
fine, the first city where the architects business and shopping street often the open spaces of the sector for
title._ _ have dared to use such a system, coming to a center of interest such relaxation, and are provided with adopted within the capitol is
pedestrian roads for safety. unique and safeguards pedestrians
. against the hazards of auto traffic.
A sVehicular roads are planned 14
show generally that the areas feet below' the pedestrian way lev-
I I nearest to the Capitol and the el. From the entrance to, the capi-
mountain contain the bigger tol a vehicular road branches off
houses and higher educational life, in three directions, heading to the
and the southern area within the Secretariate, Assembly, Raj Bhawn
- ' city center, the smaller and denser and High Court: it ends up in each
residential districts, case in a spacious car park. At
v dEach sector of the city is con- certain places staircases and
nected with the fast traffic roads ramps are provided to give access
for a rapid transport service. From from pedestrian ways to vehicular
- the sector one can catch an ex- roads. Pedestrians can move about
- ' c - -^ ."-' s press bus to travel to distant parts in complete freedom along the
a 'of the city. vast lawns stretching between the
Fingers of foliage, elongated four main buildings, and enjoy the
parks, run through the city from scenic beauty of nature.
south to north, providing areas for
play and paths for strolling E UE volume of earth -
; U-a 1 warm evenings, 'an old Indian cus- caae rmtecanl r-
tom.' Continuing from sector to ated for vehicular traffic and the
i.4 e sector, it gives an unobstructed foundations of various buildings
4. I view of the mountains from every of the capitol was demped at
'', ° sector with an express cycle track points precisely worked out in the
n each, eliminating fatigue and layout to create artificial hills.
) 3 r"hazard from motor traffic. They are planted with grass and
shrubs which create new green
i -HE CAPITOL group of build- horizons supplementing those nat-
4 ings-High Court, Seretariate, ral ones of the adjacent bills and
41 51 Assembly and Raj Bhowan (Gov- E the lofty foothills of the Hima-
th er nm t ' anmetHousocupies 220 acres layas beyond. It appears to be a
of land at the head of the plan, rational and aesthetic solution to
cut off by a canal and boulevard the problem of disposing of this
from the nearest housing unit, but large mass of earth.
approached directly by the wide On the south of the capitol, resi-
x capitol approach road. It is situ- dential quarters have been built
S CHANDIGARId-The master plan of the capital city shows the gridiron of roads which forms the ated in the northeast of the city tran th minister's house to the
just at the foot of the hills so their peon's homes. In the east is the
basis of the development. The important buildings and areas located by numbers include: 1) capitol ever-changing panorama serves as railroad station and the industrial
building; 2) university; 3) railroad; 4) main shopping center; 5) town hall; 6) engineering college; a backdrop for its setting. It is so area and on the west are the edu-
7) public library; 8) museum; 9) hospital; 10) maternity hospital; 11) hotel; 12) theater; 13) poly- nicely situated that it gives peace- cational buildings-the Engineer.
technic Institute; and 14) industrial area. ful and pleasant surroundings for See NEW, page 8