Chandigarh's 75th Anniversary: Global Legacy and Urban Planning Insights
As Chandigarh commemorates 75 years since its inception, urban thinkers gathered at a special event organized by the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation to reflect on the city's profound influence on global planning and design. The discussion, held at CRRD, featured prominent voices Alain Bertaud and Bimal Patel, who explored both the successes and limitations of Chandigarh's pioneering approach to urban development.
A City That Shaped Global Urban Thought
Speakers emphasized that Chandigarh left an indelible mark far beyond India's borders, particularly in the decades following the Second World War. The city reinforced the belief that urban centers could be comprehensively planned through master plans, zoning regulations, and systematic design. Conceived soon after India's Independence, Chandigarh became a crucial reference point for planners in newly independent and rapidly urbanizing nations across the globe.
Bimal Patel highlighted that the city inspired a nationwide push for master-planned development within India itself, directly influencing the first Master Plan of Delhi and, by the 1970s, hundreds of similar plans across various Indian states. These planning concepts also traveled extensively to other parts of the world, especially in post-colonial contexts where nations sought models for modern urban development.
Where Top-Down Planning Succeeded and Where It Fell Short
Alain Bertaud, who worked in Chandigarh during the early 1960s alongside Pierre Jeanneret, noted that the city demonstrated how top-down planning can be highly effective for large-scale infrastructure projects. This includes arterial roads, expansive green spaces, and comprehensive mobility systems that form the backbone of urban functionality.
However, Bertaud shared from his personal experience of living and working in Chandigarh that everyday urban life cannot be entirely designed in advance. He pointed out that informal markets, small neighborhood shops, and spontaneous urban activities have played a crucial role in meeting residents' daily needs—elements that rigid planning frameworks often overlook.
Bertaud revealed a significant limitation: many workers who actually built Chandigarh could not afford to live within the city and instead settled outside its boundaries. This reality underscores the constraints of inflexible planning approaches that fail to address socioeconomic diversity and housing accessibility.
Unintended Consequences of Master Plan Replication
Bimal Patel discussed how the widespread replication of Chandigarh-style master planning across India produced serious unintended consequences. These included artificial land scarcity, skyrocketing property prices, chronic housing shortages, and the proliferation of illegal colonies as people sought affordable living options outside formal planning frameworks.
Patel explained that planning authorities accumulated excessive discretionary power through this approach, while architects and developers became more focused on navigating complex regulations rather than responding to genuine market demand and resident needs. Despite repeated failures and shortcomings, the master plan approach persisted for decades because it served entrenched institutional and political interests, according to Patel's analysis.
Understanding Cities as Dynamic Labor Markets
Bertaud presented an alternative perspective, suggesting that cities should be understood primarily as large labor markets whose success depends on the easy movement of people, jobs, and skills. He criticized Chandigarh's inward-looking sector design for limiting connectivity and argued that improving access between sectors and across the wider metropolitan region would significantly enhance economic efficiency and opportunity.
The urban thinker also proposed that planning decisions should undergo frequent review processes so that policies causing harm or inefficiency can be corrected in a timely manner, rather than remaining locked in outdated frameworks for generations.
A Call for Flexible and Adaptive Urban Planning
Both speakers reached consensus on a crucial principle: governments must focus on planning essential infrastructure while allowing flexibility in how residents use private spaces. They argued that excessive regulation stifles adaptation and innovation, whereas markets and incremental, organic development help cities respond effectively to changing needs and circumstances.
The event also featured a special tribute to veteran architect Shiv Dutt Sharma, a member of the original Chandigarh Capital Project Team who later became Chief Architect of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Sharma was honored by the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation through presentations by former Army chief General V P Malik, former Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, and administrator adviser J M Balamurugan.
Sharma described Chandigarh as a flawless city and a proud legacy of modern Indian architecture, reflecting the deep attachment of the city's original planners to its founding vision. His presence added historical depth to the contemporary discussions about Chandigarh's evolution and future direction.
This commemorative event marks the beginning of a year-long series of programs planned to reflect on Chandigarh's 75-year journey, examining its challenges, evolution, and potential pathways forward as urban environments worldwide grapple with similar planning dilemmas.
