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The unique challenges of planning a New Town: the Gandhinagar experience

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Abstract

The New Town of Gandhinagar was built in the 1960s as the capital of Gujarat state in western India with a spacious, modern character. Over the next four decades, it developed as an administrative center, but due to development restrictions and rigid periphery control, it was not able to effectively respond to regional growth pressures. The objective of Gandhinagar’s Development Plan for 2011 was to transform it from an administrative center into a thriving and economically vibrant community able to accommodate the demands of a rapidly urbanizing economy. This plan marked a departure from the state-led master planning and development based on eminent domain, and adopted a land readjustment mechanism for urban expansion. It applied a place-based approach to preserve the formal character of the capital city, while at the same time transform the quality of its built environment. This paper provides insights into the unique challenges of re-planning a planned New Town, and particularly highlights the opportunities that urban design scenarios provide to planners to meet a variety of planning objectives. A decade later, implementation success has been limited to urban expansion areas with the realization that the legacy of state-led development is not easily overcome without accompanying institutional changes.

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Fig. 1

Source GUDA (2001a)

Fig. 2

Source GUDA (2001a)

Fig. 3

Source GUDA (2001b), prepared by EPC

Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Source GUDA (2001b), prepared by EPC

Fig. 6

Source GUDA (2001b), prepared by EPC

Fig. 7

Source Prepared by EPC

Fig. 8

Source Prepared by EPC

Fig. 9

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Notes

  1. Swadeshi movement was part of the Indian independence movement that called for a boycott of British and foreign products to support Indian nationalism and locally made products.

  2. Under the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963.

  3. In Gujarat, non-agriculture (N.A.) use permissions are granted by the state’s land revenue department, which functions independently from the urban development department. By 1999, N.A. permissions for approximately 300 ha. land had been granted and another 125 ha. land was developed without permission. Altogether 550 ha. land was developed in rural areas, of which 375 ha. was residential.

  4. Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC) was appointed by GUDA to prepare the Development Plan and Implementation Strategy for the year 2011 AD. EPC is a not-for-profit, urban planning firm based in Ahmedabad, India.

  5. Including the Collector’s Office, Gandhinagar Capital Projects Division, Gandhinagar Notified Area Committee, Roads and Building Department, Ahmedabad Municipal Commission, Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, Railways, Airport Authority; Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board, Directorate of Horticulture; and business groups such as brick kiln manufacturers and real estate developers.

  6. In the first round, almost 300 objections and suggestions to the draft plan were received. Preparation of the Development Plan is a quasi-legal process. Key steps in plan preparation, review, and update are defined in the GTPUD Act of 1976.

  7. GTPUD Act of 1976 allows for up to 50% land deduction from the original lot by authority during reconstitution.

  8. Chandigarh is the capital of both Haryana and Punjab states, but is a centrally governed Union Territory.

  9. Floor Space Index (FSI) is defined as the ratio of the total floor area on all floors to the lot area. It is similar in concept to the Floor Area Ratio (FAR).

  10. The only approval process in villages is the Non-Agriculture (NA) use Permission given by the District Collectorate, which does not specifically regulate land development or building construction.

  11. At the highest level the Chief Minister and other ministers, bureaucrats, and senior government officials also reviewed the concept plan.

  12. Expert interviews with GUDA planners, including with Mr. M.M. Bhaumick on August 24, 2016. Mr. Bhaumick was the Senior Town Planner with GUDA who led the planning team for the 2011 Development Plan and oversaw its implementation for several years.

  13. Including the Gujarat National Law University, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Indian Institute of Health Management, Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar, Institute of Seismological Research, Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute, Gujarat State Disaster Management Institute, and Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University.

  14. GIFT-City will include a special economic zone (SEZ), international education zone, integrated townships, entertainment zone, hotels, convention center, international techno park, shopping malls, stock exchanges, service units, etc.

  15. 2024 draft plan has been submitted to the state, but is yet to be approved.

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  1. Department of Political Science, Auburn University, 8052 Haley Center, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Sweta Byahut

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Byahut, S. The unique challenges of planning a New Town: the Gandhinagar experience. Urban Des Int 25, 13–29 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-019-00099-1

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