HISTORY OF TOWN PLANNING

DELHI

el
hi

Delhi is located at 28.61N 77.23E, and lies in Northern India. It borders the
Indian states of Haryana on the north, west and south and Uttar Pradesh
(UP) to the east.
Two prominent
features of the
geography of
Delhi are the
Yamuna flood
plains and the
Delhi ridge.
The National
Capital Territory
of Delhi covers
an area of
1,484km2

Master Plans for Delhi Third Master Plan of Delhi,

projected population of 23
million by the year 2021 on
about 978sqkm of total
urbanisable area.

The First Master Plan for

Delhi,1961- 81, was
published by DDA in
1962, envisaged
development of
urbanisable area of
448sqkm by 1981,
catering to an urban
population of 4.6 million.
To
accomodate
the 12.2
million urban
population
by the year
2001, the
Second
Master Plan
envisaged
expanding
the
urbanisable
area of delhi

Delhi~ down the line

HIGHIGHTING IMPORTANT CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS
1638-48:
1803:
1911-31:
1912:
1931:
1947:

1948:
1957:
1962:

Shahjahanabad Shahjahan as Emperor.

Red Fort, Jama Masjid built.
British East India Company Invasion.
Sir Edwin Lutyens designs New Delhi
Capital shifted from Kolkata to New Delhi.
New Delhi Capital inaugurated and Delhi
Improvement Trust constituted.
Independence and partition of the country.
Immigration of half million population to
Delhi.
Rehabilitation townships planned.
DDA constituted.
First Delhi Master Plan passed.

The Town Planning Concept

Shahjahanabad

Background
The

Mughal period from Akbar

( 1566-1605) to Shah Jahan was
comparatively long and peaceful; it
was marked by the development of
cities.
In 1638, he laid the
foundations of new capital, centered
around Lal Qila or Red Fort.
The site for the new capital in Delhi
was ideally suited as a convergence
point of land routes, being centrally
located geographically. The site was
situated on the western bank of
river Yamuna where a natural
projection formed a triangle with the
land and the river.

Spatial Structure
Urban spatial structure of Shahjahanabad was different from that of the

other Mughal Capitals,

because it was planned and built by one
concentrated planning effort.
The shurafa usually were situated to the west of the palace, along one of
the two boulevards at Chandni Chowk, & originated from the emperors
palace, thus furnishing the city with an unequivocal structure.
Those professional groups delivering fresh agrarian products to
the city must have settled along the southern and south-southwestern rim of the city walls (Delhi gate & Turkman gate): this is
where institutions , such as Masjid gadarion (shephereds mosque), Masjid
kasai (butchers mosque) were located. They all represent low ranking
traders.
The closer to the core of the city the more socially recognized are
the professional settled there: weavers, producers of wool, traders of
saddle- horses, oil- extractors & manufacturers of straw goods, each of
them represented by their respective mosques.
Further, in the direction of Chandni Chowk, mostly representative of the
trading professions, e.g. traders of fabrics, fish, meats and luxury goods,
but also some of the professional groups processing goods, e.g. producers
of water pipes can be found, all of them are characterized by the spatial
proximity to the imperial house.

Planning of Shahjahanabad
The city was planned according

to hindu planning principles of

shilpashastra
from
vastushastra.
The site was placed on a high
land as in the shastra and was
kamukha or bow shaped, for
this ensured its prosperity.
The arm of the archer was
Chandni Chowk.
The string was Yamuna river.
The junction of the two main
axes is the most auspicious
point in the whole region and
was therefore the red fort.

The city form- morphology

elements
The urban infrastructure was laid out in a geometric

pattern.
Shows traces of both Persian and Hindu traditions of town
planning and architecture with the Persian influence largely
accounting for the formalism and symmetry of the palaces
gardens and boulevards.
The designed infrastructure of Shahjahanabad comprised The fort
The Friday mosque(jama masjid).
The other major mosques
The bazaars around the Friday mosque.
The elaborate system of water channels.
The major gardens and the city wall.
The arrangement of these planned elements was

influenced by certain site features, which precluded

Major Streets
The streets in Mughal capital were usually narrow

and crooked. However, the major streets in the

new capital were designed as wide and straight.
The

east-west street called Chandni Chowk

connected the Lahori Darwaza of the fort to the
Lahori Darwaza of the city wall. It ran in a
straight line forming a wide boulevard with
broad vista. The Fort was visible from any place
on the street. This perspective view marked a
new concept of town planning for the Mughal
capital. Chandni Chowk is 1.4km in length and
jogged right at the Fatehpuri Begum Mosque. It
was built as the central axis of the city.

Another main street the Faiz Bazaar or

Akkarabadi Bazaar, was also wide and straight. It
had a north-south axis and connected Delhi gate
of the fort with the city walls Delhi gate and is
about 1km in length. These major two streets
developed as processional routes, as well as

Five Main Streets

The basic network of the five main streets extended from Chandni

Chowk and Faiz Bazaar to other gates and to different part of the
walled city. The streets were built as the spines of major activities and
developed as commercial thorough affairs. They connected the Ajmeri
Darwaza with the Jami Masjid and Turkman and Lahori Darwazas. Their
intersections formed a landmark. Important buildings were located on
these arteries. The other streets were less significant and were mainly
built as access roads to the residential areas.

MAHALLA / KATRA

There was a tendency of the cities' population to settle by ethnic

affiliations and to live in the same neighborhoods. The urban
community and the Mughal capital was formed by such districts or
wards, known as mahallas and katras. There were 36 mahallas in the
walled city. Each katra had an enclosed space created between
residential and commercial buildings having entry to a katra made
through a gate.

These courtyards were environmentally sound and acted as main

ventilation shafts in a hot and arid climate. Communal open space
was conspicuously absent as it is so today. There was not much need
felt for communal open space, other than for worship which is why
the Jami Masjid was provided with a spacious courtyard.

Thus, it is clear that planning of a residential area in the Mughal

Streetscapes
There emerges a hierarchy of

streets in the layout of the

city.
The secondary streets were
the ones which entered the
south of the city from
Chandni Chowk. (thus they
were perpendicular for some
distance and then assumed
an organic form once deep in
the city).
The
secondary
street
structure also includes the
streets that are parallel to
the city walls- forming a
concentric ring so to say, in
the southern part of the city.
They then intermingle at
chowks
with
the
third

Bagh
The north area of Chandni Chowk was occupied by a bagh called the

Jahanara Begumis Garden. It was laid out in a planned fashion, in

addition to the road planning of Chandni Chowk.

CITY WALLS

The layout o the city walls was based on a geometrical planning; i.e.
to say, a polygonal plan with gateways. The four main gates were
Delhi Darwaza on south, the Ajmeri Darwaza on the south-west, the
Lahori Darwaza on the west and the Kashmiri Darwaza on the north.
These important gates were positioned according to the basic
network of the city, being laced on the cardinal points. The graphic
representation of the city was indicated geometric planning and the
geometric placement of the main gates.

Conclusion
The new Mughal capital and the fort were designed as an ideal city and

a paradise on Earth.
The design and planning methods were geometric and provided for

green areas (gardens) and water facilities.

Principal elements in the town planning were the fort, the Jami Masjid,

two major streets, city wall and gates, the Bagh, the Id-gah and the
Karawan Sarai.
The Red fort was designed as a symbol of Muslim power and as an

ideal living space on a formal geometrical plan.

The Jami Masjid was designed as a symbol of Muslim power and of the

capital.
Two

major streets were developed as the central axis and as

processional routes and they were new elements in the capital; the
design and the planning method was a new concept in town planning
in the Mughal capital.

Planning in the capital did not provide planning of residential areas.

The city wall and gateways were drawn on a geometrical plan.
Urban forms and patterns developed on there own in response to the

emperors basic need and idea and little attention was paid to the

FATE OF THE WALLED CITY

Old Delhi, the Medieval capital built by Shahjahan

in 1638 remained one of the most beautiful cities

in the Orient till the arrival of the British in 1803.
The British and the natives lived in the Walled City
in harmony until the War of 1857 after which onethird of the city was razed to ground.
The city came to be seen as a Useless maze;
unhealthy and congested.
The transfer of Capital from Calcutta to Delhi in
1912 furthered the devaluation of the Walled City.

LUTYENS DELHI
(1914)

Lutyens Delhi
In order to understand the imagability of Lutyens Delhi, it is imperative to know its
history and why the site was chosen.
History:
The primary concern for the transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi was to locate a
more durable and subtle public opinion: the intention was to express the
achievements possible under the British Raj and as a stamp of the autocratic rule.
Criteria for Site Selection:
The committee which was setup to choose a site recommended that if the imperial
capital is to be favorably situated to present an effective appearance, it should be
approached along a line of rising ground. Lord Harding chose the Raisina Hill for
locating the viceroys palace because:
It was a well drained.
Constituted of slopes and plains between the ridge and the river.
Its eastern and southern margins were studded with monuments of vanished

empires.
A broad crescent from Shahjahanabad and Kotla Firoz Shah, south to Tughlaqabad

and the Qutub with tombs of Safdarjung and Lodhis as well as Jantar Mantar in the
foreground could be viewed from the site.

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi

The initial
design of
New Delhi

Image Source:
http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/wmf_article/pg_38-

Lutyens
had
initially
designed Delhi with all the
streets
crossing at right angles,
much like in New York.
However, Lord Hardinge told
him of the dust storms that
sweep the landscape in
these parts, insisting on
roundabouts, hedges and
trees
to
break
their
force, giving him the plans

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

Intentions of the
Layout:
Lutyens Delhi was planned on the most
spacious
garden
city lines
great by
The layout
of Lutyens
Delhiwith
wasthe
governed
avenues
decorated
with classical
buildings
with
three major
visual corridors,
linking
the
lush
landscape.
government
complex with :

Jama Masjid
Indraprastha
Safdarjungs Tomb
Image 1

Image 2
Image Source (Image 1 and Image 2): http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

Features
1. The plan reflects Lutyens transcendent fervour for
geometric
symmetry, which is expressed through amazing sequences
of triangles
and hexagons, through sightlines
axes. plan is also
2. and
Lutyens
remarkable for the
generous green spaces,
lawns, watercourses,
flower and fruitbearing trees, and their
integration with the parks
developed around
monuments.
3. The attempt was to
include all
natural and
historical wonders in
the new city.
Image Source: http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/downloads/townplaning.pdf

The Road Network

Besides the major

Pathway, there were

extremely wide
avenues. The original
design of the road
network was capable
of accommodating
6000 vehicles,
however these
avenues, had the
potential of
increasing their
carriageway-the
reason why the road
layout has survived till
today.
In general the road

network consisted of

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

Lutyens Delhi - Zoning

GOVERNME
NT
COMPLEX
BUNGLOW
ZONE
COMMERCI
AL
DISTRICT

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

The Government Complex/ Administrative

area
1. Lutyens laid out the central administrative area of the city.
2. At the heart of the city was the impressive
Rashtrapati Bhawan, located on the top of Raisina Hill.
The Rajpath connects India Gate to Rashtrapati
Bhawan, while Janpath, which crosses it at a right
angle, connects South end with Connaught Place.
3. The Secretariat Building, which houses various
ministries of the Government of India including Prime
Minister's Office are beside the Rashtrapati Bhawan and
were designed by Herbert Baker.
4. Also designed by Baker was the Parliament House,
located on the Sansad Marg, running parallel with the
Rajpath.

Image Source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi

Drawbacks

In this whole process almost

no attention was paid to the
problems of Old Delhi. Due
to the creation of New Delhi,
Old Delhi experienced a 28%
surge in population from
1916-1926 resulting in the
spilling over of the
population from inside the
walled city to the
Paharganj area, whose
restructuring was later
abandoned by Lutyens due to
resource constraints.
Also, no provision of housing
was premeditated for the
large no. of skilled and
unskilled workers which
immigrated in for the
construction work of New
Image Source:
Delhi.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Lut
This negligence of the
yens'_projected_Imperial_Delhi,_from_the_Encyclop

The sprawl of rehabilitation townships

The partitioning of India brought its own

problems.
Delhi witnessed one of the largest
immigration in human history. Approximately
half a million sought refuge in Delhi; which
was not prepared for doubling of its
population in just 2months.
A total of 36 rehabilitation townships were
planned and developed on all 4sides of Delhi.
These included Nizamuddin, Lajpat Nagar,
Malviya Nagar, Patel Nagar, etc.

The sprawl of rehabilitation townships

These townships were planned on the basis of 80

sq.yards (66msq) plots for each family; modest

single story asbestos cement sheet roofed houses.
These houses were offered at a subsidized price of
Rs.2000 to 10,000 with facilities of long term
payments.
These were emergency projects with no time
available for immaculate planning.
A national emergency was met with immediate
action.
Delhi started expanding in all directions without
any overall plan; the congestion continued and
the city grew haphazardly.

DELHI TODAY
A fundamental premise of the Master Plan

had been based on the western concept of

zoning. It implied segregation of land
uses, physical uniformity and segregation
of residential components from undesirable
land uses.
The Old city was predominantly marked for
residential use.

DELHI TODAY
Unlike most cities of the West, the spatial growth of

Indian cities have been polynucleated and

multifunctional processes.
Delhi today is an amalgam of historical and
modern, traditional and contemporary.
Three distinct cityscapes dominate the metropolis:
1)The walled city of Shahjahanabadtraditional
organic housing replaced by apartment blocks.
2)New Delhi- The Anglo-Indian Rome of Sir
Edwin Lutyens (last phase of British Raj).
3)The Post independence Master plan Delhi
and currently growing areas.

References
Books:
David Gordon (2006) Planning Twentieth Century Capital Cities, : Routledge.
Robert Byron (1997) New Delhi, New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
Lucy Peck (n.d.) Delhi: a thousand years of building.
Websites:
ARCHITECTURE OF DELHI - Delhi-city in conflict. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://delhi-architecture.weebly.com/delhi-city-in-conflict.html. [Accessed 12 October
2013].

Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi Design of Delhi: Edwin Lutyens. 2013. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://sites.asiasociety.org/princesandpainters/design-of-delhi-edwinlutyens/. [Accessed 11 October 2013].

Changing Image of Lutyens Delhi | Archinomy. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi.
[Accessed 12 October 2013].

New Delhi. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://archnet.org/library/places/oneplace.jsp?place_id=2722&order_by=title&showdescription=1. [Accessed 15 October

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