TOWN PLANNING

LECTURE - 1

AR. ANNUJJ SETH 18/08/2021 1

CONTENTS :-

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT

HISTORY OF TOWN PLANNING
URBAN PLANNING IN INDIA
TOWN PLANNING IN ANCIENT INDIA
INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
CHANAKYA’S ARTHSHASTRA
ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFICATION
MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES

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INTRODUCTION

Cities are probably the most complex things that human

beings have ever
created.

• T h e y a r e t h e w e l l s p r i n g s o f c u l t u r e , t e c h n o l o g y, w e a l t h a n d
power. People have a love-hate relationship with cities.

• We are torn between our needs for community and privacy and the
conflicting attractions of urban and rural life.

• Urban Planning can be defined as the design and regulation of the uses of
space that focus on the physical form, economic functions, and social
impacts of the urban environment and on the location of different activities
within it.
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HISTORY OF TOWN PLANNING

City planning has always been one of major concern since times
immemorial.

Evidence of planning has been unearthed in the ruins of various primitve

cities of China, India, Egypt, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean world, and
South and Central America.

Early examples of efforts towards planned urban development include:-

orderly street systems that are rectilinear and sometimes radial
division of a city into specialized functional quarters ;
development of commanding central sites for palaces temples and
civic buildings ;
advanced systems of fortification, water supply, and drainage.

Most of the evidence is in smaller cities that were built in comparatively

short periods as colonies.
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TOWN PLANNING IN ANCIENT INDIA

The planning of towns, cities and villages was done on a scientific footing in
India even in Vedic times.

Some of the principles and theories of town planning are contained in the
literature of ancient times such as Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda,
Puranas, Samhitas, Shilpa Shastras, Niti Shastras, Smriti Shastras etc.
It is quite clear that the principles underlying the planning of an ancient
Indian village more or less resembled those of the modern garden
cities.
The profession of a town planner possessed a high social status in the
ancient times.

A typical Indian town consisted of market, streets, public buildings,

residences for citizens, temples, royal palace, recreation centres, sheds
for drinking water, pleasure gardens, tanks, reservoirs, underground
passages, city forts etc.
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INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
• Also referred as Harappan Civilization and Saraswati Civilization.
• Located between Indus river and the Ghaggar Hakra river

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TOWN PLANNING CONCEPT -PRIMITIVE INDIAN CITIES

Sophisticated & advanced urban culture

Streets in perfect grid patterns in both Mohenjodoro & Harappa
World’s first sanitation system:- Individual wells and separate covered drains along
the street.
Houses opened to inner courtyards & smaller Lanes
Impressive dockyards, graneries, warehouses,Brick
platforms & protective walls
Massive citadels protected the city from floods & attackers
City dwellers – traders & artisans
All the houses had access to water & drainage facilities

DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES
CLASSIFICATION OF TOWNS :
Small villages / hamlets – 0 – 10 hectares Large
Towns – 10- 50 hectares
Cities – 50 hectares

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MAJOR PRIMITIVE CITIES:-

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MOHENJO DARO SETTLEMENT
DIVISIONS

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MOHENJO DARO – SETTLEMENT
DIVISIONS
• NO FORTIFICATION

• MAJOR STREETS IN NORTH

SOUTH DIRECTION

• INTERSECTION AT RIGHT
ANGLES

• STREETS WITHIN BUILT UP

AREAS WERE NARROW

• DISTINCT ZONING FOR

DIFFERENT GROUPS

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TOWN PLANNING FEATURES:-

CITADEL MOUND AND LOWER TOWN SURROUNDED BY A MASSIVE BRICK

WALL.

CITADEL HAD SQUARE TOWERS AND BASTIONS.

LARGE OPEN AREAS INSIDE THE GATEWAY MAY HAVE BEEN USED AS A
MARKET OR CHECKPOINT FOR TAXING GOODS COMING INTO THE
CITY OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS A CLUSTER OF HOUSES MAY REPRESENT

TEMPORARY REST STOPS FOR TRAVELLERS AND CARAVANS

NO DIVISION OF THE SOCIETY IS REFLECTED IN THE LAYOUT OF THE CITY.
SINCE LARGE PUBLIC BUILDINGS, MARKET AREAS, LARGE AND SMALL
HOUSES AS WELL AS CRAFT WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE SAME
NEIGHBOURHOOD.

BARRACK-LIKE GROUP OF SINGLE-ROOMED TENEMENTS WERE FOR THE

POORER CLASSES
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EXTRACTS FROM CHANAKYA’S ARTHASHASTRA :-

Some interesting extracts relating to Town and Country planning in Arthashastra

composed by Chanakya in the Maurya period is given below:

A city should be located in the central part of a country so as to facilitate trade

and commerce.

The site selected for the purpose of this city should be quite large in area, and on
the banks of a river, or by the side of an artificial or natural lake, which never goes
dry. Its shape should be circular, rectangular or square as would suit the topography.

There should be water on all sides. Separate areas should be provided for
marketing different goods.

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EXTRACTS FROM CHANAKYA’S ARTHASHASTRA :-

There should be a wall around the town, which should be six dandas high and
twelve dandas wide.

Beyond this wall there should be three moats of 14 feet, 12 feet and 10 feet
wide to be constructed four arm-lengths apart.

The depth should be three-fourth of width. Three-east west and three North –
south roads, should divide the town. The main roads should be eight dandas
wide and other roads four dandas wide.

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFACTION:-

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URBAN PLANNING IN INDIA

India has characteristically drifted with history, rising periodically to

accomplish great things.

In no field has this been truer than in town planning.

From prehistoric Mohenjo Daro, to the imperial city of New Delhi, to

Corbusier's Chandigarh, India has pioneered in town building.

INDIA HAS PIONEERED ??????

The technique of diagnostic survey, commonplace in planning practice

today, is the somewhat belated result of Patrick Geddes' work in India
four decades ago:

The City Improvement Trusts in existence since the 1800's are models
of their kind

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URBAN PLANNING IN INDIA

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URBAN PLANNING IN INDIA

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MISCELLANEOUS EXEMPLARIES

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MISCELLANEOUS EXEMPLARIES

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Critical Appraisal on :- Quest for ideal utopia : BOOK – URBAN
PATTERN : Simon, Galion

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BIBLIOGRAPHY :

1. ANCIENT BUILDING MATERIALS IN INDIA – SATISH CHANDRA

2.DELHI – A THOUSAND YEARS OF BUILDING – LUCY PECK (INTACH
PUBLICATIONS)
3. VASTU FOR A CHANGING WORLD – A. K. JAIN
4. STONES IN THE SAND – GILES TILLOTSON
5. JAISALMER – ARCHITECTURE OF A DESERT TOWN
6. NATURAL COOLING SYSTEMS OF JAISALMER – VINOD GUPTA (ASST. PROF.
SPA, DELHI)
7. URBAN PLANNING : THEORY AND PRACTICE – M. PRATAP RAO

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FOR FURTHER READING IF INTERESTED