AHMEDABAD: The River and the City

3rd December 2008

DELHI

GANDHINAGAR

INDIA
AHMEDABAD MUMBAI

AHMEDABAD AHMEDABAD RAJKOT VADODARA

SURAT

LATITUDE CLIMATE SOIL TYPE

: 23O4 N : HOT AND DRY TYPE : BROWN SANDY & CLAYEY

*Source: Google Earth website

LONGITUDE : 72O34 E

VEGETATION : DRY DECIDUOUS TYPE

Location and General Ahmedabad Information City Region

MAIN CATCHMENT AREA OF SABARMATI RIVER

ARAVALI HILLS NEAR UDAIPUR MAIN CATCHMENT AREA OF SABARMATI RIVER

RANN OF KUTCH

TOPOGRAPHY : ROCKY IN EXTREME SOUTH, LEVEL PLAIN RISING TOWARDS NORTH AND EAST GEOLOGY HUMIDITY RAINFALL : COVERED BY RECENT AND SUB-RECENT FORMATIONS : MONSOON MONTHS R.H. 80% ; NON MONSOON MONTHS R.H. 30% : 800mm PER ANNUM
*Source: Google Earth website

TEMPERATURE : MONTHLY MEAN SUMMER-410C ; MONTHLY MEAN WINTER-18.80C

Location and General Ahmedabad City Region Information

The topography of city shows that the land slopes towards South . The slope of the city is 1:750 (approx) The area under water-bodies is 38.54 km approx. 2.96% of the total area. The prime surface water body in Ahmedabad is the river Sabarmati, which flows from North to South and divides the city into two parts; East and West. It is not a perennial river. At Eastern side of the city, two minor rivers cross the region i.e. The Khari river and the Meshwa river. A number of ponds / lakes / water bodies are also present in the city. Due to rapid urbanization some lakes / water bodies have become extinct. About 36 lakes / water bodies have dried up in last 28 years.

LEGEND:

N
0km 2 4 5km 1 3

1m interval
Source: AUDA reports, A.M.C. website

Water Bodies and

Ahmedabad City Region

Every village had its own pond, which was the source of water. Size of pond varied from 20 ha to 80 ha depending on the size of the village. These ponds now remain dry during summer months. Important ponds in Ahmedabad are Kankaria filled with water throughout the year; and Chandola lake which remains dry even in monsoon.

Kankaria Lake

Chandola Lake

VILLAGE SETTELEMENTS WATER BODIES

PLAN SHOWING THE LOCATION OF THE VILLAGES AND THE CITY AS CORRESPONDING TO THE WATER BODIES Source: Unpublished Thesis work Niketa, CEPT student

Relation of Water Bodies Evolution of the City and the City

Topography shapes patterns

Land and Water : Flow, storage, use, waste, reuse cycles. Regulate speed and direction of flow through urban pattern to stabilise water and soil cycles.

Naroda Village

Street Layout, Neighbourhood Limits and Internal Structure affected by topography.

Ahmedabad showing disused mill lands

 The area of city during the period 1411-1770 was 5.3 sq.km. The establishment of the first textile mill in 1861 was a landmark. With expansion of this industry, development began to spill over (beyond city walls) towards the northeast & south-east of walled city, but only on the Eastern side of the river. Construction of Ellis Bridge in 19th century opened up the Western side for urban expansion mainly Residential.

Industrial development Eastern side.

Commercial development Walled City. City extended beyond present municipal limits & crossed limits of AUDA on Western side. After 1982 growth was observed on main transportation routes, where agriculture was predominant.

GROWTH OF AHMEDABAD (1411-2000)

1411 1857 1884 1901 1932 1936 1939 1956 1958

1911

1920
1928

1959
1960 2000

Source: Unpublished Thesis work, CEPT student

Growth of Ahmedabad
Evolution of the City

 The direction of slope is almost parallel along the flow of the river Sabarmati. (NE-SW) A few elevation points tekras are observed in western Ahmedabad. Depression zone is present near the city of Mahemdabad. Open / vacant land occupies an area of 17.23 Sq.km. and is 3.6% of the total area of urban complex.

AUDA BOUNDARY

Regional topography-sheet showing the extend of AUDA boundary.

Source: Thesis work Richa Garg, LA,CEPT student

Ahmedabad City Region

Topographic Sheet and AUDA boundary

The Formative Period: Formal Structure and An Architecture of Community and Individuality

Urban Pattern Topography, Institutions and Neighbourhoods

Many small, definable parts rather than few large ones.

Consistency of structure of parts.

The very large, the very small.

Consolidation, readability,association.

Similarity of sequencing at all scales.

Unit Cluster

Neighbourhood

Locality

City

Smallest scale typologically ordered.

Accretive growth, similarity of patterns.

The Colonial Enterprise

Directness, Simplicity and Frugal Means: A Possible Indian Architecture ?

Civic Statements: A National Style?

The Era of Institution Building: Modernism and Civic Pride

Searching an Authentic Voice

The Speculative Mode: A Disjointed Carnival