THE PLANNING AND DESIGN OF

LUTYENS DELHI

Image Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/12/29/delhi-journal-the-

Location and
climatology

Sarai rohillaNizamudin station

New Delhi station

Five national
highways-NH1,NH-2,NH-8 NH10 and NH-24
converge in Delhi.
There are eight
rail transport
corridors that
carry 350
passenger trains
and 40 goods
trains to and from
three railway
stations in Delhi
every day.
The railways
stations are
New Delhi
station,Nizamudin
station and Sarai
Rohilla station.

Delhi Metro Map

The network consist of

six lanes
With a total length of
153 kms
An 130 stations out of
which 30 are
underground

STATUS OF URBANIZATION IN DELHI

Census

Pop.

1901

405,819

1911

413,851

2.0%

1921

488,452

18.0%

1931

636,246

30.3%

1941

917,939

44.3%

1951

1,744,072

90.0%

1961

2,658,612

52.4%

1971

4,065,698

52.9%

1981

6,220,406

53.0%

1991

9,420,644

51.4%

2001

13,782,976

46.3%

2011

16,753,235

21.6%

*Population
Growth of
Delhi

The urban area in Delhi territory has increased from 22% in

1961 to 21.6% of the total area in 2011

POPULATION GROWTH

18000000

16000000

14000000

12000000

10000000

Pop.
Census

8000000

6000000

4000000

2000000

0
1901

1911

1921

1931

1941

1951

1961

1971

1981

1991

2001

2011

The urban area in Delhi territory has increased from 22% in

1961 to 21.6% of the total area in 2011

MASTER PLAN-STAGE 1

The First Master Plan for

Delhi, 1961-81, was
published by DDA in
1962,
envisaged
development of urban
area of 448sqkm by
1981, catering to an
urban population of 4.6

MASTER PLAN-STAGE 2

To
accomodate
the
12.2
million
urban
population by the year
2001,
the
Second
Master Plan envisaged
expanding the urban

MASTER PLAN-STAGE 3

Third Master Plan of Delhi, projected

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

PERCENTAGE OF LAND USE IN DELHI

Open space

Recreational

Market

According to 2011 census of India

GENDER RATIO IN DELHI
TOTAL MALE POPULATION

46%

Sex Ratio in Delhi

TOTAL FEMALE POPULATION

54%

866 females per 1000

males

Delhi Literacy Rate 2011

Literacy rates in Delhi has
seen upward trend and is
86.21 percent as per 2011
population census. Of that,
male literacy stands at 90.94
percent while female literacy
is at 68.85 percent. In 2001,
literacy rate in Delhi stood at
81.67 percent of which male
and female were 87.33
percent and 75.24 percent
literate respectively.
In actual numbers, total
literates in Delhi stands at
12,737,767 of which males
were 7,194,856 and
females were 5,542,911.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Annual growth in nominal

Union
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
GDP
territ
ory
Delhi

15.78

15.20

17.49

*figures are in crores

17.26

Growth in GDP per

Union
2006- 2007- 208-9 2009capita
territ
ory

Delhi

78741

89212

*figures are in

10138
rupees
1

18.18

10

201011

11688
6

13581
4

Water resource
Delhi Jal Board is responsible for procurement
and treatment of allocated raw water to Delhi
In the area of Municipal Corporation of Delhi,
Delhi Jal Board is responsible for supply of
drinking water with its own trunk, peripheral
and distribution network.
The geographical locations of raw water
resources have tempted to plan for
construction of all Water Treatment Plants in
the North-West and North-East parts of the
National Capital.

Economy of Delhi

Economy of Delhihas
shown tremendous
growth over the past few
years. Delhi has a strong
and vibrant economy
which is quite vivid from
its Gross Domestic
Product. According
toeconomic survey of
Delhi- 2000-2001,
Delhi's GDP was 478
billion INR and per
capita income of
38,860 from
INR.the
The annual
Taking out some excerpts
economic
growth
rate of
economic survey of
Delhi, the
tertiary
was 9.9%.
sector contributedDelhi
to 78.4%
of Delhi's
GDP with secondary and primary
sectors contributing 20.2% and

Tertiary sector
The tertiary sectorbasically comprises of
service sectors liketrade, real estate,
hotels,restaurants, financing, banking,
insurance, businessservicesand other
service centered industries. The
contribution from this particular industry
increased from 70.47% in 1993-94 to
78.39% for the year 2000-2001.
Delhi State Industrial Development
Corporation constructed 446 Industrial
sheds under SFC scheme which comes
under Delhi's Master Plan. These are:
Okhla Computer Complex (Computer
related)
Rohtak Road Indl. Complex (General)
Kirti Nagar Packing Complex (Timber
related & Packing)
Mangolpuri Engg. Complex (Light Engg.)
DSIDC has in place all the infrastructure.

Solid Waste Management

Urban solid waste is normally a complex mixture of household,
construction,
commercial, toxic industrial elements and hospital wastes. On an
average, Delhi
generates 4000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. A
physical analysis reveals that it consists of about 32%
compostable matter. The recyclable components include paper
Three
municipal
bodies
the Municipal
Corporation
6.6%,
plastics
1.5%
and-metals
2.5%. Primarily
the of
Delhi (MCD),
the waste
New management is vested upon several
responsibility
of solid
Delhi sector
Municipal
Council (NDMC) and the Delhi
public
agencies
Cantonment Board (DCB), are
The sewerage also carries industrial effluents through
responsible for solid waste management in Delhi.
the same drainage network.

Environmental Issues

Garbage dump
Overpopulation and the ensuing
overuse of scarce resources such as
water put heavy pressure on the
environment.
The city suffers from air pollution
caused by road dust and industry,
with comparatively smaller
contributions from unclean engines in
transportation, especially dieselpowered city buses and trucks, and 2wheelers and 3-wheelers with two-

Environmental Problems in Delhi,

India are a threat to the well-being of the
city's and area's inhabitants as well as the
flora and fauna. Delhi, theeighth most
populated metropolis in the world, is one
of the most heavily polluted cities in
India,having for instance one of the
country's highest volumes ofparticulate
matter pollution.
Noise pollution comes mainly from
motorcycle and automobile traffic.
Water pollution and a lack of solid waste
treatment facilities have caused serious
damage to the river on whose banks Delhi
grew, theYamuna.

Lutyens Delhi
In order to understand the vision of Lutyens Delhi, it is imperative to know
its history and why the site was chosen.

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
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 of
Rome, Paris and Washington
to study and apply to Delhi.

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

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

Lutyens Delhi - Zoning

GOVERNME
NT
COMPLEX
BUNGLOW
ZONE
COMMERCI
AL
DISTRICT

Intentions of the Layout:

Lutyens Delhi was planned on the most spacious garden city lines
with the great avenues decorated with classical buildings with lush
landscape.

The layout of Lutyens Delhi was

governed by three major visual
corridors, linking the government
complex with :
Jama Masjid
Indraprastha
Safdarjungs Tomb

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 and axes.
2. Lutyens plan is also
remarkable
for the generous green
spaces,
lawns, watercourses,
flower and
fruit-bearing trees,
and their
integration with
the parks developed
around
monuments.
3. The attempt was to
include all
natural and historical
wonders in
Image Source: http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/downloads/townplaning.pdf the new city.

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 diagonals
and radials, at 30
degree/ 60 degree
angles to the main axis,
forming triangles and
hexagons.

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

GOVERNMENT
COMPLEX

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

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

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

SKYLINE LUTYENS DELHI

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

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 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

1911 Foundation stone for New Delhi

at Delhi Darbar
On December 15, 1911, King George V and Queen Mary laid
the foundation stone for New Delhi, at a Darbar under a
purposely built Shah Jahani dome. The message was clear:
the British were the legitimate successors of the
Mughals and their new capital was intended to express the
power of the Raj,just as Shah Jahans capital had expressed
the authority of the Mughals.

Image Source: http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/publications/uploads_diary_files/491816November112011_IIC

%20Occasional%20Publication%2032&33.pdf

The Rashtrapati
Lutyen's
grandiose Government House (Rashtrapati Bhawan) Bhawan

located on Raisina Hill, and one of New Delhi's major thoroughfares,

Rajpath, connects it to the Purana Qila

Lord Hardinge 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
Image 1
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
Image 2
Mantar in the foreground
Image 2
could
be Image
viewed
from the
Source (Image
1 and
2): http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/rashtrapati-bhavan-trip/

The Secretariat

The Secretariat Building was designed

by architectHerbert BakerinIndoSaracenic Revival architecture.
Much of the building is in classical
architectural style, yet it
incorporatedMughalandRajasthan
i architecturestyle and motifs in its
architecture.
Image 1
These are visible in the use ofJali.
Another feature of the building is a
The style
of architecture
dome-like structure
known
as
used in Secretariat
theChatri.
Building is unique to
Raisina Hill. In front of
the main gates on
buildings are the four
"dominion columns",
given by Canada,
Australia, New Zealand
Image 2
Image 3
and South Africa.
Image Source (Image 1 and Image 2): http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/secratariat-buildingtrip/

India gate:
The Gate is built as a special
memorandum for all the soldiers who
belongs to Indian Army and to all those
who have given their lives fighting for
the protection of their country. It is
considered that approximately 90,000
and more soldiers names have been
encrypted over the walls of India gate
which is a special thing in itself.
The explicit india gate architecture
explains you that there is a huge path
which is also known by the name of
Rajpath at the end of which is
constructed a 42 meters high India Gate
that was previously known by the name
of All India War Memorial. The designing
of India Gate was done by famous
architect Sir Edwin Lutyen.
Standing behind the gate is an empty
canopy made out of sandstone, also
designed by Lutyens, and inspired by a

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.
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 Shahjahanabad- traditional
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.

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
Delhi.
This
negligence of the
Image
Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Lut
planners towards Old Delhi

yens'_projected_Imperial_Delhi,_from_the_Encyclop

"There are several components

of the CP redevelopment plan building subways, restoring the
faade and digging a tunnel in
the middle circle

We oppose the construction of

any new subways inConnaught
Placeand propose the
construction of signalized
pedestrian and bicycle crossings
propose the re-routing of DTC
buses to the Central Metro
Station, introduction of ecofriendly streetcars that could
connect all destinations in CP to
the two Metro Stations, besides
adding further iconic value to

Separating the pedestrian and public

transport user to a different grade
ensures that traffic on Outer Circle
will start movingeven fasterin
turn discouraging pedestrian and
public transport activity and in a
Connaught Placeneeds wide, evenshort time, creating even more
surfaced, continuous pavements,
severe congestion as the flyovers
hawker zones along pavements,
of the city have already done.
at-grade pedestrian
Moreover, we have already seen in
crossings,the provision of sun
Delhi that subways are not safe and
shade for the public on the
do not get used; And especially in
street, new cycleand NMV lanes
Connaught Place, where people
and a concentric streetcar/
actuallydesire to walk at grade to
feeder system - to connect to the
enjoythe experience of the
Metro stops to-from all
historic city centre at all times.
destinations
In cities of the world that have been
used to large volumes of traffic,
subways are now being removed due
to the above factors, including
thehigh costs of maintenance,

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

2013].