Chapter 1:
1.1. Chandigarh – The new Capital
Pakistan and India became independent in August of 1947, after the division with the Punjab Province, which had as a result, India being without capital, as Lahore, the existing at that time capital, became part of Pakistan. The loss of the capital had as a consequence the immediate need of establishment of a new capital (Rüegg, 2010). In March of 1948, the government of India in collaboration with the government of Punjab decided the specific site for the new capital for the state. So, in the late 1949, they invited the American planner Albert Mayer and the architect Matthew Nowicki to prepare a master plan with all the details that were needed for the construction of the new capital (Vikramaditya Prakash, 2002). Their master plan was about a modern and efficient city that was organised into modular sectors with emphasis to the green spaces and curved roads (figure 1). They zone the city in three zones, on top/ north-easterly was the Capitol, where all the governmental buildings were placed, the industrial zone at south-east …show more content…
That attraction was realised when the city started being liveable and was emphasized in 1959 when Nehru said:
‘Many people argue about Chandigarh, some like it, some dislike it. It is totally immaterial, whether you like it or not. It is the biggest thing in India of this kind. That is why I welcome it… because it hits you on the head, because it makes you
1.1. Chandigarh – The new Capital
Pakistan and India became independent in August of 1947, after the division with the Punjab Province, which had as a result, India being without capital, as Lahore, the existing at that time capital, became part of Pakistan. The loss of the capital had as a consequence the immediate need of establishment of a new capital (Rüegg, 2010). In March of 1948, the government of India in collaboration with the government of Punjab decided the specific site for the new capital for the state. So, in the late 1949, they invited the American planner Albert Mayer and the architect Matthew Nowicki to prepare a master plan with all the details that were needed for the construction of the new capital (Vikramaditya Prakash, 2002). Their master plan was about a modern and efficient city that was organised into modular sectors with emphasis to the green spaces and curved roads (figure 1). They zone the city in three zones, on top/ north-easterly was the Capitol, where all the governmental buildings were placed, the industrial zone at south-east …show more content…
That attraction was realised when the city started being liveable and was emphasized in 1959 when Nehru said:
‘Many people argue about Chandigarh, some like it, some dislike it. It is totally immaterial, whether you like it or not. It is the biggest thing in India of this kind. That is why I welcome it… because it hits you on the head, because it makes you