Chandigarh is Independent India’s most celebrated urban planning experiment. But is the city in some kind of a dream it refuses to wake up from? Ar. Jit Kumar Gupta answers.
The E-Book: ‘The Making and Unmaking of Chandigarh: A city of Two Plans’ is available at: [ Ссылка ]
Ar. Jit Kumar Gupta answers the following questions:
1. Can you tell us about the background of the genesis of Chandigarh? As in how it was the phoenix that was arisen from the ashes of partition and all the related grief and distress.
2. In your book:' Making and Unmaking of Chandigarh: A city of two plans' you mentioned that despite its relation to crisis, Chandigarh became the role model for city planning and management. Do you agree that Chandigarh as of today still retains this title of being a role model?
3. You say in your book that we are doing 'great injustice by forgetting the valuable contribution made by Albert Mayer and Mathew Nowicki' can you tell us, what was their important contribution which makes Chandigarh a city of two plans and not one?
4. In the foreword written by Ar, Habeeb Khan, he says that, unlike Chandigarh, did not follow the Chandigarh Model, Is he right in saying that Chandigarh failed to set any precedents for the future in India?
5. Chandigarh was an enprecedented step, villages were razed down, people were relocated, but the city finally took shape. How was the political scene at that time? How could the politicians at that time manage to pacify the people, as it is something they find very difficult today?
6. Do you feel in some way that Le Corbusier got an unfair amount of attention and credit for Chandigarh? Who were the others who really worked hard to make Chandigarh a reality, but remain unsung?
7. A question related to politics, but largely related to Chandigarh. Do you think Chandigarh as an independent city, without much industry and resources, can survive in the long term without being assigned to Either Haryana and Punjab as their capital? Or should it remain independent?
8. In the Foreword, The Chief Architect Kapil Sethia says that Chandigarh was built as a finite city, but you in the book say that No City is finite. What do you think is the future of Chandigarh's expansion in the absence of a De Facto Peripheral Control.
9. Chandigarh remains as a low height city, but being rapidly surrounded by High rise where all the business is eventually shifting. Do you think Chandigarh is refusing to wake up from a dream, it appears to be in? Can solutions like multi basements, as rolled out, do any good?
10. What is your message to the viewers?
