Chandigarh : Green City of North India
Since Punjab was divided into two parts, the capital was left in Pakistan therefore Punjab in India required new capital. Le Corbusier was approached by Punjab government and the prime minister of India. Chandigarh was a bold experiment in modern civic design. It was designed at the time when none of the city planning was done in such a systematic geometry.
It has provoked fresh thinking and in fact shown new way of life. Maxwell Fry, Jane Drew and Pierre Jeanneret were also involved in the team of architects. When Le Corbusier assumed control of this project in 1951, however the design of the city had already been devised by the New York firm of Mayer, Whittlesey, and Glass who received a contract for the master plan of Chandigarh in 1950.
Mayer was the first one to get the Chandigarh project. Matthew Nowicki was invited to join the staff assembled to plan Chandigarh. His duties were to take the form of architectural control. Mayer stated that he was trying to create something that really applies to what we have talked about much but which has been at best done in a limited way in Radburn, the greenbelt towns and Baldwin hills. The basic aim, stated Mayer, was a beautiful city. The master plan which Albert Mayer produced for Chandigarh assumes a fan-shaped outline, spreading gently to fill the file the site between the two river beds.
It is one of the best places in India to reside and work. It has huge envelops of green spaces and well developed landscapes. Here is a short power point presentation on Chandigarh which will guide you to the early stages of planning of the city and further explains all the major architectural buildings in the complex.
Source: www.google.com
