A

URBAN DESIGN R
8
7
0
UNIT I : URBANISM IN HISTORY 2

Ar Prof Mani Sasidharan

Resubmitted – Prof Niveditha V
[email protected]
+919551416510
• Outline of forces shaping urbanism.

• Urbanism of river valley civilisations.

• Morphology of pre industrial European

cities to include Greek and Roman
cities, medieval European towns,
Renaissance urbanism and ideal cities.

• Outline of historic cities of India.

CONTENT
• Temple town urbanism of Tamil Nadu.

• Mughal city form.

• Medieval cities of India.

• Colonial urbanism in India.

Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants
of urban areas, such as towns and cities,
interact with the built environment.

Urbanization refers to growth of urban

population, in relation to rural population

Urban design is the process of GENERAL TERMS:

designing and shaping the physical
features of cities, towns, and villages
and planning for the provision of
municipal services to residents and
visitors.
Urban Agglomeration is a continuous
urban spread constituting a town and its
adjoining urban outgrowths (OGs) or two
or more physically contiguous towns
together and any adjoining urban
outgrowths of such towns.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN URBANISM AND URBAN DESIGN

URBANISM URBAN DESIGN

 Urbanism is a lens through  Urban design on the other

which to view and interpret hand, moves beyond the
the city study of space; it is the
practice of actively
 Urbanism attempt to shaping the city in a
understand how economic, desired fashion.
political, social, ecological
and cultural characteristics  Urban designers improve
of place affect urban form the livability of cities by
and social life. (eg: New translating plans into
Urbanism, landscape, physical strategies,
ecological, sustainable establishing design.
urbanism etc.).
 Designing the space
 Urbanism is a combination of between buildings, and
urban planning, design, arranging public spaces,
architecture, and sociology. streets, blocks,
neighborhoods and
infrastructure in a logical
and meaningful way.
Urbanism of river valley civilizations

 Mesopotamian civilization –
3500 BC to 1600 BC
 Egyptian civilization – 3000
BC to 2000 BC
 Indus valley civilization –
2500 BC TO 1700 BC
 Chinese or yellow river valley
civilization – 3950 BC – 1000
BC

Fig: M a p showing the location of 4 river valley

civilization.

Mesopotamian civilization is the most ancient civilization recorded in human

history until now. The name Mesopotamia derived from Greek word mesos,
meaning middle and potamos, meaning river. The civilization Flourished along
River Tigris and River Euphrates is majorly known for is prosperity, city life and
its rich and voluminous literature, mathematics and astronomy
Character of the mesopatomia cities
Walled city
hot, dry climate.
Formed governments
Leaders took charge of food, supplies & building projects
Made laws to keep order
Assembled armies to fend off enemies
Irrigated 3 main crops – Barley, Dates and Sesame seeds.
Water managed by built canals, dikes, dams and drainage
system.
Literature: Cuneiform writing
Invensions: Calendars to tell time, early use of wheel, plow &
sailboat.
Trading: Barley, wool, cloth, stone, metal, copper, timber,
pearls and ivory.
Land reforms: Individual can only rent land from priests and
the profits goes for temple
Ziggurats are largest temple built in these ages.
Construction technique: They mixed the mud with crushed
reeds, formed bricks & left them in the sun to dry.The bricks
were waterproof and used for walls in homes, temples & other
buildings.
Occupation: Farming, artisans, merchants or traders
 Social classes: 1. Upper Class: kings, priests & government
officials2. Middle
Class: artisans, merchants, farmers, fishers3. Lower Class:
enslaved people who worked on farms or in temples
Egyptian civilization – 3000 BC to 2000
BC

They were many specialized cities such as those based on trade. Others, for
example, were made up of artisans, craftsmen and workers related to various
royal projects. Important Cities includes Amarna (Akhetaten) , Maadi,
Memphis, Thebes.
CHARACTER
 The economy of pharaonic Egypt is specialized bureaucracy.

 The wealth of the economy: Agriculture: Grain, vegetables & fruit., Wheat,
Beer, Wine, flax and hemp, papyrus were cultivated, Bricks, oil were
manufactured and Rocks, metals, salt were mined locally in Egypt.,
Rearing of cattle, goats, pigs and fowl, in addition to fishing. Tax levied on
the goods increased the income.

 Divine Kingship- Pharaoh was not only the King (political ruler) but also a
god. The Pharaoh was associated with Horus. Due to their beliefs, the
Pharaoh held an immense power. Belief led to the development of
elaborate mortuary cult and extensive funerary architecture.

 BUILDING MATERIALS MUD BRICKS: Mixture of mud, straws and stones,

Poured in wooden frames or shaped into bricks, left to harden in the sun
and also used LIMESTONE: Grades of limestone from the core to the
exterior, Later the limestone was cut in small blocks deducing the time of
transportation and labour. BASALT is used for flooring and GRANITE is
used for monolithic obelisk, used on inner walls.

 SETTLEMENT PATTERNS: Most cities grew organically around

administration, the clustering of facilities, an important religious center or
construction site. Only few of the cities were planed and organized.
Planned cities were created as tributes by the Pharaoh to the Gods or as
monuments to their greatness .
Indus valley civilization – 2500 BC TO 1700 BC
Fig: Mohenjo Daro city layout

Indus valley Civilization: The Indus Valley Civilisation was a

Bronze Age civilisation in the north-western regions of South
Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its
 Fig: Street layout and built-infrastructure found in Mohenjo
Daro
mature form from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. This civilization consists of large
towns and small settlements namely Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Pathani Damb,
Dholavira, Lothal etc. Among them Harrappa and Mohenja-daro are the most
important settlement
Mohenjo Daro City Planning:
 It is a fort free city constructed into two parts: Upper citadel and lower
citadel.

 Upper citadel consists of public and semi-public buildings such as palace,

institution, great bath, gallery etc.

 Lower citadel consists of residential and commercial activity.

Street laid in Grid pattern.

 Major Street run in N-S direction. Zoning was distinct for distinct groups,
commerce at the meeting of east road and First Street, near palace.
 Planned with rectilinear buildings arranged on a grid plan. Sites were often
raised, or built on manmade hills.

 Excellent planning of drainage and sanitation system.

 Wells and reservoir provides drinking and bathing water needs.

 Courtyard type of houses with ground and first floor.

 Few residence share same wall forming row of houses.

 Economy generated through Agriculture, making seal, trade and commerce

 CHARACTERS OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION:

Place of worship and seat of Government became

the main focal point of settlement planning.

Highly influenced by caste system, social and

occupational structure.

Social security is given priority – Town gates are

Fig: Public amenity in Mohen-dojaro and
located and oriented based on cardinal direction.
Harappa Layout

In ancient period the planning of villages and

towns are similar and the habitat is more close to
nature.

Towns are furnished with better facility than

village with public amenity and institutions.
They also had few criteria for choosing land for
development. Based on ground fitness, color and
texture of soil, smell, taste of water, shape of
geographical land,
Morphology of pre-industrial European cities Greek and Roman cities

Pre-industrial refers to a time before there were machines and tools to help
perform tasks en masse. Pre-industrial civilization dates back to centuries ago,
but the main era known as the pre-industrial society occurred right before the
industrial society. Pre-Industrial societies vary from region to region depending
on the culture of a given area or history of social and political life. Europe was
known for its feudal system and the Italian Renaissance.
Greek and Roman cities
Western civilization and Western cities trace their roots to ancient Greece. By
600 B.C., over five hundred towns and cities existed on the Greek mainland and
surrounding islands . With expansion, cities spread throughout the Mediterranean
— to the north shore of Africa, to Spain, southern France, and Italy. Cities rarely
had more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Greek civilization occurred in the area around the Greek mainland, on a peninsula
that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. It started in cities on the Greek
mainland and on islands in the Aegean Sea.

Most of the Greek mainland was rocky and barren and therefore bad for
agriculture. Most Greeks therefore lived along the coastline or on islands where
the soil was good for farming. The Aegean and Mediterranean Seas provided a
means of communication and trade with other places.
 The ancient Greek civilization had established principles for planning and designing
cities. City form were of two types: Old cities such as Athens had irregular street
plans reflecting their gradual organic development. Certain things were common
among cities: The overall division of spaces in 3 parts: acropolis, agora and the
town, the fortification etc.

Earliest versions of the Buildings in the Acropolis existed until 480 BC and was
rebuilt in 450 BC. The Agora was the most important gathering place in a Greek city.
It started as an open area where the council of the city met to take decisions. With
time buildings were constructed to define and enclose the space It also transformed
into a place for combined social, commercial and political activities.

It was placed to be easily accessible from all directions. In many cities, it is also
located close to the Acropolis.
The Greek Polis Site and Culture
 Source of Greek Creativity.  No floods.
 Each citizen was expected to  Abundant and diverse resources.
participate in the polis.(political life,  Fish, grain, grapes, olives, chestnuts,
economic relation , spiritual worship , figs.
social events ).  Many isolated valleys and islands
 Self governing city. (natural barriers)
 Not large cities.  Sea
 Plato thought ideal city should have  Isolation meant greater security, so
5,000 citizen. power took a less aggressive formboth
 The acropolis in Athens
was a religious precinct
located on one of the hills
of the city.

The acropolis combined

Doric orders and ionic
orders in a perfect
composition in four
buildings; the Propylea,
the Parthenon, the
Erechtheumn, and the
temple of Nike.

.
The Agora was the most important
gathering place in a Greek city. It
started as an open area where the
council of the city met to take
decisions.

With time buildings were constructed

to define and enclose the space It
also transformed into a place for
It emerged as the heart of Greek intellectual life and discourse. It was usually
located on a flat ground for ease of communication. It was placed to be easily
accessible from all directions. In many cities, it is also located close to the
Acropolis.
Roman cities
Romans adopted many urban traits from the Greeks and the Etruscans, whom the
Romans had conquered and absorbed in northern Italy. As the empire expanded,
city life diffused into areas that had not previously experienced urbanization
France, Germany, England, interior Spain, the Alpine countries, and parts of
eastern Europe As the empire expanded, city life diffused into areas that had not
previously experienced urbanization.
• Most cities were established as military (castra) and trading outposts.
• Focal points for collection of local agricultural products. Supply centers for the
military.
• Gridiron street pattern was used in later Greek cities — example of Pavia, Italy.
• Temples of worship, administrative buildings and warehouses. Also libraries,
schools, and marketplaces serving the common people.
• Bordered by everything important: temples, offices, jails, butcher shops. Public
processions and ceremonies took place there. For a mainly pedestrian
population, the surrounding colonnade was a very important urban design
feature
Roman Cities- Coliseum < colossus < colossus (something extremely huge).
Altered in English to ―coliseum‖, held between 60,000 and 90,000. Dwarfed by the
―Circus Maximums‖ (lost). Over a mile of plumbing pipes supplied public drinking
fountains and lavatories. Was used by the Romans for everything from naval
competitions to gladiatorial competitions Was used in the Middle Ages as a living
space, grazing space, and fortress.

Roman Cities- Public baths, Pompeii. Romans took public bathing to an extreme:
hot, cold, and lukewarm pools, places to get a massage or work out, even reading
rooms. Temples built on the Greek model, with prominent colonnades.

In A.D. 79, the nearby Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted. It spewed smoke and toxic
gas 20 miles into the air, which soon spread to the town. Almost overnight, Pompeii
—and many of its 10,000 residents—vanished under a blanket of ash.
Medieval European town:

Medieval period lasted roughly from A.D. 1000 to 1500. Time of renewed urban
expansion in Europe and Urban life spread north and east in Europe.

In only four centuries, 2,500 new German ―cities were founded. Most cities of
present-day Europe were founded during this period Revival of local and long-
distance trade resulted from a combination of factors.

Agricultural expansion through new land reclamations and New Agricultural

technologies Trading networks required protected markets and supply centers,
functions that renewed life in cities Long- distance trading led to the
development of a new class of people .

The merchant class towns rapidly developed along the coasts of the north, in
France, England, and the Netherlands. They spread out west along the
Mediterranean coast, with Avignon, Barcelona and Granada in Spain taking
prominence.

Medieval towns primarily developed their independence as a result of wealth

being transferred around Europe.

We see the development of great towns and centres of trade and industry along
the English Channel, facilitating the Scandinavian trade in Herring and an Anglo-
Flemish cloth trade, bringing great wealth to their respective countries and thus
power to the burghers who inhabited them.
The city-states of Italy monopolised markets in carriage and eventually in cloth
itself, and with little feudal influence to start with were able to act as self-governing
bodies from the beginning.

Monarchal power and influence certainly developed whichever town they had their
dynastic power base in, and it‘s through this that we see the growth of London and
Paris, though their attraction to merchants is not to be ignore .

Representation of Medieval towns

Medival city paris
Paris, France: has very strong Medieval roots from the churches on its central Cite
island to the tight streets of the Latin Quarter. If this list was for pure Gothic feel,
Paris would rank higher.
Medieval Town Hirsch horn is Neckar, Germany This town reveals three important
features of urban morphology: castle, wall, and cathedral. Hirsch horn castle caps
the summit of a fortified spur in the bend of the Neckar River, affording a clear view.
The river and forested valley. Site factors have also limited expansion forcing
people to build onto the walls.
The major functions of the medieval city are depicted in symbols
The fortress
Usually cities were clustered around a fortified place. Reflected in place
namely German -burg, French -Bourg, English -burgh all meaning a fortified
castle. The terms burgher and bourgeoisie, originally referred to a citizen of the
medieval city The charter.
Governmental decree from a regional power granting political autonomy to the
town Freed the population from feudal restrictions and Made the city responsible
for its own defence and government which Allowed cities to coin their own
money. These freedoms contributed to development of urban social, economic,
and intellectual life.
The marketplace
City depended on the countryside for food and produce was traded in the market.
It has been a Center for long-distance trade linking city to city

The wall
Symbol of the sharp distinction between country and city. Within the wall most
inhabitants were free; outside most were serfs and hence People inside were able
to move about with little restriction. Goods entering the gates were inspected and
taxed here Nonresidents were issued permits for entry, but often required to leave
by sundown when the gates were shut.

Meeting space for city‘s political leaders and Market hail for storage and display of
Town hall and castle
finer goods.
Had two distinct complexes of buildings at it center Formed an enclosed square,
so named the building straddled a canal where goods could be directly brought
directly in from barges. On adjacent edge of marketplace was the great ball that
served as meeting spot for merchant class.
 Renaissance urbanism
Form and function of the city changed significantly during the period of renaissance
(1500 — 1600) and baroque (1600-1800) periods.

The medieval street was functionally inadequate, aesthetically ill- considered, and
lacking in unifying qualities. Such a condition contributed to the multi-centric
quality of the medieval city.

The ideas of the Renaissance planners, coupled with a creative use of power upon
the parts of leaders of church and state, brought a reconstruction which gave a
form of unity to cities of multiple powers, and gave to the citizen a visible
understanding of his position within the hierarchy of power of the city.
Church and
State
The interplay of church and rising state powers during the Renaissance served
to vastly alter the social structure of the Italian city. The importance of the citizen
declined markedly, and with it a citizen‘s influence upon the scope and scale of
theory and planning for the public spaces which the citizen used.
 This disruption of traditional functions within pre-existing urban public spaces
did, however, have the utility of easing acceptance of their functions, and the
resettlement of activities into proper locations within the new pattern.
The churches and palaces, as representations of the real power of the
Renaissance city, the real focus of the major activities of the citizen‘s lives, were
logical focal points toward which to orient the new street systems. The cities of
Parma, Ferrara, Turino, Florence, and Rome in Northern and Central Italy, and the
cities of Naples and Catania in Southern Italy and Sicily serve as useful examples of
the actual interpretation of Renaissance street planning concepts and necessities.
Ferrara
In 1492, the city of Ferrara successfully resisted an attack by Venice. A need to
reinforce the city against further attacks was seen, with the necessary
requirements to fulfill of building new walls and brining essential industries into
the safety of the city.

The addition to the city, the ―Addizione Erculea, was planned by Biagio
Rossetti, who was considered to be the first urban planner of modern Europe.
.

Rossetti was motivated by the classical gridiron city plans of Hippodemeous,

and by the economy of construction provided by the quadrangular form.

Thus, he introduced two axial cross streets as the main roads of the new
Fig: Fe rra ra , Ita ly
The centralizing point of the juncture was the old fortress in the center of the wall,
thus reinforcing its symbolic position as the force which made the new addition to
the city possible.

The city of Ferrara secretly purchased much of the rural land which was to
be included within the new walls before announcing its expansion plans. In such a
way, real estate speculation was prevented to a great degree, and a more correct
implementation of the plan was relatively well assured.

The city of Ferrara secretly purchased much of the rural land which was to
be included within the new walls before announcing its expansion plans. In such a
way, real estate speculation was prevented to a great degree, and a more correct
implementation of the plan was relatively well assured.

This action revealed the relatively limited nature of Renaissance renewal

operations, for they were concentrated in the capital cities of independent states
and at the site of other royal residences.

Seldom did conquered cities or other subsidiary cities experience any real efforts
towards a physical fulfillment of the Renaissance city planning ideals.
Turino
The 16th Century change in the economy of Northern Italy, as the importance of
agriculture decreased, combined with a multitude of wars which often rendered
the countryside unsafe, producing a large migration of people into the cities.

At the time, Turino was one of the most economically viable and politically active
cities in all of Italy.

In Turino, as in many other cities, the contemporary idealistic tendency for

centralization of the city, by connecting points of major interest with the street

In Turino, the majority of these major points, the cathedral, ducal palace, theater,
archives, university, seminary, and civic government, were centralized in one small
area on the northern side of the city, the ―Zone of Command. The major eastern
gate of the city was connected.
Turino over the countryside, the street itself was focused upon the castle-like
Palazzo Madama at the Zone of Command. The entry into the city at the
opposite end of the street was created as a very large, completely ordered piazza
serving to funnel all traffic into the street.

The creation of continuity with arcaded facades similar to each other in design
along the principle portions of the street produced an elegant, regal atmosphere.
Altogether, the effect of the two end piazzas

The grand street between them was one of absolute power and dignity, creating a
more worthy setting for the seat of centralized power that Turino had become.
IDEAL CITIES.
An ideal city is the concept of a plan for a city that has been conceived
in accordance with a particular rational or moral objective. The ground
plans of ideal cities are often based on grids (in imitation of Roman
town planning) or other geometrical patterns.

The ideal town was seen as a utopia to be achieved by disregarding

the reasonably regular planimetrics of real, historic towns for
standards – geometric, aesthetic or otherwise – of ideal perfection.

Examples of the ideal cities include

Filarete's "Sforzinda", a description of
which was included in ‗Trattato di
architettura‘ (1465). The city of Sforzinda
was laid out within an eight-pointed star
inscribed within a circular moat. Further
examples may have been intended to
have been read into the so-called "Urbino"
and "Baltimore" panels (second half
of the fifteenth century), which
show classically influenced architecture
disposed in logically planned piazzas.
The cities of Palmanova and Nicosia, whose Venetian Fortesses were built in
the 1590s by the Venetian Republic, are considered to be practical
examples of the concept of the ideal city.

Palmanova is a town and comune in northeast Italy. The town is an example

of a star fort of the late Renaissance, built up by the Venetian Republic in
1593.

Palmanova was supposed to be a utopia. inhabited by self-sustaining

merchants, craftsmen, and farmers. The builders imposed geometrical
harmony into its design believing that beauty reinforces the wellness of a
society. Each road and move was carefully calibrated and each part of the
plan had a reason for being.

Even the fortifications were built with the Utopian concept in mind, with the
outer ramparts looking simply like a forest as the town was approached–
essentially hiding it from potential enemies. This effect is still evident today
in stark contrast to the very visible hill towns common in most other
Late nineteenth-century
regions of Italy. examples of the ideal city include the Garden city
movement of Sir Ebenezer Howard, realised at Letchworth Garden City and
Welwy Garden City in England. Poundbury, Prince Charles architectural
vision established in Dorset, is among the most recent examples of ideal
city planning.
Outline of historic cities of India.
Similar to Vastu-sastra in Architecture, in ancient historical India Manasara shilpa
sastra talks about settlement planning. The list of few other sastras related to
planning is listed below. Even from the ancient age they follow certain principles
to
plan their settlement layout.
SASTRA ASPECT
Sthapatya Veda Layout of a city
Smriti Shastra Street layouts (micro and
macro)
Mansara Shilpa Shastra Gram Vidhana and
Nagara Vidhana
Rig Veda Advanced Vastu Shilpa

In anciend period, different terms are used to define the settlement planning.
Planning for Grama (village) is represented as sannivesa (village planning),
planning for Griha (house) is termed as Vinyasa (House planning), For Nagara
(Town) Sannivasa (Town planning) is used and planning for prasada (Big building)
is represented as Vinyasa. Based on Manasara Shilpa shastra , the town is
classified
into ten types.
MANDUKA PARAMASAYIKA DANDAKA

CHATHUMUKA SARVATHOBHADRA
 SWASTIKA PRASTHARA KARMUKA

Types of settlement seen in ancient period are listed below.

Grama Sannivesa (village
planning)
Griha Vinyasa (house planning)
Nagara Sannivasa (town planning)
Durga Sannivasa (planning of
forts)
Prasada Vinyasa (planning of big
buildings)
The concept followed in ancient town planning is as
follows.
1.Place of worship and seat of Government became the main
focal point of settlement planning.

2.Highly influenced by caste system, social and occupational

structure.

3.Social security is given priority – Town gates are located and

oriented based on cardinal direction.

4.Specific area like markets, Handicrafts, Manufacturing areas,

institutional and recreational facilities was earmarked.

5.In ancient period the planning of villages and towns are

similar and the habitat is more close to nature.

6.Towns are furnished with better facility than village with public
amenity and institutions.
Temple town urbanism of Tamil Nadu.
During hindu period of time, large number of towns flourished as capital towns
and
religious towns. Main principle adopted in planning was to strengthen regional
linkages and Dominant security aspects. The layout of the city is laid and
governed
under the King. During Maurga and Gupta periods, separate urban planning and
development agencies were involved. Few examples of Hindu period town
planning
Urban Inis Srirangam
Madurai, Srirangam, Kanchipuram, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram etc.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a

form of Vishnu), located in Srirangam , Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

Constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified

by Alvars in their Naalayira Divya Prabhandam.

and has the unique distinction of being the foremost among the 108 Divya
Desams dedicated to the god Vishnu.

The temple site is on a large island bounded by the Kaveri River and Kollidam
River. It is vast and planned as a temple town with Sapta-Prakaram design where
the sanctum, gopuram, services and living area are co-located in seven
concentric enclosures.
The Srirangam temple is the largest temple compound in India and one of the
largest religious complexes in the world.
Some of these structures have been renovated, expanded and rebuilt over the
centuries as a living temple. The latest addition is the outer tower that is
approximately 73 metres (240 ft) tall, completed in 1987.

Architecture

The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric enclosures with courtyards

(termed prakarams or mathil suvar). Each layer has walls and gopurams, which
were built or fortified in and after the 16th century.

The temple occupies an area of 155 acres (63 ha) with 81 shrines, 21 towers, 39
pavilions, and many water tanks integrated into the complex making it the world's
largest functioning Hindu temple.

These walls total 32,592 feet (9,934 m) or over six miles. The temple has 17
major gopurams (towers, 21 total).

39 pavilions, 50 shrines, 9 sacred water pools, Ayiram kaal mandapam (a hall of

1000 pillars) and several small water bodies inside.

The temple is aligned to the north-south and east-west axis, on an island

surrounded by the Kaveri River. The river has long been considered sacred, and
called the Daksina Ganga or the "Ganges of the South".
The urban pattern is arranged based on community and occupation
pattern.

Fortification: Gopurams are seen as town gates, 4 concentic gateways.

Planning of the Agraharams followed a grid iron or concentric ring patterns,

with
the temple forming the main focus.

 The temple, besides a shrine for the Worship, has generated many activities
which in turn, acted as the dynamic factor determining the physical, socio
cultural and economic Profile of the city.

 Public and semipublic activity such as institutions, temples, Palaces, social

gathering space is planning in the inner core of the city.

 House type: Row house with pitched roof – single or double storey.

 Main activity in the city: trading, cultural festive, education and

administrative function.

 Street pattern: volume and character of the street network change when we
move from periphery to the center of the temple.

 The patterns in which the ramparts are built with roads leads through the
gopuram emphasize the centrality of the temple.
Mughal city form and Medieval cities of India
A large number of kingdoms flourished in the northern Indian region. Great
cities were developed and prospered. Few of the special features of medival town
planning are shown below.

 Persians came to india and flouristed their prosperty in India.

 Mix of Persian and Indian type of planning is observed.
 Religion, military & politics formed the basis of city planning.
 Town planned based on location of Place of worship, Royal Gardens, Baghs
and Bazars.
 Love for symmetry and axial planning.
 Enriched with beauty in the skyline of the town.
 Medieval towns, whether in India or anywhere else, were walled, encircled
by an outside moat. The town resembled ―an island when its gates were
locked at sundown (forts and defence system).
 This age is highly influenced by Muslium, hence also known as muslim period.
The way they used to plan is the combination of Indian style and Arabic (Mughal
style). By Shah Jahan‘s time, the Muslims in India had partially Indianized. Under
the Mughals, they were mainly an urban community, and there life was closely
linked to religious event, as well as to ceremonies and festivals or ritual events
Few examples of Medival period of town planning are Jodhpur, Varanasi,
Shahjahanabad, Jaipur etc.
Planning of Shahjahanabad:
 Planning under the reign of Shah Jahan.

 The city was planned according to hindu planning Karmuka‘ of shilpashastra

from vastu-shastra.

 The Mughal system of planning was based on give and take. Private
enterprise
and individual initiative also became part of planning.

 At the centre of this settlement was Qila-i-Mubarak, the palace-fortress.

 The city was encircled with a 14 walls and forts.

 Jama Masjid was constructed on an elevated site near the fort.

 Two main boulevards cross perpendicularly and the junction of the two main
axes is the most auspicious point in the whole region
Streets were narrow and crooked. Two major streets developed as commercial
arteries.

The arm of the archer was Chandni Chowk.

The junction of the two main axes is the most auspicious point in the whole region
and was therefore the red fort.

Chandni Chowk.
 Notable achievement of the Mughals.

1.26 miles west of agra.

2.A great complex of residential, official and

religious buildings

3.Rectangular area of 2 miles and 1 mile

braod. Habitation lasted only for one
generation.
4.Departed from the conventional idea of
building isolated structures linked together
by streets, due to the limited space.
5.City with no streets, but an arrangement of
broad terraces and stately courtyard around
which are grouped pavilions and palaces

These cities had their own kind of morphology because this morphology was
influenced by both internal and external factors. These cities are to a great extent
influenced by various kinds of trade, internal and external. Different kinds of
mughal cities: Capital cities – Agra, Delhi, Lucknow, Lahore, Fatehpur Sikri
Provincial Head quarters – Cities in Bengal, Ahmadabad in Gujarat. Port towns –
Surat, Hoogly, Cambay. Market towns – developed into bigger cities like
Borhanpur in the Deccan.
Market towns / kasba – These grow simply because of the neighboring
regional situations. These are the towns where the villages combine to
have some kind of a trading centre and they grow because of particular
economic, social or religious reasons.

Religious towns – Example Gaya, Ajmer (incase of the Muslims), Mathura

Vribdavan (in case of the Vaishnavites. There were different kinds of cities
and in Mughal India no city is similar to another except in certain broad
features.
Small Cities along the road sometime coming up or declining
depending of the trade, commerce including political casualties. There is
an movement inside the city, a kind of a winding small road, also covered
with shops, maybe on one side, called Mohallas in Persian. So there is a
static position of the city – the chowk, the street – and this static position
has conflict with the movement inside. It is moving city with political
movement, sometimes, social movement, sometimes festivals but a
movement is always there. In this morphology in which we find one of the
straight, broad avenue and the others cutting across at different angles,
smaller winding lanes going through city there is no class distinction in
residential areas. Mughal Capital Cities: The first Mughal capital city was
established in Delhi in 1526. It was shifted to Agra and then Akbar built
an entirely new city at fatehpur Sikri. Later, under Shahjahan the capital
 Certain basic elements that
was common to these cities:

The location of the king or lord

either on a high ground on one side of
the city or on the river bank.
The second major element was
the mosque – Jama Masjid – the cultural
focal point for the Muslim residents of
the city.
Every city of this period had a
central market place situated at the
main chowk or crossroad of the city.
Another element, though not
universal, was the outer wall
constructed for the purpose of defense.
The cities, with the exception of
Shahjahanabad were unplanned with
overlapping residential, commercial and
industrial land uses. Fatehpur Sikri –
Akpar
Colonial urbanism in India.
In the late 19th century Britian became the most urbanized nation. When
they started to rule India; Calcutta, Bombay and Madras became leading
administrative, commercial and industrial cities. In 1911, the capital of
British India was shifted to Delhi and it became a modern commercial and
administrative area.
The organized efforts for the Town Planning started during British colonial
period in India, which not only provided legal support, but also provided
a guideline for preparing planning proposals.
 Few characters of British period of town planning
(port city) are shown below;
Migration in large quantity to cities in
search of work as industries was
introduced.
No proper planning resulted in Laissez
faire manner of development..
Crowed settlements leading to unhygienic
environment.
British settlements were known as ‗white
towns‘ furnished with wider streets and
palatial halls and gardens
Introduction of railway.
Transportation networks are widening.
Distraction of natural resources.
Formation of white town and black town.
M a p showing colonial settlement in Change in built environment.
Chennai city.
Poor sanitation.

The first efforts of modern town planning in India had originated in 1864 with the
appointment of the Sanitary Commission in these erstwhile presidencies of
Madras, Bombay and Bengal.
 1864 Sanitary Presidencies • Focused on public health.
Commission
• Examine new plans for
barracks and hospitals ;
• Decide on the laying out of
stations and bazaars, the
sanitary improvement of native
towns, prevention and
mitigation of epidemic
diseases,
• Constant oversight on the
sanitary condition of the
population
Trade and colonization happened in hand be hand. The city is
characterise by
 Increased population,
 Change in Architecture and Urban structure.
 Introduction of development commissions, authority and acts to control
the development.
Table: Development commissions, authority and acts during this period

1908 Provided Municipal Government •used these grants for town

-09 funds extensions and town
improvements.
1915 Town Bombay town planning act, 1915 •To providing good physical
Planning Madras town planning act, 1920 environment and
act Madhya Pradesh town concentrating on Area
planning act, 1948 Jammu and Developments.
Kashmir town planning act, 1963 •To prepare town planning
schemes.
1931 Town and Bihar town planning and •Improvement of sanitation
Improve Improvement trust act, 1931 of towns and regulatory
ment trust measures.
acts
Example of pre-independent city: Lutyen‘s
Delhi – Capital city

Example of pre-independent city: Lutyen‘s

Delhi – Capital city
New Delhi - planning
Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi.
Named after the leading British architect Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who
was responsible for much of the architectural design and building when India
was part of the British Empire in the 1920s and 1930s.
City planned central administrative area
Reserved one-third of area - green space.
At the heart of the city was the impressive Rashtrapati Bhawan (Viceroy's
House), located on the top of Raisina Hill.
The Rajpath, also known as King's Way, connects India Gate to Rashtrapati
Bhawan.
Janpath, which crosses it at a right angle, connects South End Road
(renamed as Rajesh Pilot Marg) with Connaught Place.
Rashtrapati Bhavan - 340-rooms in main building that includes president's
official residence, halls, guest rooms and offices, ncludes huge presidential
gardens, large open spaces, residences of bodyguards and staff, stables,
other offices and utilities within its perimeter walls.
Parliament House- Originally called the House of Parliament.
Connaught Place- financial, commercial and business centres, having two
floors, which made almost a complete circle intended to commercial
• India Gate is a war memorial located astride the Rajpath, on the eastern edge of
the ‗ceremonial axis‘ of New Delhi, formerly called Kingsway. India gate is a
memorial to 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in the period
1914– 21 in the First World War.
• Lodhi Gardens- city park Spread over 90 acres contains, Mohammed Shah's
Tomb.
 THANK YOU
Submit your assignments
Any more queries?

Reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_architecture
https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/
https://cac.annauniv.edu/aidetails/afug_2017_fu/B.%20Arch.%20(I%20-%20X).pdf

Connect via
Resubmitted – Prof Niveditha V [email protected] +919551416510