New Chandigarh Masterplan, India

Creating a collective and shared pride in city identity

In 2011, Keppie was honoured to be given the opportunity to propose ideas for the new masterplan for Chandigarh, in the north of India.

In 1948, Le Corbusier had designed an iconic city, fulfilling not just an utopian agenda but reflecting new concepts of ‘city’ through its modernist geometry and modularity. That plan has become a recognised exemplar of modern city planning. Our plan sought to respect its significant historical legacy and optimise opportunity against the constraints of the land.

With our local partners VSGS, we attempted to strike a balance between preserving the vitality of all public and private buildings and also promoting an ordered pattern of connected and permeable open community spaces. The overall aspiration was to create a collective and shared pride in the city’s identity. Such a development framework would help guide all citizens and business organisations to visualise sustainable growth against a controlled visionary set of city design guidelines.