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11.0 URBAN DESIGN

A city is an assemblage of buildings andstreets, system of communication and utilities,places of work, transportation, leisure andmeeting places. The process of arrangingthese elements both functionally andbeautifully is the essence of Urban Design.Delhi had a traditional Urban Design which isreflected in the glory of 17th centuryShahajahanabad and New Delhi. In the courseof time Delhi is becoming amorphousaggregate of masses and voids.

The Walled City of Shahjahanabad has certainurban form characteristics. The Jama Masjid isa dominating feature located on hill top and isdifferent, both in form and scale from the otherdevelopments of the city. The boulevard ofChandni Chowk was its commercialcentrepiece, with certain visual characterterminating at two landmarks viz. Red Fortand Fateh Puri Mosque as its two ends.

In the planning of New Delhi in 1916, theCentral Vista was conceived as a landscapedstretch to form continuity between the ridgeand the river Yamuna. The stretch with theRashtrapati Bhawan and the India Gate at twoends has tremendous visual quality and is oneof the finest examples of Urban Design andmonumentality in planning in the world. TheJama Masjid was visually linked withParliament House, Connaught Place and JamaMasjid in the same axis.

The following aspects need to be considered toarrive at the basis for policies affecting theurban fabric:

i) Areas of significance in builtenvironment.

ii) Visual integration of the city.

iii) Policy for tall buildings.

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iv) Policy on unhindered accessmovement, parking and pedestrianrealm.

v) Policy on Hoardings, Street furnitureand Signages.

vi) Urban Design Scheme.vii) Policy for design of pedestrian realm.viii) City structure plan and Urban Design

objective.

11.1 SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BUILTENVIRONMENT

The areas identified for Urban Designguidelines are as given below:

11.1.1 METROPOLITAN CITY CENTRE

1. Connaught Place and ExtensionsThe various proposals are:

i) Detailed Urban Design and LandscapeSchemes are to be prepared to integrateMRTS stations, safe pedestrianwalkways, parking areas, recreationaland cultural areas, etc.

ii) The intermediate public transport suchas monorail, battery operated / highcapacity buses, sky buses to beintroduced to increase the mobilitywithin the City Centre.

iii) Activities such as viewing gallery,open-air theatres, amusement parks,mini-golf courses/sports activities,food plazas etc. to be introduced tomake them more attractive even afterworking hours.

iv) The envelope, FAR, architecturalfeatures of the buildings in theConnaught Circus – Connaught Placeshould be retained as existing.

v) Continuity of the sidewalks should bemaintained, in terms of the width,surface treatment, curb cuts, tree andstreet furniture locations, for renderingit safe for the pedestrians and disabled.

vi) Use of alternative renewable sources ofenergy should be encouraged for newbuildings (especially those of

commercial or institutional nature),traffic signals, public signages, etc.Encourage the concept of rainwaterharvesting and remodeling the stormwater drainage to recharge the groundwater as per the norms.

2. Walled City And ExtensionsThe various proposals for revitalizing theglory of Walled city are:

i) Conservation approach to retain theoverall traditional character of theWalled City.

ii) Visual integration of major landmarksto revitalise the past glory. Enhance theexisting visual link between the threemajor landmarks namely Red Fort,Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Mosque asper original concept of Walled City ofShahjahanabad.

iii) Many areas in Shahjahanabad could bepedestrianised and made completelyfree of vehicular traffic so as to restorethe human scale and convenient living.For example pedestrianisation ofChandni Chowk to impart grandeur tothe monuments.

iv) Judicious use of existing spaces fordevelopment of open recreational uses.

v) MRTS station areas are to be dealt asper specific Urban Design schemes andbe declared as pedestrian zones.

vi) Introduction of activities such astraditional/craft bazaar, heritagewalk/rides to attract tourists.

vii) Generation of urban culture atneighbourhood level such asfestivals/fairs, kite flying etc.

viii) Environmental up-gradation requiredto reduce degenerative effects of trafficcongestion.

ix) Rejuvenation and conservation throughmanagement option, financingincentives, innovative developmentcontrols considering built to edgetypology.

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11.1.2 DISTRICT CENTRES

A District Centre has been envisaged as a focalpoint of a district with the population of about5-6 lakhs.

In certain situations it may be possible toprepare an integrated plan for all of thecomponents. In other cases because of factorslike the time required between the landdevelopment and disposal, tenure conditionsor even certain design requirements such asolution may not be possible. The componentslike facilities, hotel, etc. may be required to bedemarcated separately for development.Possibly the other group i.e., retail, office,cultural complex and residential could be moreeasily integrated in the same building space orarea through landscape and circulation. Thus itwould be desirable to leave it to the designerto prepare an integrated plan for all or some ofthe components.

The district park adjoining to the district centreproposed in the master plan / zonal planshould be properly integrated with the districtcentre. The area provided for landscape as partof the district centre should weave through theentire district centre to create a pleasantenvironment.

A district centre should be accessible from thesurrounding residential areas through thepedestrian approach or by subways etc.Planned district centres in city (forming amulti nodal city structure) can be best utilizedfor creating public spaces.

11.1.3 OTHER AREAS

Other areas of Urban Design importance are asfollows –

a. Central Vista and the areas in its Northand South

b. Ancient settlementsc. Historical Monuments and Gardens

d. Designed environment like Exhibitiongrounds, Zoo etc.

e. Areas along entry routes and otherimportant routes in Delhi

f. Republic day parade routeg. Road and Rail, MRTS corridors, entries,

and terminals.h. City as a whole for aerial view.

11.2 VISUAL INTEGRATION

Delhi has a tremendous diversity of built form,color, scale and texture with a heterogeneousend product from aesthetic point of view.Visual integration can possibly be achieved byidentifying features, which integrate the cityphysically.The important mass movement corridors i.e.,Ring road/Outer ring road and major radialsare used by city dwellers for internal citycommuting. These movement corridors alongwith newly introduced MRTS corridors havepotential to acquire an additional dimension ofvisual quality and integration. The studies andproposals for ring road and MRTS corridorsshould be formulated to improve geometrics,landscaping, street furniture, signages,introduction of urban forms at selected pointsand clearance of unsightly developments.

Other important elements for the integration ofdifferent parts of the city, planned at differenttimes are (i) flora i.e. tree plantationcontinuance of `New Delhi character’ to otherparts of the metropolis and linking open space(ii) harmonious treatment for major ecologicalfeatures i.e. the Ridge and the River Yamuna.

11.3 TALL BUILDINGS

Present policy regarding tall buildings is basedon height restriction for buildings in differentuse zones, which is not amenable to deliberateurban form. The height of buildings (aboveand below the ground) needs to be seen in thelight of modern technology with due

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consideration for natural disasters likeearthquakes, floods etc.DUA-2001 is mostly developed except districtcentres and there is little scope left. However,restrictions on tall buildings would benecessary in important areas, namely WalledCity, the Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone, CivilLines and North Delhi University campus. Nonew tall building should be allowed in anyarea without an Urban Design scheme. In caseof Urban Extension, areas for tall buildingsand specific Urban Design projects should beidentified.

11.4 URBAN CORRIDORS

Delhi with huge intra city trip lengths andincreasing number of personalized vehicles,few imperatives cannot be ignored for itssustainable and healthy growth. Such as moredependency on efficient, convenient and safemodes of public transport, linking largenumber of work centres with residential areasand overall disincentives for private vehicleownership.

11.4.1 CITY GATEWAYS

1. Road:i) Preferably locate non-residential public

buildings with pleasing appearances onentry corridors.

ii) Attractive landscape to be developed inaccordance with the highway landscapenorms.

iii) Segregation of goods and passengervehicles at the entry point throughseparate lanes and improving the visualenvironment.

2. Rail:i) Enhancing visual experience for

commuters through appropriatelandscape along railway tracks.

ii) Reconstruction / redevelopment ofexisting stations to be undertakenthrough comprehensive Urban Designschemes.

iii) Attractive designs may be evolved fornew stations.

3. Air:i) Natural & built environment to be

revitalized to give an impression ofglobal city.

ii) The overall green cover in this zoneshould be enhanced and protected.

11.4.2 MRTS CORRIDOR

In prior master plans, city structure wasthought in terms of hierarchies with CBD,District Center and Community Centres indescending order of importance. But with duecourse of development and introduction ofMRTS, need is felt to connect these scattereddistricts with more imageable components.These components with enhanced built upareas and activities form a network by whichthe experience of various district andcommercial centres becomes a part ofcontinued experience.

11.5 SERVICES

The organization of services makes the city towork along with the buildings and the openspaces. Services and public amenities should,therefore, be provided in a coordinated way,conforming to the National Building Code,wherever applicable.

11.5.1 PUBLIC AMENITIES

The clean, litter free public spaces add to thepleasant built environment. Thus the design,location and maintenance of public amenitiessuch as public toilets, garbage bins, bus stops,etc. determine the quality of public spaces.

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11.5.2 PARKING

Access to the parking should be well definedand conducive to its usage, whether it is at thesurface or underground. Basement parking lotsneed to be structured legibly and access tovertical cores clearly defined. Surface parkingshould be located in a manner that it does notdiminish or hinder the continuity andhomogeneity of the spatial and pedestrianmovement.

11.6 HOARDINGS, STREETFURNITURE & SIGNAGES

Hoardings, sign boards, directional boards, billboards, neon sign bards, balloons, banners etc.have become symbols of present day urbanscape and important instruments of outdoorpublicity and public information

These, if located properly and aesthetically, tofit into the total scheme of Urban Design, mayenhance the visual quality of the city.Otherwise, these may cause hazards,obstruction and visual pollution etc.

11.6.1 STREET FURNITURE & SIGNAGES

Public art is an important part of the urbanspatial experience, which can be incorporated,in the form of functional objects such as streetfurniture and paving designs.

Street furniture and signages should bedesigned sensitively considering the land use,intensity of activity and other identified designdistricts. Their design must also reflect respectto pedestrians and physically challengedpeople.

Access provisions for the physicallychallenged should be made from the street toovercome curb heights, rain water gratings etc.Parking spaces close to the entrance should bereserved for physically challenged.

Exclusive parking bays are proposed nearmajor intersections as part of road R/W withadequate landscaping. This will provide forparking of mobile repair vans, PCR vans,ambulances, cranes, fire tenders and otherpublic utility vehicles.

11.6.2 ROAD SIGNAGES & SAFETY

Safety of road users shall be one of the primeconsideration while planning / designing ofroad network and infrastructure. A majorcause for present day chaos on the roads is thatthe road infrastructure, signages and roadmarkings are not in accordance to thestandards laid down by the Motor VehicleRules and Highway Code. Appropriate roadsignages and markings are excellent means ofeducating road users about road safety rulesand road discipline and add to the roadbeautification. These prevent the deviantbehaviour of motorists and at the same timeprovide useful route related information. It istherefore proposed that the concerned roadowning agencies shall be responsible forinstalling the appropriate road signages andmarkings on regular basis. Few othermeasures by the concerned agencies shall be:i. Provision of adequate pedestrian facilities.ii. Removal of encroachments from footpaths.iii. Improvement in accident handling and

reporting.

11.7 PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY CITY

Major work centres, where large number ofpedestrian networks emerge and culminateshould have enhanced facilities for thepedestrians. This will lead to more sensitiveand intricate design of street furniture makingmajor imageable components part of dailyurban experience.

Pedestrian networks affect spaces in a verydistinctive way. Establishment of pedestriannetworks in any area reveals its vitality. They

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provide richness in terms of spatial experienceand community interaction etc.

11.8 URBAN DESIGN SCHEME

In case of development / redevelopment of anarea of around 4 ha. an Urban Design schemeshall be prepared for approval by thecompetent authority.