A city is an assemblage of buildings and streets, system of communication and utilities, places of work, transportation, leisure and meeting places. The process of arranging these elements both functionally and beautifully is the essence of Urban Design. Delhi had a traditional Urban Design, which is reflected in the glory of 17th century Shahajahanabad and New Delhi. In the course of time Delhi has been becoming amorphous aggregate of masses and voids.
The Walled City of Shahjahanabad has certain urban form characteristics. The Jama Masjid is a dominating feature located on hilltop and is different, both in form and scale from the other developments of the city. The boulevard of Chandni Chowk was its commercial center piece, with certain visual character terminating at two landmarks viz. Red Fort and Fatehpuri Mosque at its ends.
In the planning of New Delhi in 1916, the Central Vista was conceived as a landscaped stretch to form continuity between the ridge and the river Yamuna. The stretch with the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the India Gate at two ends has tremendous visual quality and is one of the finest examples of Urban Design and monumentality in planning in the world. The Jama Masjid was visually linked with Parliament House and Connaught Place.
The following aspects need to be considered to arrive at the basis for policies affecting the urban fabric:
i)
Areas of significance in built environment.
ii)
Visual integration of the city.
iii)
Policy for tall buildings.
iv)
Policy on unhindered access movement, parking and pedestrian realm.
v)
Policy on Hoardings, Street furniture and Signage.
vi)
Urban Design Scheme.
vii)
Policy for design of pedestrian realm.
viii)
City structure plan and Urban Design objective.
ix)
Policy for conservation of Heritage precincts Buildings and Zones
The areas identified for Urban Design guidelines are as given below:
1.Connaught Place and Extensions
The various proposals are:
Detailed Urban Design and Landscape Schemes should be prepared to integrate MRTS stations, safe pedestrian walkways, parking areas, recreational and cultural areas, etc.
The intermediate public transport such as monorail, battery operated / high capacity buses, sky buses should be introduced to increase the mobility within the City Centre.
Activities such as viewing gallery, open-air theatres, amusement parks, mini-golf courses / sports activities, food plazas etc. should be introduced to make them more attractive even after working hours
The envelope, FAR, architectural features of the buildings in the Connaught Circus - Connaught Place should be retained as existing
Continuity of the sidewalks should be maintained in terms of the width, surface treatment, curb cuts, tree and street furniture locations, for the pedestrians and disabled.
Use of alternative renewable sources of energy should be encouraged for new buildings (especially those of commercial or institutional nature), traffic signals and public signage, etc.
2. Walled City And Extensions
The various proposals for revitalizing the glory of Walled City are:
Conservation approach to retain the overall traditional character of the Walled City.
Visual integration of major landmarks to revitalise the past glory.
Many areas in Shahjahanabad should be pedestrianised and made completely free of vehicular traffic so as to restore the human scale and convenient living.
Judicious use of existing spaces for development of recreational uses.
MRTS station areas should be dealt as per specific Urban Design schemes and be declared as pedestrian zones.
Introduction of activities such as traditional / craft bazaar / heritage walk / rides to attract tourists. Generation of urban culture at neighbourhood level such as festivals / fairs, kite flying etc
Environmental up-gradation to reduce degenerative effects of traffic congestion.
Rejuvenation and conservation through management options, financing incentives, innovative development controls.
A District Centre should have all the components to create a pleasant environment with easy accessibility from the major transport nodes and surrounding residential areas through pedestrian approach or by subways etc. Planned District Centres can be best utilized for creating public spaces.
Other areas of Urban Design importance are as follows:
a.
Central Vista and the areas in its North and South, Lutyen's Bungalow Zone.
b.
Ancient settlements.
c.
Historical Monuments and Gardens.
d.
Exhibition grounds, Zoo etc.
e.
Areas along entry routes and other important routes in Delhi.
f.
Republic day parade route.
g.
Road and Rail, MRTS corridors, entries, and terminals.
h.
City as a whole for aerial view.
Delhi has a tremendous diversity of built form, color, scale and texture with a heterogeneous end product from aesthetic point of view. Visual integration can possibly be achieved by identifying features such as appropriately conserved historic buildings and heritage zones, which integrate and provide strong visual identity.
The important mass movement corridors i.e., Ring road / Outer ring road and major radials are used by city dwellers for internal city commuting. These corridors along with newly introduced MRTS corridors have potential to acquire an additional dimension of visual quality and integration. The studies and proposals for ring road and MRTS corridors should be formulated to improve, geometry, landscaping, street furniture, signage, introduction of urban forms at selected points and clearance of unsightly developments.
Other important elements for the integration of different parts of the city, planned at different times are (i) flora i.e. tree plantation, (ii) linking open spaces and (iii) harmonious treatment for major ecological features i.e. the Ridge and the River Yamuna.
The height of buildings (above and below the ground) needs to be seen in the light of modern technology with due consideration for natural disasters like earthquakes, floods etc.
Restrictions on tall buildings would be necessary in important areas like Lutyen's Bungalow Zone, Civil lines and North Delhi campus. In case of Urban Extension, areas for specific Urban Design projects and tall buildings should be identified.
Delhi with huge intra city trip lengths and increasing number of personalized vehicles, few imperatives cannot be ignored for its sustainable and healthy growth, such as more dependency on efficient, convenient and safe modes of public transport, linking large number of work centres with residential areas and overall disincentives for the private vehicle ownership.
1.Road:
Non-residential public buildings with pleasing appearance should be located on entry corridors.
Attractive landscape should be developed in accordance with the highway landscape norms
Segregation of goods and passenger vehicles at the entry point through separate lanes to improve the visual environment.
2. Rail:
Enhancing visual experience for commuters through appropriate landscape along railway tracks.
Reconstruction / redevelopment of existing stations should be undertaken through comprehensive Urban Design schemes.
Attractive designs should be evolved for new stations.
3. Air:
Natural and built environment should be revitalized to give an impression of global city.
The overall green cover in this zone should be enhanced and protected.
City structure of Delhi had been conceived in terms of hierarchies with CBD, District Centres and Community Centres in descending order of importance. With the development and introduction of MRTS, need is felt to connect these scattered districts with more imageable components. These components with enhanced built up areas and activities, form a network by which the experience of various District and commercial centres becomes a part of continued urban experience.
The clean, litter free public spaces add to the pleasant built environment. Thus the design, location and maintenance of public amenities such as public toilets, garbage bins, bus stops, etc. determine the quality of public spaces. These should be located appropriately while formulating the schemes.
Access to the parking should be well defined and conducive to its usage, whether at the surface or underground. Basement parking lots need to be structured legibly and access to vertical cores clearly defined. Surface parking should be located in a manner that does not diminish or hinder the continuity and homogeneity of the spatial and pedestrian movement.
Hoardings, sign boards, directional boards, bill boards, neon sign bards, balloons, banners etc. have become symbols of present day urban scape and important instruments of outdoor publicity and public information. These, if located properly and aesthetically, may enhance the visual quality of the city. Otherwise, these may cause hazards, obstruction and visual pollution etc.
Public art is an important part of the urban spatial experience, which can be incorporated in the form of functional objects such as street furniture and paving designs.
Street furniture and signage should be designed sensitively considering the land use, intensity of activity and other identified design districts. Their design must also reflect respect to pedestrians and physically challenged people.
Access provisions for the physically challenged should be made from the street to overcome curb heights, rain water gratings etc. Parking spaces close to the entrance should be reserved for physically challenged. Exclusive parking bays are proposed near major intersections as part of road R/W with adequate landscaping to provide for parking of mobile repair vans, PCR vans, ambulances, cranes, fire tenders and other public utility vehicles.
Safety of road users shall be one of the prime consideration while planning / designing of road network and infrastructure. A major cause for present day chaos on the roads is that the road infrastructure, signage and road markings are not in accordance to the standards laid down by the Motor Vehicle Rules and Highway Code.
Appropriate road signage and markings are excellent means of educating road users about road safety rules and road discipline and add to the road beautification. These prevent the deviant behaviour of motorists and at the same time provide useful route related information. Concerned road owning agencies shall be responsible for installing the appropriate road signage and markings on regular basis.
Few other measures by the concerned agencies shall be:
Provision of adequate pedestrian facilities.
Removal of encroachments from footpaths.
Improvement in accident handling and reporting.
Major work centres, where large number of pedestrian networks emerge and culminate, should have enhanced facilities for the pedestrians. This will lead to more sensitive and intricate design of street furniture, making major image able components part of daily urban experience.
Pedestrian networks affect spaces in a very distinctive way. Establishment of pedestrian networks in any area reveals its vitality. They provide richness in terms of spatial experience and community interaction etc.
In case of development / redevelopment of an area of around 4 ha., an Urban Design scheme shall be prepared for approval by the Competent Authority.
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