Program__Unearthing possibilities for Faridabad

Thoughts for the design thesis

All that follows below is from the perspective of a student of urban design. My thoughts at this stage are fragmented and lacks the support from facts/ concrete evidence.This which shall eventually build up!

Introduction_ Faridabad city has been planned along the infrastructure corridor and on sector model following the Chandigarh model. Lying South of Delhi, the city has been a strong industrial center and a satellite town complementing Delhi. It  is still reckoned with its entrepreneurial spirit in the post independence period. The planning of the city proper  began  after partition when camps were setup for displaced persons  from the north west frontier province in 1950s. Before this Faridabad existed as a small hamlet whose origins can be traced back to 1607.

The spatial centre of the city is an infrastructure corridor combining interstate highway, railway and the future metro link. This pragmatic planning gives  fast connectivity to Delhi and also into the surrounding province. However this linkage has  hindered  the  east-west connectivity across the city and has led to a linear north-south growth. 

moving away from the 'piece meal' approach...

Intention_ 1  Examine the shortcomings and potential of an infrastructure corridor running through the centre of the city and then work out a strategy to bridge the socio-spatial gap between east and west parts of the city across the infrastructure corridor. Also the metro link presents new possibilities of bridging across.

Intention_2   Establish a network of public spaces which connect across fragments and  economic sections of the city.The orthogonal existence of sectors coexists with the healthy disorder of surviving villages, slums and  older parts of the city.  

The planning of sectors as introverted and self sufficient units has not succeeded. Some reasons: 1) The  lack of connectivity  across sectors 2) Strict zoning has  prevented emergence of  a more working urbanity in the residential areas and also  failure of many  planned market centres. 3) The introverted model of sector puts a challenge for a  feasible network of public transportation. The city still does not have its own public transport system and the consequence is people's  over dependence of private vehicles.4) The model of  'Low density green living' has backfired. The  lack of a critical mass for vibrant  urbanization, public transportation etc. has stalled the city's growth. 

Intention_3 The city's growth and its proud attribute as the industrial city of Haryana is closely knitted to developments post-Independence. Integrating this  enterpenural spirit of the city with its institutions  and establishing interface between the city and its people at various levels. 








A strategy for transformation 
-  From a  monotonous  single family living  towards a vibrant mix of uses, economic  classes,  building typologies and  activities. Establish a spatial framework which utilizes existing  urban networks and unearths potential connections. 
-  Functional green which 1) reuses and revives the existing  dead green zones   2)  addresses city living across ages 4) connects city life to the countryside and the arid native landscape
5) revive the remaining of the earliest rural structure which probably was replaced orthogonal land division after land consolidation.