Analysis of Urban

Design Chapter
Delhi Master Plan
(1962,2001,2021)

Submitted by
Smriti
01208142019
BACKGROUND
•This chapter gives the urban design guidelines for-
- Connaught Place,
- Walled city and its extensions,
- The need for visual integration of the city.
•There is a mention of the policy on-
- Public amenities
- Pedestrians
- Hoardings, street furniture & signage
- Tall buildings in light of this.
•The chapter also talks about the development of -
-City gateways,
-Urban corridors &
-MRTS corridor
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•It also touches briefly upon different urban related design schemes.
INTRODUCTION
•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. 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
centerpiece, 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.
The Jama Masjid was visually linked with Parliament House and Connaught Place.
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INTRODUCTION

Aspects need to be considered 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.

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SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The areas identified for Urban Design guidelines are-

I. METROPOLITAN CITY CENTRE

1. Connaught Place and Extensions
The various proposals are:
i) Detailed Urban Design and Landscape Schemes should be prepared to integrate MRTS stations, safe pedestrian
walkways, parking areas, recreational and cultural areas, etc.
ii) 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.
iii) 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.
iv) The envelope, FAR, architectural features of the buildings in the Connaught Circus – Connaught Place should be
retained as existing.
v) 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 differently abled persons.
vi) Use of alternative renewable sources of energy should be encouraged for new buildings (especially
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those of commercial or institutional nature), traffic signals and public signage, etc.
SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT

2. Walled City & Extensions

The various proposals for revitalizing the glory of Walled City are:

i) Conservation approach to retain the overall traditional character of the Walled City.
ii) Visual integration of major landmarks to revitalise the past glory.
iii) Many areas in Shahjahanabad should be pedestrianised and made completely free of vehicular traffic so as to
restore the human scale and convenient living.
iv) Judicious use of existing spaces for development of recreational uses.
v) MRTS station areas should be dealt as per specific Urban Design schemes and be declared as pedestrian zones.
vi) 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.
vii) Environmental up-gradation to reduce degenerative effects of traffic congestion.
viii) Rejuvenation and conservation through management options, financing incentives, innovative development
controls.
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SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
II. DISTRICT CENTRES
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.

III. OTHER AREAS

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.
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VISUAL INTEGRATION
• 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. 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.

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TALL BUILDINGS
• 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

i. Lutyen's Bungalow Zone,
ii. Civil lines and
iii. North Delhi campus.

• In case of Urban Extension, areas for specific Urban Design projects and tall buildings should be identified

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URBAN CORRIDORS
I. CITY GATEWAYS

1. Road

i) Non-residential public buildings with pleasing appearance should be located on entry corridors.
ii) Attractive landscape should be developed in accordance with the highway landscape norms.
iii) Segregation of goods and passenger vehicles at the entry point through separate lanes to improve the visual
environment.

2. Rail

i) Enhancing visual experience for commuters through appropriate landscape along railway tracks.
ii) Reconstruction / redevelopment of existing stations should be undertaken through comprehensive Urban Design
schemes.
iii) Attractive designs should be evolved for new stations.

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URBAN CORRIDORS
3. Air

i) Natural and built environment should be revitalized to give an impression of global city.
ii) The overall green cover in this zone should be enhanced and protected.

II. MRTS CORRIDOR

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.

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SERVICES
Services and public amenities should be provided in a coordinated way, conforming to the National Building Code,
wherever applicable.

1. PUBLIC AMENITIES
• 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.

2. PARKING
• 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..

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HOARDINGS, STREET FURNITURE & SIGNAGE
Hoardings, sign boards, directional boards, bill boards, neon sign bards, balloons, banners etc. are important
instruments of outdoor publicity and public information. These should be located properly and aesthetically otherwise,
these may cause hazards, obstruction and visual pollution etc.

1. STREET FURNITURE & SIGNAGE

• Street furniture and signage should be designed sensitively considering the land use, intensity of activity and
other identified design districts. Their design should be according to the pedestrians and differently abled persons.
• Access provisions for the differently abled persons should be made from the street to overcome curb heights,
rain water gratings etc.
• Parking spaces close to the entrance should be reserved for differently abled persons.
• 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.

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HOARDINGS, STREET FURNITURE & SIGNAGE
2. ROAD SIGNAGE & SAFETY

• Safety of road users shall be one of the prime consideration while planning / designing of road network and
infrastructure.
• 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.
• 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:
i. Provision of adequate pedestrian facilities.
ii. Removal of encroachments from footpaths.
iii. Improvement in accident handling and reporting.

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PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY CITY
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.

URBAN DESIGN SCHEME

MPD 2001- In case of development / redevelopment of an area of around 1ha. an Urban Design scheme shall be
prepared for approval by the Competent Authority.
Approval of an Urban Design shall be essential in case of multi torey building (more than 4 storeys) even if the area is
less than 1ha.
MPD 2021- 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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INFERENCES
MPD-1962 MPD-2001 MPD-2021

There is no such chapter in this This chaper details on the- •The addition of urban corridors, city
year’s master plan dedicated to i) Areas of significance in built gateways and MRTS corridor in the
Urban Design. environment. category of significant areas for built
ii) Visual integration of the city. environment is a newer concept
iii) Policy for conservation of highlighting the growth of the city.
Urban Heritage
iv) Policy for tall buildings. •Public amenities, pedestrians, policy
for tall buildings and policy on
v) Policy on Hoardings hoardings are discussed, but Public
vi) Urban scheme amenities do not have the analysis
of the component of gender
although street design mentions of
provisions for the physically
challenged.

•Urban design guidance is also

required as it can set out principles
on matters of importance and the
processes that should be followed 16