Aranya, 6 kilometres from Indore, will eventually house a total population of 60,000 in 6500 dwellings, on a net planning area of 85 hectares. The master plan, prepared by the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation in 1983, is designed around a central spine comprising the business district, and an agglomeration of six self-contained neighborhoods. Their size and organization incorporates all the neighborhood facilities in appropriate quantities to sustain community life. 

The ideological basis for planning Aranya has been the following:

  • Vitality – development to support socio-economic aspirations of the community.
  • Imageability – builtform to impart identity and inculcate a sense of belonging amongst the inhabitants.
  • Equity – to create equitable balanced community with satisfactory level of environmental qualities and opportunities for all.
  • Efficiency – to realize development that optimizes natural, material as well as human resources to the advantage of the user group.
  • Flexibility – to evolve framework that absorbs with ease the progressive change and growth as a part of natural development process.
  • Feasibility – to ensure development within given legal, fiscal and organizational milieu
Topography of the site was important determinant in planning roads, and other service networks to maximize use of gravity flow and minimize the cut and fill of land
Topography of the site was important determinant in planning roads, and other service networks to maximize use of gravity flow and minimize the cut and fill of land: Introduction of open slot around service core combines twice as many toilets per manhole and cuts down pipe lengths to half, achieving economic efficiency without affecting its performance. The service slot has been integrated as design element helping break the continuous built mass and becoming useful play area for children with platform for neighborly interaction.

The formal street network draws the vehicular traffic outward to the perimeter road while pedestrian traffic on informal pathways and open space network flows in the opposite direction achieving clear and safe segregation of slow and fast moving traffic. Non-rectilinear alignment of streets with varying widths, bends and widening are provided to accommodate range of spontaneous human activities. The hierarchy of commercial activities coincides with street hierarchy. Formal commercial outlets are along major arterial roads while informal shopping areas occur along narrow streets and open spaces throughout the settlement.

To foster community feel and mutual interdependence various income groups have been combined and arranged in concentric rings of plots. Each dwelling has its own compound and territory, which encourage social interaction, and supports a way of life of the user group. Like mohallas of traditional towns, dwellings are grouped to create small cluster spaces in a form of short streets, or cul-de-sacs or open squares. Dwellings are oriented north south and arranged as row-houses so the walls will absorb that minimum of incident solar radiation.1 and 2

  • 1. Architect’s Record of Aranya Community Housing. Courtesy of Architect (submitted to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture), 1995.
  • 2. Davidson, Cynthia and Ismail Serageldin, editors. Architecture Beyond Architecture. London: Academy Editions, 1995.

This document is embedded in …

See also …