Lecture 1 — Intro, Ekistic Theory

Ekistic Theory (C.A. Doxiadis)

• Assumption: settlements can be classified systematically and studied scientifically.
• Units: Room → Dwelling → Dwelling group (40) → Village (250) → Neighborhood (1,500) → Small town (9,000) → Town (50,000) → Large city (300,000) → Metropolis (3 million) → Conurbation (14 million) → Megalopolis (100 million) → Urban Region (700 million) → Urbanised Continent (5,000 million) → Ecumenopolis (30,000 million).
• Elements: Man, Nature, Society, Shells, Networks.
• Functions: human activities (commercial, industrial, residential, eating, sleeping, gathering, etc).
• Evolutionary forces: nomadic, agricultural, urban, industrial; influenced by gravity, biological, physiological, social interaction, movement, safety, growth, hierarchy, geographic constraints.
• Factors/disciplines: economic, social, political, technological, cultural.
• Issue of scale: what happens when a settlement grows?
• Energy–complexity nexus: critique of normal ergonomic measurements; map energy with physical space.
• Principles: maximise contacts, minimise effort, optimise space, improve environment, delimit/order space, standard units, communication.

Lecture 2 — Settlement Theories & Theorists

On Theory

• Conceptual frames to understand the world (≠ reality, ≠ style).
• Can be prescriptive or analytic; beyond disciplinary boundaries.
• Modernism: assumes science explains society, seeks optimal “correct” solutions (e.g. Soviet planning).
• Postmodernism: unstable assumptions, contextual, no single truth, avoids absolute solutions.

Key Theorists

Ebenezer Howard – Garden Cities (1898)

• To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.
• Self-contained, 30,000 population, concentric growth, greenbelts, land owned by municipality, rent profits reinvested.
• Implemented: Letchworth (1903), Welwyn (1920).
• Core: urban vs rural, sustainable living, cyclic economy.

Patrick Geddes (1914–19 in India)

• Biologist/urban planner.
• Conservative surgery (minimal intervention, preserve cultural fabric).
• City as organism, evolutionary/systems thinking.
• Method: Survey–Analysis–Plan.
• Civic engagement.

Le Corbusier

• Functions: Dwelling, Work, Recreation, Transport.
• Cities should be modern, high density is fine; congestion/slums = old patterns.
• Against strict functionalism: wanted emotions + function.
• Projects: La Ville Contemporaine (1922), Plan Voisin (1925), Ville Radieuse (1924–33).
• Critiques: inhuman scale, lack of human connection, impractical central core.

Clarence Perry – Neighborhood Unit (1929)

• Principles: school at centre, arterial streets at perimeter, internal street design, shopping at perimeter, 10% open space.

Arturo Soria y Mata – Linear City (1882)

• Town for 30,000 along 100m main corridor, functional parallel sectors.
• Lucio Costa – Brasília Master Plan (1957).

Frank Lloyd Wright – Broadacre City (1932)

• Decentralisation, individualism, car-centric, integration with nature, mixed land use, innovative architecture.

Daniel Burnham – City Beautiful (1890s–1900s)

• Beautification, monumental scale, civic pride, moral improvement.

Jane Jacobs (1950s–70s)

• Against modernism/urban renewal.
• Advocated diversity, mixed use, community-based planning.
• “Eyes on the Street.”

Postmodernism in Planning

• Break from modernist certainties and big ideologies.
• Planning objects and identities socially constructed; landscapes have contested readings.
• Shift from rational → collaborative/participatory planning: community, stakeholder mapping, co-creation, consensus building.
• Focus on communication, governance, action plans.
• Quote (Venturi): hybrid > pure, messy vitality > unity.

Lecture 4 — Settlement Planning in India

Indian City History

Indus Valley (3500–2000 BC)

• Farming supported by Indus floods.
• Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro (~40,000 people, 3 miles circumference).
• Grid layout, citadel + lower city, NS/EW axes, central market, advanced drainage, house toilets linked to drains.
• Dholavira: citadel + middle + lower towns, double ramparts, storm water channels, water conservation.
• Lothal: dock, maritime trade, acropolis/citadel/lower town, underground drainage.

Vedic Towns

• “Nagara”: temples central, sacred + secular.
• Functions: cultural, education, social gathering, mathas, donation economy.
• Caste-based planning, straight right-angled streets, 4 gates.
• Patterns: Swastika, Prastara, Chaturmukha, Karmuka.
• Emphasis on zoning by class, main deity temples, sometimes fortress walls, lotus radiating form.

Dravidian Cities

• Temple focal, caste-based planning, 4 gopurams (gateways).

Mughal Towns

• Emphasis on form/beauty, avenues of trees, private gardens, paved causeways.
• Shahjahanabad (1638–49): walled city, Red Fort centre, 14 gates, Chandni Chowk main street.
• Fatehpur Sikri (1569–85): Akbar, red sandstone, geometric pavilion pattern, abandoned due to water shortage.

Pre-colonial Jaipur (1727)

• Founded by Jai Singh II, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.
• Based on Vastu Shastra, regular grid, 34m-wide main streets, divided into 6 sectors.

Colonial – Lutyens’ Delhi (1911)

• Central admin, hexagonal, radial roads.
• Axial planning, Rajpath → Rashtrapati Bhavan; Janpath crossing; Lutyens Bungalow Zone.

Post-Colonial

• Steel cities (Jamshedpur, Bhilai, etc).
• Chandigarh (Corbusier): 30 sectors, 800x1200m each, autonomous units with services; network of green spaces; roads V1–V7 hierarchy.

Contemporary

• Bhubaneswar: linear plan, neighbourhood units, Nehru’s equality focus.
• Amravati, GIFT City (GandH nagar).

Q&A Section

Lecture 1 – Ekistics & Doxiadis

Q1. Define Ekistics.

Answer: Ekistics is the science of human settlements, founded by C.A. Doxiadis. It assumes settlements can be systematically classified and studied scientifically. It provides a framework based on units (from room to ecumenopolis), elements (Man, Nature, Society, Shells, Networks), functions (human activities in space), and evolutionary forces (nomadic → agricultural → urban → industrial). Its aim is to guide settlement design rationally, improving human life and environmental quality.

Q2. List and explain the five Ekistic elements.

Answer:

• Man – the individual human being at the core of settlements.
• Nature – physical environment: land, climate, geography.
• Society – political, cultural, legal, artistic, and social systems.
• Shells – built environment, i.e. dwellings, infrastructure.
• Networks – transport and communication systems linking the settlement.

These interact to shape the structure and function of all settlements.

Q3. What are Ekistic units?

Answer: Units are hierarchical scales of settlement.

• Room → Dwelling → Dwelling Group (40) → Village (250) → Neighborhood (1,500) → Small Town (9,000) → Town (50,000) → Large City (300,000) → Metropolis (3 million) → Megalopolis (100 million) → Urban Region (700 million) → Urbanised Continent (5,000 million) → Ecumenopolis (30,000 million).

Each level introduces new complexity in governance, infrastructure, and interaction.

Q4. State the design principles proposed by Doxiadis.

Answer:

• Maximise human contacts.
• Minimise effort in movement.
• Optimise personal and social space.
• Improve quality of the environment.
• Delimit space clearly.
• Create order and standard units.
• Facilitate communication.

These act as guiding rules in designing new settlements.

Q5. What is the “energy–complexity nexus”?

Answer: Doxiadis argued that settlements should be evaluated not only by size/ergonomics but also by mapping energy flows. Complexity increases with higher energy needs, and only by considering energy alongside spatial design can sustainable settlements be achieved.

Lecture 2 – Settlement Planning Theorists

Q6. Describe Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept.

Answer: Proposed in To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform (1898). A Garden City is a self-contained settlement of 30,000 people, arranged in concentric rings with greenbelts, combining the benefits of urban and rural life. Land was owned by a municipality, and profits reinvested. Implemented in Letchworth (1903) and Welwyn (1920). It emphasised sustainability, cyclic economy, and urban–rural balance.

Q7. Who was Patrick Geddes, and what was his planning approach?

Answer: Patrick Geddes (biologist, planner; active in India 1914–19) proposed “Conservative Surgery”, i.e. minimal intervention to preserve historic fabric. He saw the city as a living organism and applied early systems thinking, linking social, economic, and environmental aspects. His method was Survey–Analysis–Plan. He also promoted civic engagement in planning.

Q8. Explain Le Corbusier’s contribution to planning.

Answer: Le Corbusier advocated functional, modernist planning: organising settlements around dwelling, work, recreation, and transport. He supported high density but in new forms (towers, segregation of uses). Projects included La Ville Contemporaine (1922), Plan Voisin (1925), Ville Radieuse (1924–33). Critiques: inhuman scale, impracticality, little connection to street life. Despite this, his influence shaped Chandigarh’s design in India.

Q9. What are the principles of Clarence Perry’s Neighborhood Unit?

Answer:

• School at centre.
• Arterial streets on perimeter.
• Internal streets discourage through traffic.
• Local shops at perimeter.
• 10% open space for parks.

This model aimed to build socially cohesive, service-efficient neighbourhoods.

Q10. Summarise Jane Jacobs’ critique of modernist planning.

Answer: In the 1950s–70s, Jacobs opposed large-scale urban renewal and high modernism. She argued for mixed use, short blocks, community-based planning, and preservation of diversity. Her concept of “Eyes on the Street” stressed the importance of active street life for safety and vibrancy. Jacobs highlighted the failures of Corbusier-style top-down planning.

Q11. Contrast modernism and postmodernism in planning.

Answer:

• Modernism: belief in scientific certainty, one “correct” solution, reliance on order and universal design (e.g., Corbusier).
• Postmodernism: rejection of grand narratives; identities and landscapes are socially constructed; no fixed truths; embraces pluralism, collaborative and participatory planning. Venturi’s “messy vitality over obvious unity” sums it up.

Lecture 4 – Indian City History

Q12. Describe planning features of Mohenjo-Daro.

Answer:

• Grid layout on N-S and E-W axis.
• Divided into citadel and lower city.
• Citadel housed assembly halls, baths, large residences.
• Central marketplace.
• Covered drains; every house had a toilet connected to main drains.
• Street hierarchy.

Demonstrates advanced urban organisation and sanitation in 2000 BC.

Q13. What were the characteristics of Vedic towns?

Answer:

• Known as Nagara, combining sacred and secular.
• Temple central, surrounded by cultural/educational/social functions.
• Based on donations; caste-based zoning.
• Rectangular/square plans, 4 gates, orthogonal streets.
• Plan types: Swastika, Prastara, Chaturmukha, Karmuka.
• Sometimes lotus-like radiating pattern or fortress walls.

Q14. Explain Dravidian and Mughal contributions.

Answer:

• Dravidian cities: Temple focal, caste-based, four gopurams as monumental gateways.
• Mughal towns: Emphasis on beauty and gardens; wide avenues, raised causeways. Shahjahanabad (1638–49) — Red Fort at core, Chandni Chowk main street, 14 gates. Fatehpur Sikri (1569–85) — red sandstone, geometric pavilions, abandoned due to water shortage.

Q15. Discuss Jaipur’s planning.

Answer: Founded 1727 by Jai Singh II, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Based on Vastu Shastra. Regular gridded streets (34m wide), divided into 6 sectors, with palace quarter (Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh Fort) in NW corner. One of the earliest planned Indian cities.

Q16. Explain planning features of Lutyens’ Delhi.

Answer: Colonial capital planned (1911 onwards) by Lutyens, Herbert Baker, Henry Medd. Radial hexagonal pattern, axial planning. Rajpath connects India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan; Janpath crosses perpendicularly. Lutyens Bungalow Zone (~26 sq km) housed colonial elite.

Q17. Describe Chandigarh’s master plan.

Answer: Planned by Le Corbusier, Mayer, and Novicky post-independence.

• 30 sectors, each 800×1200m, autonomous with housing, schools, shops, leisure.
• Network of green spaces.
• Road hierarchy V1 (arterial) → V7 (pedestrian).

Represented Nehru’s vision of modern India, with technology improving life at scale.

Q18. Name two contemporary planned cities in India.

Answer:

• Bhubaneswar: linear spine, neighbourhood units, egalitarian vision under Nehru.
• Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) and GIFT City (Gandhinagar).