Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Planning - Architecture - Landscape - Urban Design - Art - Services is the richest exposition, with an enlightened evaluation, of actual Chandigarh which grew out of Le Corbusier's planning theories and their realisation. It comprehensively deals with Planning, Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape, Art, and Services, in the context of Le Corbusier's written word and his realised works, vis-à-vis the dynamics of urban phenomena by virtue of which the citizens have acquired a new lifestyle. This book is based on the author's first doctorate (earned in 1991) that had won the 5th JIIA [Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects] National Award for Excellence in Architecture [Research Category] in 1993. Though enormous literature, mostly journalism spiced with glossy pictures, exists worldwide on the City, Dr SS Bhatti shows for the first time how the creation of Chandigarh--a state capital that outrivals national capitals of the modern world, and is the Mother City to some of them--is, in fact, An Irony of History! The uniqueness of this publication springs from the author's amazing professional versatility, with insightful expertise in the History of Modern Architecture along with the History of Indian Architecture, which has enabled him to put Chandigarh in the right global perspective. Having lived in Chandigarh since 1961 and seen it grow--from a daring experiment (drawing-board graphic representation) to an unforgettable experience (palpable reality)--the author brings to his doctoral thesis a rare authenticity. Discountenancing the hypothesis-based method which is used worldwide in the study of Human Settlements, the author has developed a holistic system of scholastic enquiry that he calls "PAR-SOM". With his characteristic tenacity he assures that his method could be used to a great advantage beyond opinionated perceptions and sentimental preferences for the comprehensive investigation and critical evaluation of city that he regards to be "a social organism and a work of art". Plan, Action and Reality, in tandem with the Subjective, Objective and Metaphysical dimensions of Modern Urbanism, constitute his novel procedure of holistic research. As a rich resource for future research, this book is a definitive work which should be compulsory reading for all those concerned with planning for vital communities in the 21st century.