Chandigarh's Experiment with Affordable Housing

摘要

Chandigarh, Le Corbusier's magnum-opus in city planning, the "mecca" of modern architecture, and a notable example of avant-garde urbanism of the mid-twentieth century, is often looked upon with awe as a successful modern Indian city. Designed for a population of half a million, Chandigarh today is home to 1.2 million. While Chandigarh is a totally planned city, close to 30% of the city's population lives in slums. Slumsthe very paradox of planning, the anti-thesis of planned growth, and a facet of urban development which Chandigarh's planners could not foresee, today pose a challenge to the city. The situation calls upon urban planners and administrators to realistically conceive and implement viable housing strategies for these poor residents who form an inseparable part of the city as they have to be looked upon as partners in the city's progress. The present paper attempts to explore the measures taken by Chandigarh Administration over the years in providing shelter solutions to the slum-dwellers of the city including the recent affordable housing project in which 25,972 small flats are being constructed to house close to 120,000 inhabitants. Chandigarh; Slums; Affordable Housing.