Chandigarh@75 kicks off with dialogue on urban planning

The Chandigarh Citizens Foundation (CCF) today launched its year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of the making of Chandigarh (2026) with a thought-provoking urban dialogue that put the city’s past, present and future under focus.

The inaugural event held here today brought together eminent national and international urban thinkers, architects, academics, professionals and citizens to reflect on Chandigarh’s journey as India’s first planned modern city and to debate the challenges confronting it.

The event, titled “Celebrating 75 Years of the Making of Chandigarh (2026)”, began with a welcome address by Vini Mahajan, vice-president of the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation. Moderator Deepika Gandhi provided the context for the discussions, setting the tone for an open conversation on urban planning and introducing the keynote speaker, renowned international urbanist Alain Bertaud.

In his keynote presentation, Bertaud, who worked in Chandigarh in 1963 under Pierre Jeanneret and Jeet Malhotra, offered a perspective on the city’s evolution from the early 1960s to 2026. Drawing on his global experience and insights from his book, “Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities”, he underlined the critical role of market forces and economic realities in shaping sustainable and liveable cities.

He cautioned that rigid, top-down urban planning is bound to fail, stressing that cities must remain flexible to respond to changing needs, particularly those of the poor and the vulnerable.

An eminent architect, urban planner and Padma Shri recipient, Dr Bimal Patel, made a presentation rooted in Indian urban realities. Sharing his experiences from cities across the country, he emphasised the need for contextual and people-centric planning.

Dr Patel pointed out that highly prescriptive masterplans, which leave little room for individual family needs, have inadvertently led to the growth of slums in many cities. While urban planning is essential, he said overly granular and restrictive urban design often worked against inclusivity and organic growth.

A moderated interaction and an engaging question-and-answer session saw active participation from architects, planners, students, professionals and citizens, making the dialogue both inclusive and lively.

A key moment of the event was the honouring of Shiv Dutt Sharma by General VP Malik (retd), president of the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation, with a souvenir of appreciation for his enduring contribution to the making of Chandigarh and to modern architecture in India.

A member of the original Chandigarh Capital Project Team under Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, Sharma said there was nothing flawed in Le Corbusier’s original planning, which was futuristic and had largely stood the test of time. He, however, pointed out that similar planning principles were not extended or effectively implemented in the city’s expanded areas.

The event concluded with the presentation of mementos to Bertaud and Dr Patel and a vote of thanks by Deepika Gandhi.

The dialogue marked the beginning of a series of initiatives by CCF, including a national-level exhibition from February 24 to March 22, and a global conference in November focusing on sustainable urban design.