CITY LEVEL PROJECTS Public Space Initiatives Ten Public Spaces Identified by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) (An ISO 9001 : 2008 Certified Organisation) Delhi Urban Art Commission The Delhi Urban Art Commission was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1973 to “advise the Government of India in the matter of preserving, developing and maintaining the aesthetic quality of urban and environmental design within Delhi and to provide advice and guidance to any local body in respect of any project of building operations or engineering operations or any development proposal which affects or is likely to affect the skyline or the aesthetic quality of the surroundings or any public amenity provided therein”. (An ISO 9001 : 2008 Certified Organisation) Delhi Urban Art Commission Prof. Dr. P.S.N. Rao Chairman Sonali Bhagwati Member (Upto 5 October 2017) Samir Mathur Member Sonali Rastogi Member Durga Shanker Mishra Member & Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs DELHI URBAN ART COMMISSION with gratitude duly acknowledges the valuable contributions of the (Upto 10 August, 2017) following in making this report: Manoj Kumar Member & Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (From 11 August, 2017) Organisations / Others Vinod Kumar Secretary Ministry of Urban Development Delhi Development Authority Duac Officers Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rajeev Kumar Gaur, Raghvendra Singh, Indu Rawat , Amit Mukherji, Uma Bhati, Manju Anjali, Siddharth Sagar, North Delhi Municipal Corporation Nihal Chand East Delhi Municipal Corporation South Delhi Municipal Corporation New Delhi Municipal Council Senior Consultants Geospatial Delhi Limited Ameet Babbar, Amit Ghosal, Minesh Parikh, Nandita Parikh, Rahoul B. Singh, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Satish Khanna Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board BSES Rajdhani Power Limited Consultants BSES Yamuna Power Limited Aarti Mankame, Apurva Jain, Deeksha Lalwani, Joel Michael, Shilpi Madnawat, Swati Raman RWA’s and Area Councillors Anil Kumar (3D Visualizer) Google Earth Preface *DISCLAIMER* This report is for academic purposes only and has been prepared on the basis of information gathered from various sources, in cases without any independent verification. The report can be adopted and utilized by any Government Authority/Local Body in The city of Delhi, capital of this vast land of diversities, is a city laden with layers of history, the Country and is provided free of cost. The report is not meant to derive any kind of a place where civilizations have lived, prospered and perished over centuries. The modern gain, monetary or otherwise. city today, built over and around a rich tapestry of heritage, presents an opportunity Though all efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this at every turn, to allow for co-existence of the past, present and the future. In order to report, the same should not be construed as a statement of law or used for any legal understand this multidimensional urban spectrum and attempt to plan the future, various purposes. Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) accepts no responsibility in relation to city level studies have been initiated by the DUAC. I hope that these studies will help the accuracy, completeness, usefulness or otherwise, of the information contained in the the planners of modern day Delhi to carefully articulate urban space, structure, form and publication. Stakeholders are advised to verify/check any information with the relevant environment and sensitively address future requirements. Government Department(s) and/or other source(s), and to obtain any appropriate I convey my thanks to all the Consultants and Members of the Commission who have advice before acting on the information provided in the report. tirelessly worked on this research project to bring out this document. I also take this While adequate measures have been taken to acknowledge the source of the opportunity to place on record my sincere appreciation of the efforts of Secretary and information used in the report, the nature of the process and the diverse sources other staff of DUAC for providing the necessary administrative support to make this from which information is collected makes it difficult for the Commission to ascertain happen. whether each piece of information/data impinges upon any third party intellectual I fondly hope that the authorities of the local, state and national government take these property rights. DUAC shall consequently not be responsible for any inadvertent and studies seriously and implement, in right earnest, the suggestions given herein. / or bonafide omission of acknowledgement of source of information. In no event will the DUAC be liable for any expense, loss or damage including, without January, 2018 Sd/- limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any expense, loss or damage Prof. Dr. P.S.N. Rao whatsoever arising out of any person/ stakeholder using or implementing or relying on Chairman, DUAC any information in this report. Contents 1 Introduction 10 7 Green Belt adjacent Air Force Station on Kamal Ataturk Marg 112 1.1 Public Spaces in Delhi 10 7.1 Site Context 113 1.2 Project Background 10 7.2 Existing Scenario 114 1.3 Study Approach 11 7.3 Proposal 118 2 Area above Palika Bazar and Palika Parking in Connaught Place 12 8 Shantipath - Vista and Roundabouts 124 2.1 Site Context 13 8.1 Site Context 125 2.2 Existing Scenario 16 8.2 Existing Scenario 128 2.3 Issues 24 8.3 Proposal 131 2.4 Proposal 26 8.4 Roundabouts at Shantipath 136 3 Triangular Plot on Baba Kharak Singh Marg adjacent to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara 40 9 Panchkuian Road Entry 150 9.1 Site Context 151 3.1 Site Context 41 9.2 Existing Scenario 154 3.2 Existing Scenario 44 9.3 Proposal 156 3.3 Proposal 48 4 Yashwant Place Park, Chanakya Puri 66 4.1 Site Context 67 10 T-Point at Kautiliya Marg 162 10.1 Site Context 163 4.2 Existing Scenario 70 10.2 Proposal 166 4.3 Issues 72 4.4 Proposal 74 5 Area around Mandi House 84 5.1 Site Context 85 5.2 Existing Scenario 87 5.3 Proposal 94 6 East Kidwai Nagar Park near South Kidwai Nagar Market 102 6.1 Site Context 103 6.2 Existing Scenario 104 6.3 Proposal 106 Summary 7. Shantipath Vista and Roundabouts: Shantipath is the main road in the Diplomatic Enclave of Chanakyapuri housing a number of foreign embassies. The study area under consideration is a 1.69 km. long stretch starting from the National The study was taken up on a request from New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as a part of their landscape initiatives Police Memorial at the Shantipath-Kautilya Marg round about upto the Shantipath-Satya Marg roundabout flanked by for 10 public spaces in Delhi identified as areas having potential for development. These spaces are: National Indo-African Friendship Rose Garden and BRICS Friendship Rose Garden. A lot of variation in plantation all along the vista fails to unify it. Thus the vision for the space is a landscape strategy to unify the vista, by an organized 1. Area above Palika Bazar and Palika Parking in Connaught Place: This area is a significant green space existing as two system of greens that compliments the formal nature of land use adjacent to Shantipath. Similar is the case with the 3 terraces, one each above the underground Palika shopping complex and the Parking, with a road in between. With time, roundabouts on this vista that do not have any character in terms of planting and form. Design solutions are aimed at fragmented development in terms of built, hardscape and softscape in the area, has led to creation of many unusable retaining all the existing trees while imparting a character to the roundabout with clarity in planting and its form. pockets. Also, in the absence of a legible and efficient circulation system the usage of space is further discouraged leading to a number of “dead” areas that become deserted. The landscape strategy is aimed at making the space active and more 8. Panchkuian Road Entry: The demarcated site is a linear green patch measuring 120 M X 13 M approximately, situated accessible through visible entrances, connecting pathways, introduction of play areas and seating spaces with screening above the Blue Metro line and lying admist the busy Panchkuian Road, in close proximity to the iconic Connaught Place. of services. Inspite of the site’s strategic location, it remains un- noticed & un- appreciated. The development of this linear site will help in uplifting the image of the overall street stretch and the surrounding areas. The vision for the space is to create an 2. Triangular Plot on Baba Kharak Singh Marg adjacent to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara: The 5 acres of triangular plot is iconic image acting as a Gateway to Connaught Place. This is achieved by opening up the space to the surroundings and the only considerable green patch lying between the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and the Government Quarters which bringing in life through introduction of public art/ sculpture. is accessed from Baba Kharak Singh Marg. The site development has not taken place as per the Master Plan provisions where it is designated to be developed into a children park, and is currently being utilised for a wide variety of other 9. T-Point at Kautiliya Marg: The site is located at the intersection of Kautilya Marg with Niti Marg in an area which uses. It houses a Traffic Training Park, 2 NDMC Nurseries, Traffic Police Office, Rain Basera under Delhi Urban Shelter bestows buildings of great importance like Foreign embassies and State Guest Houses/ Bhavans. It therefore, holds a great Improvement Board (DUSIB) and a Heritage Structure with Water Tank. The aim of the redesign has been to reclaim the potential to be developed as an independent landmark.