Lutyens Delhi
Contents: Preface. 1. The British in Delhi. 2. Building of New Delhi. 3. New Delhi and the old city. 4. Spatial order of New Delhi. 5. The Connaught Place. 6. Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ). 7. New Delhi Municipal Council and Zone ‘D’ (New Delhi). Annexes. Bibliography.
The Connaught Place, Central Vista, Parliament, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Secretariat, Lodhi Garden, Jantar Mantar these are some names known all over India as the icons of Delhi. Perhaps King George V, Who proclaimed Delhi as the imperial Capital of India and Edwin Lutyens, its architect, could never imagine that they would create a panorama of Indias greatness in building of the New Delhi. It is kaleidoscope of India’s unique heritage and new vision.
This book on Lutyens Delhi traces the history and evolution of capital of India, its treatment and conservation efforts through the successive master plans, starting with Interim General Plan of Delhi in 1957, and the forces of development. The author underlines the need to conserve the only surviving garden city of India. At the same time the demands of renewal, upgradation and better services, transportation and decentralization have to be part of conservation strategy.
Based on historical research the author gives an account of its planning, development and conservation. The hypothesis brought out is that the Lutyens Delhi being the national pride can not be conceived as a property. This book provides an interesting study for those involved with city building, planning, management and conservation of the urban heritage.
About the Author: A.K. Jain, an architect- town planner, is on Advisory Board of the UN-Habitat. He is chair of the Monitoring Committee of Commonwealth Games, New Delhi 2010. He is a fellow of the Eastern Asia Region Organization for Planning and Housing (EAROPH), International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP), INTACH, Indian Institute of Architects, Institute of Town Planners, India and the Indian Buildings Congress. He studied at the Institute of Housing and Urban Development studies, Rotterdam and University of Birmingham. He is on Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environmental Studies (UK). As Commissioner (Planning), he worked on the master Plan for Delhi-2021, National Urban Housing Policy(2007) and National Urban Transport Policy (2006). Mr. Jain is a visiting faculty at Delhi School of Planning and Architecture and is author of several books and papers.
