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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

Value of Landscape Design In Creating Sustainable Urban

Transformation Model For Sarojini Nagar Housing
Community, New Delhi.

Ar. Richa Raje,

Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Planning & Architecture Bhopal - 462030,
India
[email protected]

Abstract. The challenges of rapid urbanization are going to increase as cities are becoming
bigger and numerous. These cities then put additional pressure on natural resources to meet its
energy demands, creating irreversible damage to environment. New Delhi capital city, that has
doubled its urban area in a span of twenty years, is now suffering from pollution, water scarcity
and vulnerability to natural disasters etc. Sarojini Nagar (south-west Delhi) is a housing
community that is essentially known for its city level informal market. These markets attract
large crowds every day and has become a unique social space. Looking at its commercial value,
a redevelopment scheme is envisaged by the government to accommodate a population density
beyond its carrying capacity. This proposal threatens the 4500 trees at site, which not only acts
as green lungs to the city but marks for social and cultural identity. An alternate design approach
that explores the possibility to integrate natural infrastructure with urban growth is required for
such redevelopment. McHargian method of landscape analysis is adopted to come up with
Sarojini Nagar masterplan. Evidence based results from landscape practitioners are devised to
formulate several design strategies. In this complex Indian context, the design proposal creates
multifunctional and resilient landscapes. It attempts to resolve traffic and cars, by creating
pedestrian dominated circulation network, strategic car parks and active streetscape. It
safeguards native trees by re-imagining the built-grid and bringing the idea of nature in a
convincing way. The hierarchy of well-knit open spaces creates a sense of place &
belongingness to the users. Rigorous design ideations carried with planning process allows for
creating compact urban infrastructure and sustaining ecology as potential living spaces. Through
multifunctional landscape design societal challenges such as population growth, scarcity of
resources, environment degradation can be addressed.

1. Introduction
Urban redevelopment is the reconstruction or upgrade of current urban built-up areas; it revitalizes old
towns and contributes to sustainable development. (1)
New Delhi is upcoming with six new redevelopment projects namely, Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar,
Nauroji Nagar, Thyagaraj Nagar, Mohammedpur, Kasturba Nagar. These projects aim to expand for
the housing and commercial needs. Over the years, these neighborhoods have become a living system
of social interactions with its surroundings as an inseparable entity. However, redeveloping these
projects comes with a price in terms of natural resource exploitation and social identity loss. Currently,
redevelopment is leading to massive tree felling, fragmenting urban landscapes, privatizing public
lands, unmanageable traffic, pollution & ground water exploitation. Kidwayi nagar redevelopment
project is going through the same fate i.e. “The NBCC 'model' project is hardly the totem of
sustainability and responsibility. It has been fined for non-compliance of environment laws, and official
planning documents expose its shaky claims of urban design and economic viability. They have side-
stepped both urban planning and environmental laws, have favoured high-rise, repetitive towers that
foster monopolies, and have left out traffic, trees and water as an afterthought.” (2)

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

This paper attempts to come up with Sarojini Nagar redevelopment design proposal as sustainable urban
transformation model.

2. Methodology
The methodology of this research by design includes both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the
site chosen for redevelopment. This is achieved though following steps:
Qualitative analysis: Understanding the landscape values i.e associated with its larger context based
upon Ian McHargs theory. This method helps us identify issues associated with natural processes and
natural resource values, social values and aesthetic values.
Quantitative analysis: Program development by deducing the relationship between the site, its
context and the projected needs. Adapting this theory to generate a synthesis/strategy map by
overlapping series of empirical maps and analytical drawings of the site area. The above-mentioned
steps then allow to prepare for a comprehensive landscape masterplan suitable for redevelopment.
Finally, this masterplan needs to be assessed and evaluated based upon the various parameters of
sustainability.

3. McHarg Theory on Landscape values

“As a means of lending scientific integrity to ecological approach, McHarg developed a scientific theory
of creative fitting that both explained and validated designing with nature. McHarg’s method was
ecological not only because it used ecological data but also because the outcomes it produced matched
the processes of adaptation and evolution. It helped determine where proposed human uses, such as
buildings and roads, intrinsically fit on the land. Since this design method located the fittest environment
for various land uses, it also fulfilled the basic principles of adaptation” (3).
While McHarg through his method attempts to figure out an alternate for the future destiny of the
developing urban environment by acknowledging landscape values, he mentioned “The objective of an
improved method should be to incorporate resource values, social values and aesthetic values in
addition to the normal criteria of physiographic, traffic and engineering considerations” (4). He further
suggests to map these landscape values for suitability and make it available for its city residents and
developers who can work in sync with them. “The most valuable innovations of the method is the
conception of complementary land uses, the search for areas that can support more than one use” (5).
These concepts in the layer-cake approach becomes the basis for proposing urban redevelopment of
Sarojini Nagar. In-depth understanding and stacking of physiography layers i.e. soil, hydrology,
vegetation, topography, slope etc. with social and cultural layers helps to define suitable strategies for
development.

4. About Sarojini Nagar and Urban Redevelopment

The capital city Delhi ranks highest being the most polluted megacity and in a state of “medical health
emergency” as stated by IMA, and heading towards a state of “natural disaster”. The depletion of ground
water levels poses a scenario of water scarcity in future. It has the highest incidence of murder, rape
and abduction among 19 cities with populations more than 2 million, national crime data for the year
2016, released on November 30, 2017, show. The need of more environmentally and socially resilient
city can be seen from these statistics. Connected open spaces with more movement discourage crime
and engage people socially.
The redevelopment project becomes an opportunity to re-examine the depleted natural resources and
revive them through self-sustaining natural processes. These processes can become the main spine to
our site planning and design of urban landscape.

4.1. About Site

Sarojini Nagar comprises largely of residential units allotted to various government employees.
Additionally, there are several existing schools, some convenience shopping canters, a central market
with a newly built multi-level parking block, and other public amenities like post offices, police stations
etc. The residential units are laid out on an orthogonal grid with clusters forming quadrangles. The
resultant courts and avenues are the locations of most of the mature trees found on the site. The existing
Government redevelopment model fails to address these new challenges (6)

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

4.1.1. Sarojini Nagar a social open space. Sarojini Nagar area in South Delhi, known for its market
places and considered a pocket shopping paradise sees a footfall of around 10,000-20,000 people on a
daily basis. The number doubles up during festive season and weekends. The market is surrounded by
the government housing complexes and offers a range of goods from vegetables to clothes to plants to
furniture to food stalls (7).

4.1.2. Government Proposal Description. The government approved the redevelopment of seven
“GPRA (General Pool Residential Accommodation) colonies through the National Building
Construction Corporation (India) Limited, NBCC (for Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar and Nauroji Nagar)
and the Central Public Works Department, Government of India, CPWD (for Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj
Nagar, Srinivaspuri and Mohammadpur). These projects are aimed at increasing the available
residential units by almost two-fold. These proposals are promoted as “innovative”, majestic
commercial towers reigning the commercial skyline of Delhi” and “elegant glass and metal facade
giving the complex a futuristic look.
These redevelopment proposals are large-scale developments characterized by the felling of trees, high-
rises and manicured landscapes. Transformation of this nature invariably results in the need to ‘wipe
the slate clean’ in a physical context. It is however, an unsuitable model for brown-field development.
Therefore, it clearly indicates a need to tread softly and redefine the redevelopment paradigm” (6).

4.2. Relationship between the site, its context and the projected needs
Ed wall and Mike Dring concluded that increased spatiotemporal site specificity can inform a deeper
response to a site through programmatic and conceptual frameworks for intervention, allowing site
processes to delineate spaces, generate forms and redefine our relationship with landscape (8). Site
specific opportunities for addressing environmental, social, cultural and economic goals leads the way
to program development.
Table 1 Site context and Program relationship

LANDSCAPE PRE-DESIGN GOALS SITE CONTEXT DESIGN

VALUES PROGRAM
Bringing nature back to the city Large canopy mature tree
ENVIRONMENTAL by utilizing the inherent avenues existing as per old
potentials of the site. development. These trees also Swale park,
form social places in the Bio remediation
Rejuvenating water network neighborhood park,
through bio swales and creating Botanical
resilient sponge for the city Barapulla drain degraded, left out garden,
and devoid of connection with the Wetland park,
Reimagining Grid for the built city fabric Sponge garden,
with respect to the existing trees Woodland
on site Fragments and isolated green
patches with lost water channels
and leads to stormwater flooding

Transit oriented approach for a Site has several fragmented

SOCIO - mixed use development. incidental open/green spaces,
CULTURAL however has active common
Interconnected green pedestrian neighborhood usable greens Water front
network to support walkability promenade,
and enhance visual experience. Approach to Market space lacks Special NMT
transition experience corridor,
Market space to be reimagined as Children park,
social open space Hierarchy of open space is Parks & garden
missing, further gets obstructed systems,
due to fast moving traffic Maidan and
playgrounds,
Lacks outdoor recreational Informal market
opportunities, which gets

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

populated during weekends and

festivals etc.

Inclusive design, creating series Crammed shopping street Multifunctional

ECONOMICAL of commercial and cultural saturated with pedestrian users; public
spaces leading to the ecological narrow spaces becomes barrier in buildings,
destination. circulation Streetscape with
informal
Encourage Commercial and Specific use buildings that market,
retail as a part of mixed-use doesn’t accommodate markets &
development with eyes on acres multifunctional activities gets multipurpose
very selectively used space,
Multi-Level Car
Slum settlement formation as the Park (MLCP),
edge of the higher income group Basti (slum)
housing with proposed
hawking zone

4.3. Demonstrating strategies through design

The revitalisation proposal aims to create a model resilient community that can guide future urban
development in Delhi and re-establish the man and nature connection by creating easy living environs
with secular landscape.

4.3.1. Devising Alternate Grid for the built with respect to the trees. Conserving the existing tree
cover and evolving built grain with flexible sized courtyard & open spaces which are connected by
swale networks. The new plantation comprises of five times existing trees (i.e 4027 trees) within open
spaces. Thus creating carbon negative environment & improve air, water quality of site.

4.3.2. Transit oriented approach for a mixed use development. The This project introduces a
multitude of linear and flexible blocks that as a typology are agile and can be used in a varied manner
which allows vertical mixing of land uses to promote social interaction while retaining the quality of
life of its residents.

4.3.3. Interconnected green pedestrian network to support walkability. Prioritising public access over
automobiles to resolve the issues of traffic and cars, by creating a dominantly pedestrian environment
that furthermore gives primacy to people on vibrant streets. MLCPS are provided near to the pedestrian
entrance leading to central core i.e Sarojini market. The pedestrian route allows for NMTS, bicycle
movement throughout and important destinations within the walkability radius of 5 to 7 minutes.

4.3.4. Inclusive design, Creating series of commercial and cultural spaces leading to the ecological
destination. Multifunctional spaces that facilitates entrepreneurship while providing opportunity and
interaction between people such as community gardens, public exhibition spaces, and temporary
markets. Conserving the public market area and encouraging local craftsmen to work for the city.
Integrating hawking and informality, as a positive connection for the place with an Interactive edge
between the slum and the proposed new development

4.3.5. Rejuvenating water network through bio swales and creating resilient sponge for the city. The
stormwater runoff is retained in the aquifers by different systems such as constructed wetland of 3km
length around the periphery of site. The water ways both as streams & swale network passes and links
these open spaces and a combination of different systems is provided to recharge ground water. A
number of sponge parks are given which soak maximum runoff during flooding. Channelization has
degraded the stream quality of the Barapulla stream. A Riparian edge plantation is proposed to revive
the natural flow of water. The use of soil bioengineering techniques (a combination of vegetation,
natural materials and civil engineering techniques) to stabilize the stream banks and prevent erosion.

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

Figure 1 showing built unbuilt relationship and land use plan; Source: Author

Figure 2Open space distribution: Public pedestrian domain, semi-public, Private and community open space Source: Author

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

Figure 3 Comprehensive landscape masterplan Source: Author

5. Results
Claudia Dinep and Kristin Schwab in their book Sustainable Site Design talk about five criteria as tools
for evaluating landscape sustainability: Connectivity, Meaning, Purpose, Efficiency and Stewardship.
Table 2 attempts to draw relationship of these criterias with the detailed design outcomes and further
establish link with the associated landscape value system which was suggested by McHarg.
Sustainability is often looked as ‘add on’ technology which can be applied to conventional approach. It
gets implied from the table 2 that an informed & sensitive landscape design approach by default works
with sustainable goals.

Table 2 Post Design Sustainability Assessment Source: Author

Sustainability Post design outcomes Associated Landscape

criteria application values
The site design …
CONNECTIVITY - Revives Barapulla nallah thereby forming an
(Connections between ecological corridor ENVIRONMENTAL
site and context, - Creates a network of public, semi-public and VALUES
ecological and private green open spaces. +
cultural systems, and - Revive buried water networks through a bioswale SOCIAL VALUES
temporal elements) system that stores stormwater runoff

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

- Creates a series of commercial and cultural spaces

MEANING leading to the ecological destination through
(A sense of place with active pedestrian network
active connections - Prioritized public access with non-motorised paths
between people and and multilevel car parks at major nodes SOCIO-CULTURAL
environmental - Barapulla stream edge development as interactive VALUES
processes) social space +
- Constructed wetland to purify polluted water of ENVIRONMENTAL
Barapulla drain VALUES
- Productive landscape by use of species which
improve soil health

- Built Typology guided by the existing tree

PURPOSE structure and existing built fabric to retain the
(Landscape as places, essence of the site.
not merely settings) - Enhancing publicness by creating a series of nodes SOCIAL VALUES
and streets as destinations +
- Integrates hawking and informality as a positive ENVIRONMENTAL
connection for the place. Interactive edge between +
the slum and the proposed new development ECONOMIC
- Vertical Mixed use built overlooking interactive VALUES
streets and plazas

- 95 % trees retained; Existing trees on site: 4026

EFFICIENCY nos. trees to be transplanted w. r. t. proposed plan
(Efficient resource use to be 200 nos.
of land, materials, and - 5 times more trees can be planted in green areas
energy to satisfy creating carbon negative environments
multiple uses with - Total green space (softscape and semi paved) to be
each construction) 60% with Ground coverage 30% & Roads 10%
- Proposed open space ratio: 11sqm/person,
total existing green open space: 61 acres +
total proposed green area:147 acres +
additional green area beyond site: 25 acres i.e.
3 times more open space
- Constructed wetland system 3 km long, treat &
recharge ground water; As existing nallah ENVIRONMENTAL
converted into wetland & sponge park +
- 4 km swale park to retain & purify 100 % storm SOCIO-CULTURAL
runoff; considering Peak rainfall intensity: 30 mm/ VALUES
day
- 6 Multi Level Car Parking i.e 4800 car park on
stilts
- NMTS, Bicycle throughout pedestrian street
which is also the shortest distance axis from
Sarojini market to the roads; 3-5 min walk to
nearest green & public amenity buildings; Sarojini
market area 7min walk (550 m) from the farthest
end.

- Visibly demonstrates sustainable site

STEWARDSHIP development techniques in clear contrast to
(Ensuring an inclusive neighbouring properties where manicured
design process carried landscapes are being proposed.
through to the long- - Creates a sense of ownership and shared
term care of the responsibility amongst the users i.e residents, EDUCATIONAL
changing landscape) visitors etc. VALUES
- Allows for natural processes to get established in
due course of time

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BEYOND 2020 – World Sustainable Built Environment conference IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 588 (2020) 052045 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052045

6. Conclusion
While this paper discusses about the design-oriented approach towards holistic urban redevelopment
using landscape value system. It also brings social benefits by designing in compliance with natural
surroundings.

1. This redevelopment project is not merely means to accommodate additional population in and
generate money through commercial sector. The idea of landscape must create a common
ground for its people to appreciate their living environments, and not mean to meet the functional
demands. The design process can catalyse prospects for creative and multiple use (functional
and aesthetic) of its open spaces and also ensure safekeeping of its landscape.
2. The research by design approach acts as tool by which, landscape value-initiated goals can
generate magnified design outcomes. For ex. Linking fragmented green space when subjected
to undergo the rigour of creating ideations creates various ways of transitioning from series of
commercial and cultural spaces leading to the ecological destination through active pedestrian
network.
As landscape designer who understands natural systems and interprets them on grounds for safe
human access, we play a very critical role in shaping our environment for sustainable future.

7. Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank IUDI for floating Sarojini Nagar Redevelopment Competition to all the
world of concerned designers and helped in this research. A very special thanks to Ar. Vikram Kohli,
an urban designer and Ar. Sonal Tiwari from School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal for
participating as a team in this competition and supporting through the analysis. I would also like to
thank Journal of Landscape Architecture LA 56 Mumbai for mentioning about this winning design
entry.

8. References
1. Han, Zhiyuan, Long, Ying and Hou, Xuan Wang and Jingxuan. Urban redevelopment at the block
level: Methodology and its application to all Chinese cities. EPB: Urban Analytics and City Science.
2019.
2. Menon, Manju and Kohli, Kanchi. The Wire. The Wire. [Online] 09 28, 2018.
https://thewire.in/urban/east-kidwai-nagar-should-serve-as-a-warning-not-model-for-delhis-
redevelopment.
3. Herrington, S. The nature of Ian McHarg's science. 29, s.l. : Landscape Journal, 2010, p. 6.
4. McHarg, Ian L. Design with Nature. Canada : John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1992. p. 32.
9780471114604.
5. McHarg, Ian L . Design With Nature. Canada : John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1992. p. 115.
9780471114604.
6. IUDI-DNCR DESIGN CHALLENGE 2018 Sarojini Nagar GPRA Re-Development PART 1 Design
Challenge Dossier. New Delhi : IUDI- DNCR, 2018.
7. Correspondent, dna. DNA. DNA. [Online] January 25, 2019.
https://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-south-delhi-no-space-for-pedestrians-at-sarojini-nagar-
residents-grieve-2711853.
8. Czechowski, Daniel, Hauck, Thomas and Hausladen, Georg. Revising Green Infrastructure:
Concepts Between Nature and Design. Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2015. 9781482232202.