BHUBANESWAR -an ideal capital city designed to reduce the gap between rich & poor.

1. BHUBANESWAR
An IDEAL CAPITAL CITY
“Nehru did not want Bhubaneswar to become a ‘city of
big buildings’. It would accord with the idea of reducing
differences between rich and poor.”
Architect: Dr. Otto. H.Koenigsberger

2. BHUBANESWAR
• Bhubaneswar (20°15'N latitude and 85°50'E longitude), is an
area covering 91.9414 sq.km.
• The place has evidently derived its name from its principal
deity Tri-Bhubaneswar or Bhubaneswar.
• Has two distinct divisions, viz., the Old Town and the New
Capital.
• The following stages have affected the structure of the city:
a) The Temple Town (Upto 1948)
b) The “New Capital” (1948 – 56)
c) Growth of Institutions (1956 – 76)
d) Developments in Organised Sector (1976 Onwards)
e) The Present Bhubaneswar BMC – Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation
BDPA – Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area

3. OLD TOWN
• The Old Town is characterized by mixed land-use which is a usual
phenomenon with all ancient towns and cities of India. It contains splendid
specimens of Kalinga architecture spanning some twenty-five centuries of
history, depicting the grace, the joy and the rhythm of life in all its
wondrous variety.
• Bhubaneswar known as the “Temple Town” (Upto 1948), has a unique
position by virtue of the ability to seamlessly integrate its rich cultural
heritage with a strong regional economic base.
• Founded during the Kalinga empire over 3,000 years ago, Bhubaneswar
today boasts of a cluster of magnificent temples, constituting a complete
record of Odisha temple architecture from its early beginnings to its
culmination.
• The old city is featured by conglomeration of temples, monuments,
mandaps, heritage ponds etc. Initially, the old city had 1000 temples and at
present, the total temples are limited to 320.
Old temple town
It covers an area of
510 ha comprises of 4
villages
• Kapil prasad,
• Bhubaneswar,
• Goutam Nagar and
• Rajarani.

4. Why capital is shifted from Cuttack to
Bhubaneswar ?• The question of a new capital for Odisha was linked with
the Odias' movement for a separate province. Though
Cuttack, the headquarters of Odisha Division was the
centre of all cultural and political activities, it was found to
be insufficient and congested for a provincial capital
because of its location between the Mahanadi and Kathjodi
rivers.
• In 1933, the Odisha Administrative Committee
recommended the retention of the provincial capital of
Cuttack. After the creation of the separate province, for
various reasons, the question of an alternative capital site
was raised.
CUTTAK CITY PLAN

5. • In 1936, a team of experts, appointed by the Central Public
Works Department, which was headed by an engineer,
named F T Jones suggested Rangailunda, a place near
Berhampur town to be the site for the capital.
• The post-war reconstruction committee proposed
Bhubaneswar as the ideal site for capital because of its
history, availability of space and geographical propinquity
to Cuttack. The Public Works Department aslo reported in
favour of Bhubaneswar on 14 April 1945 : ".... expansion of
Cuttack ...... does not (appear) very promising ..... and it
appears that going to Bhubaneswar for further expansion
may be the best solution."
Why capital is shifted from
Cuttack to Bhubaneswar ?

6. NEW CAPITAL
• On 13th April 1948, Bhubaneswar got back its
status when the foundation stone of the
present capital township was laid by Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, after a gap of 1600 Years.
The present old temple town was formed and
was confined to an area of 956 Ha.
• Later on Bhubaneswar was born as the new
capital of Orissa in close proximity of the old
temple town, the Master Plan for the new
township was prepared by the famous
architect Dr. Otto. H.Koenigsberger in 1948 to
shape the city in serving as an administrative
centre for the state, on the basis of the concept
of NEIGHBORHOOD UNIT PLANNING
• The site for the New Capital was selected after
careful consideration.
• It has the advantage of lying on the border between
the fertile delta land and the hilly forest areas of
Orissa.It has the natural advantage with regard to
drainage.
• The ground slopes from west to east and is divided
into two parts intersected by the railway line.
• The western part is high land with laterite soil that
permits the growth of forest and the eastern part is
low with alluvial soil suitable for agriculture.
• The velocity of wind is maximum in summer.

7. • Koenigsberger’s design laid the city out in a linear pattern
with a central artery forming a main spine to which
neighborhood units were attached. It was designed for the
population 40,000.
• Neighborhood units had all the major amenities. Each unit was
to house a population for 5,000-6,000.
• It had a clear social agenda in accordance to Nehru’s Policies:
neither cast nor socio-economic were to exist and gender
equality and education were to be stressed.
• By 1961, the population reached 40,000. The plan was revised
by Julius Vaz to accommodate eleven neighborhood units
instead of four units.
• Nehru did not want Bhubaneswar to become a “city of big
buildings” . It would accord with the idea of reducing
differences between rich and poor.

8. PLANNING PRINCIPLES
• Design of the New Capital is based on the system of neighborhood
units which means a group of houses, large enough to afford the
major amenities of urban life like schools, dispensaries, shopping-
centres, entertainment, public libraries, etc. but at the same time
small enough to keep all these amenities in short distances, so that
the main advantage of rural life can be preserved.
• To avoid boredom and uniformity the neighborhood units are
individually with the object of giving it a distinct character.
• In contrast to the Old Town, the land under different uses are
segregated from each other so that the foul smell, smoke or dust of
industry does not affect the residential areas nor the crown and
of a commercial area affect the silence and solemnity of an
administrative or educational area.
• An area of 231 acres has been allotted for an Industrial Estate

9. A ’Planned Capital City ‘ need to have
• A unique local identity and sense of place.
• Clean natural environment, including water and air.
• Regular blocks divided in to uniform plots.
• Straight streets intersecting at right angles.
• Rectilinear plots according to predetermined units of measurement [symmetrical layout/Grid
Planning].
• Administrative and Government offices planned to be in one unit of space.
• ‘Capital Complex’ consisting of Secretariat ,Legislative Assembly ,High court ,Raj Bhavan, MLA
Quarters , Ministers Quarters etc.
• Commercial complex.
• Open, accessible, and well-kept public spaces and parks.
• Hospitals , schools , Open grounds for meetings etc.
• Green Belts and water bodies to be Eco friendly.

10. 1. footpaths,
2. parkways,
3. cycle paths,
4. Arterial Road (200ft. wide with 10ft. Wide foot-paths)
5. Major Unit Road (150ft. Wide)
6. Major Housing Street (100ft. Wide)
7. Minor Housing street (40ft. Wide)
for seven groups of users for seven different functions.
• The overall widths of land earmarked for roads and streets were
not determined by traffic alone but also by requirements for
storm water drainage services like overhead electric lines,
telephone, water and the need of adequate light and air to the
adjoining houses.
• The overall width of land allotted for road purposes
was, therefore, dependent on the height of houses on
both sides.
Koenigsberger suggested seven types of roads –

11. • The capital town was planned in 1948 and
was built between 1948 and 1961 at a
respectful distance from the temple town
with no conscious steps taken to preserve
the individual identities of each.
• The city grew fast and the intervening areas
were filled up quickly. Toady the “New
Capital” presents a sharp contrast with
distinct areas earmarked for residential,
commercial, institutional and such other
uses.
FIRST CAPITAL CITY
PLAN

12. • During 1956-76 major administrative
activities like secretariat, heads of
departments and similar government
offices came up in Bhubaneswar. The
salubrious climate, availability of
suitable land attracted a number of
various state level and regional
institutions.
Growth of institutions (1956 – 76)

13. • Constitution of the Bhubaneswar Regional
Improvement Trust (BRIT) in 1976 and subsequently
the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) in
1983 and the role of institutional finance for mass
housing in the organized sector appears to be
landmark in this phase of city’s growth. The
schemes like Housing Board Colonies, BRIT
Colonies, etc..
• In all such cases economy of space and cost had
influenced the structure as well as their immediate
environment. Shortage of Government land and
economy of scale contributed to construction of
multistoried flats
Developments in Organized Sector (1976 Onwards)

15. The City Today
• The city which was planned originally for
40,000 people with an area of 1684 Ha of
is now accommodating about 7 lakhs people
with an area of about 135 sq km.
• The shape of the present city has assumed
nearly a rectangular froms which shows the
signs of development of the town on a vast
unutilized undulating plateau.
• The city has extended in seven different
directions during the last few decades by
engulfing the fringe villages.
• This extension has got varied length and
dimensions from the core of the original
which has been supposed to lie at the
temple area.

16. “Bhubaneswar today is a model of livability evident by the city’s stable
growth rate in the recent decades. It is one of the few cities that has been
able to successfully capitalize upon its assets- be it the tangible and
intangible heritage (natural, built and people) or its strategic location- into
economic drivers that have shaped the city’s growth in the recent decades.”
REFERENCE:
• Bhubaneswar_ From a Temple Town to a Capital City - Ravi Kalia
• One Idea, Many Plans_ An American City Design Concept in Independent India - Sanjeev Vidyarthi
• http://www.odisha.gov.in/forest_environment/pdf/Chap_3.pdf

17. THANK YOU
BY
KOLLI RAJESH
kollirajesh888@gmail.com