The vision
Le Corbusier's rational, sector-based capital — a clean break from colonial India built around sun, space and verdure for the modern citizen.
Context
After Partition, Nehru commissioned a city 'unfettered by the traditions of the past,' organized into 47 self-contained 1.2 km² sectors with monumental concrete government buildings.
What happened
Chandigarh works — it consistently ranks among India's most liveable cities — but the rigid plan resisted India's organic street life and informal economy. Satellite cities Mohali and Panchkula absorbed the messy growth Corbusier wouldn't allow.
Why it fell short
- Sector grid hostile to pedestrians and informal vendors
- Strict zoning forced commerce and labor into unplanned periphery
- Heroic concrete monuments designed for cars, not the 40°C summers
- Original utopian vision diluted by relentless population pressure