Planification
Plan & Design
The township boundary, in the form of a circle of 1.55 mile (2.5 km) radius, is comprised of three concentric circles: the outer for greenbelt; inner for city; and a center. The greenbelt functions as a fertile zone for applied research in the sectors of organic food production, forestry, soil conservation, water management, waste management, alternative energy, village outreach programs and other areas essential for sustainable development.
A French architect, Roger Anger, developed the model for the future City of Auroville to serve as the container for its activities. The town plan layout seen from above looks like a spiral galaxy with four radiating sectors (the international, cultural, industrial, and residential zones) leading out to a surrounding greenbelt. These four sectors are focused on the Matrimandir, a globe-like structure that is the geographical heart and soul of the township.
Greenbelt
Auroville’s Master Plan includes a surrounding greenbelt that is a critical for the overall functioning of the community and is a critical component for engaging regenerative design practice. The greenbelt is an eco-research laboratory supporting sustainable and integral development. Land use is designed to promote biodiversity enhancement, environmental management, land regeneration and water management with three main categories of uses, agriculture and farming, forest and land regeneration and recreation. Greenbelt process, methods, and know how are disseminated in technology transfer for wider application across India and the world.
Process
Planning evolves in three stages:
- Master Plan – Incorporates long-term planning policies and general structure of land use, transportation and scale of amenities (proposed by Auroville and approved by Indian government);
- Development Plan – Presents current grounded realities in detail with data, information and collaboration from the community; and
- Annual Plan (Implementation Plan) – Conceived within the framework of the Development Plan, this plan contains the details of new and ongoing projects to be implemented during the financial year.
Auroville’s town planning and development research organization, L’Avenir (Town Development Council), addresses urban design, planning, architecture, topography, mapping, GIS, model making, infrastructure, data bank, etc. Under its umbrella falls everything concerning the conceptual planning, design, architecture and execution of the physical township and its surroundings in terms of the galaxy concept and Master Plan. It encompasses environmental matters, integration of services and infrastructure, non-polluting traffic, water harvesting and conservation, cultural heritage conservation, interaction with organic farming and afforestation projects, as well as integration of villages and regional development needs.