Planned Cities in India. Occasional Papers No. 5.

Intended for college teachers of geography, especially those teaching about developing countries, this publication contains background information about urban conditions in India. Historical and contemporary accounts of urban planning are provided for three Indian cities. The city of Jaipur was built by a maharaja in the 18th century, long before the British became a major urban force. The study of this city allows geographers to see the development of a planned city, in a unique region of India, over a period of 250 years. Delhi, the second city studied, became the capital of India in 1912, and New Delhi was created during the 1920's and 1930's to satisfy the particular needs of the British. The study of these cities focuses on the collision of Indian and colonial forces during the last 100 years. The third city studied is Chandigarh, a city that is entirely post-independence and, therefore, noncolonial. Built for Indian purposes to Indian specifications, but admittedly mainly by foreign architects, it allows geographers to identify both the aspirations and the reality of urban India during the last 25 years. (RM)