“Workshop on Management of Historic Urban Landscapes of the 20th Century”

18 – 21 December 2007, Chandigarh – India

Heritage is our inheritance from the past, what we live with today and which serves as a legacy for future generations. The notion of modern heritage (twentieth century) does conjure contrary reactions since the ‘modern’ is considered contemporary and therefore a difficult concept to validate for being ‘old’ enough. Twentieth century heritage essentially includes the large scale utilization of fragile manmade materials—steel, glass and reinforced concrete that popularized material as the ornament of the twentieth century. It represents the factory line production of standardised construction elements as a means to regenerate destroyed city fabrics rapidly, to rehabilitate communities, and new towns especially during the post war and interwar periods. Modern Heritage is unique in itself as it utilised modern materials and mechanized methods of buildings, to fulfill the needs of a modern society through the creation of an entirely new vocabulary of functions. Conscious efforts worldwide towards the conservation of Modern Heritage, and its recognition by UNESCO World Heritage Centre (through a special Programme for Modern Heritage) are initiatives towards the valorization of its heritage value.

The idea of building Chandigarh, a capital for East Punjab, was conceived in 1947 immediately after the Independence of India. Compared to contemporaneous new towns in India, Chandigarh acquired a special status as a symbol of the spirit and potential of Independent India. It was to be an aesthetic and social utopia –  “a new town unfettered by traditions of the past,” “a capital from which would flow life and activity throughout the Province,” and, “the last word in beauty, in simplicity and in standards of such comfort as it is our duty to provide to every human being.” The aim was to create a model in city planning for the nation, if not for the world. ....more....

According to the principles of CIAM, the separation of urban functions -- Living, Working, Care of Body & Spirit and Circulation became the generator of the Chandigarh Masterplan. The Capitol Complex representing the head – the think tank (representing the function of Work) of the administrative capital, occupies the geographical head of the plan. The Capitol Parc as Le Corbusier himself called it, is located in Sector 1, against the backdrop of the Shiwalik Hills. Comprising the Capitol group of buildings, flanked by the ‘Rajendra Park’ and the ‘Sukhna Lake’ on each end, it stretches across the entire width of the city. To attain the permission to visit this symbol of democracy - The Capitol Complex....more........

The Unesco World heritage Centre has accepted the inclusion of Chandigarh as a part of the Serial Nomination of the Urban and Architectural Works of Le Corbusier on its Tentative List of World heritage Properties.....more...

The two-day international colloque organised by the Department of Culture, city of Le Havre with the support of UNESCO, World Heritage Centre, Paris, and DOCOMOMO International was aimed towards the recognition, valorization and protection of the architectural and urban heritage of the 20th century.

Inaugurated at the Hotel de Ville, Le Havre, France, the conference brought together four urban sites of the 20th century, recognised by their entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List (still awaited for Chandigarh). These included Brasilia (1987), Tel Aviv (2003), and Le Havre the most recent (2005). Born from the desire of prime contractors carried by a vision of the future, designed and carried out by professionals, first class architects and urban planners, these cities have since undergone an intense development. Their exceptional modern architectural heritages are references throughout the world. How to balance the protection and enhancement of the most prestigious buildings with the requirements of urban life remains today an open question... more....