• Home
  • FP
  • UD4001-1
  • Urban Insert Master Plan for Underutilised Defence Land

Panse Shambhavi Nityanand

UD4001-1

Urban Insert Master Plan for Underutilised Defence Land

The studio focuses on the master planning and design of single-ownership large Greenfield developments/ cleared brown field development with a key emphasis on the design of livable neighborhoods. In the past few years, there has been increasing attention to redeveloping vacant and inefficiently used public land within cities to add much-needed housing, amenities, and an accessible and inclusive public realm. The Ministry of Defense is the largest land-owning public authority in the country, with 17.3 Lakh acres of land under its ownership. The studio unit makes a case for opening up part of the under-utilized defense land along the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad for redevelopment. This is aligned to the new National Defense Land Policy currently under consideration that encourages the development of surplus defense lands outside Cantonments for public infrastructure and improvements. The strategic location of the Ahmedabad Cantonment site close to the airport and abutting the riverfront phase 2 provides a unique opportunity to imagine future waterfront developments and to trigger further investments in the area. 


Report Content

The strategic location of the site along with city level assets in the periphery emphasizes on the need to redevelop

The site showcases ecological perks that can be retained along with proximity to city level transit system

The existing context and site features act as a major catalyst to ensure effective placemaking and create a sense of place for a brownfield site

Utilizing the existing site assets and remodeling them to create a landmark place for the city is the driving factor for this masterplan

The masterplan framework is formed through curating various experiences

The memory of the market district is recreated through the proposal of a pedestrian-friendly shopping experience culminating at the riverfront

The desired built form and building uses can be achieved through urban design guidelines

Walkable block sizes equipped with pedestrian-friendly community connectors help create desirable residential living in close proximity to the river

The riverfront block leverages its proximity to the riverfront by providing high end residential apartments and a central open space along the riverfront road to maximize views to the river

Amidst the city chaos, the lake forest district is a city level asset that functions as a calmer and quieter public space