TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. SMART CITY MISSION ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Introduction .............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. SUSTAINABLE STATE CAPITAL-AMRAVATI .................................................. 2
History .................................................................................................................... 2
A HIGH-TECH SUSTAINABLE CITY:..................................................................... 3
NEW CAPITAL CITY AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: ..................................... 4
Introduction.......................................................................................................... 4
PRESENT CONDITION AND NEW CAPITAL CITY: .............................................. 5
Population............................................................................................................... 5
Proposed Land Use ................................................................................................ 5
GREEN PLAN: ....................................................................................................... 6
AMRAVATI AS A WALKABLE CITY: ...................................................................... 7
5 INNOVATIVE IDEAS: .......................................................................................... 7
Swanky Aesthetics and State-of-The-Art Architecture ........................................... 8
A Green-and-Blue Happy City ...................................................................................... 8
A Smart City With Biometric Solutions .................................................................... 9
Thematic Regions ................................................................................................... 9
Integrated Public Transport .................................................................................. 11
Energy Efficiency .................................................................................................. 11

3. AMRAVATI - URBAN DREAMS ......................................................................... 13

Master Plan .......................................................................................................... 16
Navratna-City Of Nine Themes ............................................................................. 18
GOVERNMENT CAPITAL COMPLEX: ................................................................ 19
HIGH COURT: ...................................................................................................... 20
4. CRITIQUE ............................................................................................................ 20
5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 21

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 SMART CITY MISSION
Smart City Mission, is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with
the mission to create 100 cities across the country making them resident friendly and
sustainable. Smart Cities Mission envisions developing an area within 100 cities in the country
as model areas based on a zone improvement plan, which is relied upon to have a rub-off effect
on different parts of the city, and nearby cities and towns. Cities will be selected based on the
Smart Cities challenge, where cities will compete in a countrywide competition to obtain the
benefits from this mission. As of January 2018, 99 cities have been selected to be upgraded as
part of the Smart Cities Mission after they crushed other cities in the challenge.

SUSTAINABLE STATE CAPITAL IN INDIA

“AMRAVATI”

HISTORY OF AMRAVATI
Amravati was originally part of Deogiri Kingdom in the thirteenth century. Due to the dense
forests, mountain ranges and craggy terrains of the region, Amravati was thinly populated.
However, it was a famous tour center and people from near and far came to pay respect to
Goddess Ambadevi. A crippling scarcity gripped the region in fourteenth century, resulting in
massive number of fatalities. The region came under the Mughal rule in sixteenth century when
Aurangzeb was the emperor. Aurangzeb constructed the Jumma Masjid and slowly people
belonging to Islamic faith started settling here. After Aurangzeb's death, the region was passed
into the hands of Marathas, and King Chhatrapati Sahoo Maharaj gifted Badnera and Amravati
to Ranoji Bhonsle in 1722, under whose able leadership the city grew in prosperity. During
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nineteenth century, Amravati came under the British rule - initially, it was ruled by tNizams on
behalf of the British and later on by East India Company. Amravati also plays a significant part in
India’s struggle for freedom. Several eminent freedom fighters such as Dadasaheb Khaparde,
Shri Ranganath Pant Mudhodker, Sir Moropant Joshi, and Shri Prahlad Pant Jog greeted from
this region.

A HIGH-TECH SUSTAINABLE CITY FROM SCRATCH

Andhra Pradesh has recruited Norman Foster to help redesign its capital city, Amaravati.
Singapore-based urban consultants Surbana Jurong are also involved in the planning, which
aims to create jobs and homes for all, a world-class infrastructure, a green city and effectual
resource management.

Foster’s team is designing the central focus of 217-sq-km city, including the Legislature
Assembly and High Court Complex, and according to architect, the design will incorporate
“decades-long research into sustainable cities” as well as the latest technologies being
developed in India.

Large shaded walkways to encourage people to walk through city, lots of green spaces,
widespread use of the solar energy and a transportation strategy that includes electric vehicles,
water taxis, and dedicated cycle routes characterize the plans, which are set to be realized
within 25 years.

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 NEW CAPITAL CITY AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION:
In 2014, former Andhra Pradesh state was divided into 2 states. The west region became a new
state called the Telangana and the former capital city Hyderabad remained in it. On other hand,
the east region became the remaining Andhra Pradesh state and the new capital city must be
developed in state. The new capital city will be developed in the area called Amaravati, which is
located in south of the midstream of Krishna River. In this land, they are going to develop a new
capital city with the high-end infrastructure representing India and basic infrastructure from
purchase of land and retrieval work.

Sumitomo Corporation and former Andhra Pradesh state have been in a good and close
relationship for over 25 years since the construction of the hydro power plants and thermal
power plants in the state. In 2014, both parties have concluded a MOU for the development of a
new capital city in AP and were ready to work together.
Fields to be studied were:
 Disaster management system
 Traffic control system
 Data center and cloud
 Water treatment plant
 Waste water treatment plant
The capital city area of 217 square kilo meters called Amaravati where the new capital will be
established.
Also, Vijayawada which is located in the north of Krishna River and Guntur which is located in the
Southeast will be studied.

PRESENT CONDITION AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF NEW

CAPITAL CITY:

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Population:
The new capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati is a green field development with existing villages
and habitations. The forecasted population for year 2050 with respect to land use is presented.

2050 Population for Land Use Forecasted

Amaravati by Land Population [2050]
Use No.
1. Residential 3,552,950
2. Commercial 545,032
3. Institutional 507,051
4. Industrial 121,485
Total 4,726,518
Proposed Land use:

Land Use Allocation Area (ha) Share (%)

Residential 6,610.97 30.4
[low/medium]
Parks & Open 6,663.18 31.7
Spaces
Roads & 3,079.67 14.2
Infrastructure
Commercial 2,309.55 11.6
Public Facilities 1,771.72 8.2
Industrial 1,276.79 6.9
Total 21,711.88

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 GREEN PLAN
The master plan designed by the Singapore government for AP’s new capital Amravati marks 21%
of total area of 217 sq. km. for a green network. It envisions creating 5.6 million jobs in the city
and its surroundings that will be home to 13.5 million people by 2050.

AMRAVATI TO BE ‘WALKABLE CITY’ WITH GREEN COVER,

WATERWAYS
The designs submitted by British architect firm Foster and Partners for the upcoming capital
Amravati had a sustainable building vision with nine integral components, the main attraction being
a walkable city. As per the design, capital city had 53% green cover with 10% water coverage and
21% roads.
The plan envisioned an unmanned electric bus network along the central spine. Space had been
created for electric vehicles, bicycles, pedestrian routes and water taxis. The idea was to reduce
carbon emission by 34-40%.
As part of smart city vision, planning was to be done in such a way that there will be optimized
use of water, power and generation of less waste. “The city would be carbon-neutral. It will be
sustainable and will produce all its energy through rooftop solar panels”.

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The sustainable building visions also reflects various environmental policies mentioned in Vision
2029 document prepared by state government.
Designers prepared plans with lot of blue and green areas so that the capital becomes an
environmentally friendly city. Foster and Partners are currently involved in preparing final design
for the permanent government complex.
“The basic idea was to build the city in tune with suitable building vision.”

5 INNOVATIVE IDEAS AMRAVATI IS ADOPTING TO BECOME

INDIA’S MOST FUTURISTIC CAPITAL
With a swing of futuristic features being rooted into its design, Amaravati — the new capital of
Andhra Pradesh, a state that was left with no capital after Telangana inherited Hyderabad three
years ago — holds a promise of being the city like no other in India.
Along with knowledge from Japan and Singapore, the Amaravati project is reinforced by $1
billion in loan pledges from World Bank and Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, alongside
another $2.3 billion from the state and federal government agencies.

Not only can these features help the ancient city become a futuristic and world-class capital,
they may well become a template for India’s 100 smart cities project.
1.Swanky Aesthetics and State-of-The-Art Architecture

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Amaravati promises to be a beautifully appealing city with state-of-the-art architectural
ornamentations. According to city plans, Amaravati will have four prominent gateways
resembling the entrance of historic temples and have city squares designed on lines of famous
Trafalgar and Duke of York squares.
Major roads will have waterways occupying their central axes for facilitating water-borne
transportation similar to water taxis of Amsterdam. The city will also have public spaces (like the
London’s Battersea Park and New Delhi’s Raj path in New Delhi). Recognizing Amaravati’s
ancient Buddhist roots, the developers also plan to design the High Court in a way that it
resembles a Buddhist Stupa.
2.A Green-and-Blue Happy City

According to Ajay Jain, principal secretary, energy, infrastructure, investment and Capital Region
Development Authority (CRDA) departments, Amaravati is being planned as a happy city in
which ‘Citizen Happiness Index’ will be the core concept. Affordable housing and 100% Wi-Fi will
be provided while overhead electric wires and mobile towers will be absent.

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Being built on a 217 sq. km open field in Guntur district, it is also being designed as a green and
blue city i.e. 51% of it is planned as green spaces and 10% as water bodies (which will help
keep the temperature under control).
Special emphasis has been laid on developing extensive walkways and cycling tracks —
interlinked to a 25 km network of open-air green spaces — to promote a walk-to-work
environment and non-motorized transport.
1. A Smart City With Biometric Solutions

According to Amaravati’s city plans, every property will have fingerprints and iris scans from a
new national folder linked to it. Inhabitants will pay property tax and utility bills using bank
accounts and mobile apps linked to database—a system planned to prevent owners from
fudging visits by government debt collectors.
An underground power grid with smart meters will identify points in usage, making it impossible
for thieves to climb up power poles and steal electricity (a common problem in India). Drones will
also be positioned to spot new slums popping up within the sprawling parks it plans, allowing
authorities to quickly clear them.
2. Thematic Regions
Amaravati will have nine thematic regions containing Knowledge, Tourism, Sports, Electronics,
Health, Finance, Media and Government. Of these, the regions of Health, Knowledge and
Business are perceiving the fastest development.
Health Hub
With world-class medical infrastructure and huge investments in health sector, Amaravati is
aiming to quickly become a medical hub providing advanced medical care at affordable rates.
One of the key features of this plan is the development of the BRS Medicity, an integrated

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facility comprising a medical university, a teaching hospital, top-notch R&D institutions and other
establishments.

Recently, the foundation stone for King’s College Hospital (being established by the Indo-UK
Foundation at an estimated cost of Rs. 1600 crore) was laid in Amaravati. Other than specialized
medical units, the hospital will also have an IBM Asia data analytics unit, an implant
manufacturing unit and other health essentials.
Knowledge City
Amaravati’s Knowledge City — which will also be the nucleus of all the other theme cities — will
house world-class educational institutes that provide quality education to lakhs of state students.
With this vision in mind, educational institutions like AIMS, SRM University, National Institute of
Design, Amity University, Amrita University, Centurion Institute of Tool Design, and National
Institute of Fashion Technology have started construction of their campuses.
In fact, the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has already built its campus and began teaching
its first batch in July 2017.

Business Hub
According to plans, Amaravati will also get leading institutes of excellence (built on a public-
private partnership mode) similar to Hyderabad’s Indian School of Business (ISB). Spread over
nearly 100 acres, it will be set up at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

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For this, he plans to lead in the elite class of global academic world (like the London School of
Economics, University of Birmingham, Harvard Kennedy School and National University of
Singapore) as well as the leaders of the corporate world. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations, the
World Bank and ADB are the proposed partners of this B-school dream.
3. Integrated Public Transport
Amaravati will provide a transport hierarchy that encompasses an integrated network of Metro
rail of about 12 km, bus rapid transit of about 15 km, downtown road of about 7 km, arterial
roads and sub-arterial roads of about 26 km and collector roads of about 53 km, with varying
rights-of-way.

Furthermore, the government has designed a development in such a fashion that there will be
public transport facility at a distance of every two km. Also, most of these vehicles will be electric
or run on ‘clean fuel’.
4. Energy-Efficiency
Andhra Pradesh is planning to invest over Rs 16000 crore for setting up world-class power
substructure in Amaravati and introduce provide best practices in areas of energy efficiency. The
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL) have been
attached to help create sustainable building designs, an optimization of energy performances,
renewable energy utilization, low-energy building materials, sustainable construction technology,
batteries for energy storage etc.
Moreover, Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) will help Andhra Pradesh
Capital Region Development Authority build energy-efficient and thermally comfortable buildings
in Amaravati. Wind flow patterns and temperature studies will also be undertaken before
implementing these state-of-the-art designs.

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Tracking the Progress
Till date, Amaravati has only got its interim secretariat building — which houses temporary
gathering, in a 49-acre area, with major arterial roads being constructed all around.

According to the timeline of this mega project, Andhra’s capital will be populated and functional
only by 2024 i.e. after the end of its second phase, when most of buildings, commercial
establishments, universities and central business district will become operational. The third and
the final phase is expected to be completed by 2029.
As for whether all of Amaravati’s futuristic plans will come to fruition that remains to be seen.
Here’s hoping they do — not just in terms of their physical infrastructure, but also in terms of an
atmosphere that promotes economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, creativity, modernity,
cosmopolitanism and cultural freedom.

AMARAVATI: URBAN DREAMS

The definition of development in Asian cities for a large majority of leaders and planners is
catching up with West or its modified versions by adapting to globalization or generating a global
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city. For these leaders, early adoption of new trends, practices, and models in the West, or a
proxy such as Singapore or Shanghai, increases the attractiveness of their city. At present, this
is the perception of Andhra Pradesh leaders and planners towards the capital city Amaravati.
The master brain behind planning and development of Amaravati is Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh, Chandrababu Babu Naidu, who earlier played a major role in the development of
Hyderabad before bifurcation. Although it is quoted as the people’s capital, the way this city is
being planned and built shows little interest in social, cultural needs of the people. The plan
focuses on industrial and infrastructure growth, providing favorable business climate, excellent
infrastructure, good law and order and cordial industrial relations, with the aim of positioning the
state as most preferred destination for investors. These projects are unambiguously profit-
oriented and commodified in nature, with corporate sector playing powerful role in their
conceptualization, planning, development and governance. Naidu was born on 20 April 1950 at
Naravaripalle, Chittoor district, in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh to an agricultural
family. He thus knows about the life in field of agriculture. Unfortunately, his priorities to the field
of farming are minimal compared to others. He served as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from
1994 to 2004. It is during this period that he drew his ambitious plans for Hyderabad, turning it
into an information technology hub. It was during his tenure, that several IT companies opened
offices in what came to be known as Cyberabad. While he was praised by sections of the
national and international press, critics accused him for concentrating development exclusively
on Hyderabad, ignoring rural areas of the state and farmers’ issues.
This mistake developing Hyderabad exclusively leaving other parts of Andhra Pradesh behind,
left him with a major challenge after bifurcation. As Hyderabad went to Telangana, downsized
Andhra Pradesh had to figure out how to generate enough revenue and survive as an
independent state. Not to repeat same mistake, the government has decided to go for
decentralized development of state with three mega cities and upgrade fourteen cities in
Andhra Pradesh into smart cities along with the development of capital, Amaravati. Though the
fourteen smart cities get the plans of dedicated industrial park and infrastructure, Amaravati’s
function as a capital is unique. The state government has decided to establish a green field
capital city as a civilized, environmentally sustainable and people’s capital.
According to Susantha Goonatilake “independence did not result in new theoretical
orientations but in a shift towards broader dependence on new centers of dominance.” A
committee of five “core” experts led by chairman Sivaramakrishnan, former Secretary in Urban
Development at the national level, was appointed by government to study various alternatives
regarding the new capital. After considerable indecisiveness, the potential location of new capital
was narrowed down to three distinct regions of Uttarandhra consisting of Visakhapatnam
region, Rayalaseema arc and Kalahasti-Nadikudi spine in addition to the Vijayawada-Guntur
region.
In India, urbanization has meant “something larger and more abstract than what could be
found in existing cities”. Naidu with similar ideology, did not want a city’s existing
infrastructure to obstruct his vision of building a “world-class city”. This made him choose the
region between Vijayawada-Guntur that has more open agricultural lands for the construction
of capital city excepting the existing settlements. By using agricultural land to build a capital, he
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gave least importance to farming and people’s livelihoods. Apart from this, the factors that
favored the choice of location for the new capital city included access to everyone, significance
to the state’s geography, rail, road and airways connectivity, proximity to ports like Kakinada,
Machilipatnam, availability of water, existing infrastructure to initiate the development, proximity
to urban areas like Vijayawada and Guntur, apart from its cultural and political history of more
than 2000 years. Vastu (a traditional Hindu system of architecture) played an important role
in site selection based on its topography, position of nearby hills and water bodies. Considering
each of these elements, the proposed capital Amaravati City of Andhra Pradesh falls under
Guntur district between Vijayawada and Guntur cities on upstream of Prakasam Barrage on the
Krishna River.

The 217.23 Sq. Km site is home to 97,960 people living in 25 villages, located within three
mandals: Thullur, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri. Though the physical spaces of these existing
villages are considered in concept plan, their social and cultural practices are not taken into
account. Planners have not only refused to acknowledge and incorporate the universal
transformations and underlying collective behaviors into decision-making but also continue to
believe in planning’s efficacy only as a rationally applicable. In other words, planners are driven
by optimism that they can create new forces of change with sheer physical structures and
restrictive legislation.

The name Amaravati is derived from the ancient temple town which is also located in the
same region. However, it is not integrated into the general master plan, leaving it on the
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outskirts of the proposed new capital city. The ancient city including nearby locations and
Dharanikota were capital of the Satavahana dynasty that held sway over much of Deccan region
between 230 BCE and 220 BCE. It had also been a prominent center of Buddhist studies in 2nd
century BCE. It was believed that tEmperor Ashoka himself commissioned the well-known
Buddhist Stupa of Amaravati. The stupa is very well known and is inscribed with panels
depicting life and teachings of Lord Buddha, Buddhist sculptures and slabs with Buddhist
inscriptions. Adapting the name from such great ancient capital city Amaravati, Naidu believes
that capital city has both ‘vastu balam’ (strength of vastu) and ‘nama balam’ (strength of name),
indicating that both the name and the location are auspicious. By using the name Amaravati for
the new capital, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister managed to strike an emotional harmony
especially with countries like Singapore and Japan, where Buddhism is the most widely
practiced religion. Japanese Minister of Economics, Trade and Industry Yosuke Takagi at the
foundation ceremony mentioned that it is a great pride and honor to stand this sacred land as
they have learnt about this great land of Amaravati as great seat of learning for Buddhism right
from 3rd century BCE in Japan. This is from where the seed of Japanese nation’s culture and
values have emerged. He also assured that, Japan will come forward to donate its experience
and technology to this sacred place. While Singapore based firms has prepared three master
plans for Amaravati and is ready to partner in its development.
Though the government leaders had agreement to the location of the new capital, they shared
common vision concerning the nature of city. They view the city as a formal economic artifact;
recognize international business districts, corporate headquarters, and chain restaurants;
privilege mega projects designed by “architects”; and observe the Westernization of cities.
Majority of post-colonial leaders and planners consider Chandigarh as the great step forward for
Indian planning which was done by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Though there were other cities
like Gandhinagar planned by 25 Indian planners after Chandigarh, nothing has come close to its
scale or intense publicity. So, with its inspiration from Chandigarh, the government looks outside
of India for architects and planners who can imagine Amaravati to be a modern world class city
with western environments. As a matter of fact, no doubt that such type of planning can only be
done by international architects and planners who has minimal or no knowledge about the social
and cultural features in India. One another reason behind the selection of planners from
Singapore and UK based Foster partners as architects to design the capital complex, is to attract
the investors from various parts of world with the help of its publicity. Naidu is leaving no stone
unturned to compensate the loss of Hyderabad, especially in attracting the income towards the
capital city. In the name of planning he was trying to build up partnerships with Japan and
Singapore expecting their firms to set up their base in state. Locating the capital city between
India’s key economy generating cities namely Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam
and Jagdalpur all of which lie within 300-400 km is expected to attract skilled and talented
people from these cities.

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MASTER PLAN:

Chandrababu Naidu’s travel to Singapore, Japan and China in 2015 has been central to his
conception of Amaravati. Captivated by Singapore’s transformation into a leading financial hub
in Asia, he was trying to build the capital city in Singapore’s image.
The development of Amaravati is in the form of a rectangular grid aligned to cardinal directions
with primary roads aligned to north-south poles and the equator. Though the grid plan dates
from ancient times and has originated in multiple cultures, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, are
major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization which built blocks divided by a grid of straight streets,
running north-south and east-west. However, it became more prominent in India when planned
in Chandigarh by Le Corbusier who believed grid iron plan as the only correct way of
approaching ‘modern’ problems of city planning. In support of his belief he pointed to grid iron
pattern of the thirteenth century bestrides in south of France and to American colonial cities of
seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, including the plan for Washington.
Naidu’s fascination towards modern developments did not end with a gridiron pattern but
continued deeper to follow the concept of ‘neighborhood unit’. The concept was formed as a
comprehensive physical planning tool by New York planner Clarence Perry in 1920s, for
designing self-contained neighborhood in metropolitan areas. It specifies four basic design
elements: civic institutions (especially a school and a community center), parks and
playgrounds, convenience stores, and a hierarchical configuration of streets providing safe
pedestrian access to all the public facilities. Originally ‘neighborhood unit’ concept was
conceived as a remedy for perceived ills in American cities, while the concept became stock
planning item in post-war United States and traveled to many countries including China, Britain
and India. Parts of India that has already attempted to indigenize the neighborhood unit are; in
Delhi as ‘Mohalla’ unit, in Eastern India’s Bokaro Steel Plant’s township and in Rajasthan’s
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Jawahar Nagar. However, the concept has purely adapted to the environment of their respective
places and resulted in dramatically changes accordingly to their present-day neighborhood,
leaving critical implications for the planning practice and the literature. Amaravati following the
same trajectory as above neighborhoods will not be any different from them.
Unlike in United States, schools in India are provided by individual state establishments so due
to lack of funds they become discarding grounds in many instances. Moreover, as Vidyarthi
(2013) points out, a neighborhood unit neither eliminates nor restricts residents’ preferences and
customs of provided public facilities, so they can send their children to a school in another 29
neighborhood. Also, almost all of the middle-class parents prefer expensive “English medium” or
private schools that usually provide a complete education from nursery to high school level,
contradicting the planning of providing a hierarchy of primary and secondary schools within
quarter, half and one-mile radii. Thus, the ill fate of school sites in newly planned neighborhoods
reduced the significance of their central location in neighborhoods for Indian planner.
Also, the Krishna and Guntur districts comprise of the best agricultural lands and is often
referred to as the rice bowl of the country. Farmers often bring these fresh vegetables, fruits,
flowers and many others directly from their farm lands and sell them on carts road side at low
prices. Thus, the wide range of bazaars and informal spaces that are part of the culture are not
even considered into the plan. When planners do not acknowledge these local activities and
culture, people initially familiarize the (abstract) space and tend to transform into their own lived
spaces within their own capacities. Yet nothing can completely prevent ordinary people from
transforming abstract space into livable space or carving out the latter from the former.
For instance, in three decades Jawahar Nagar saw major transformations from the original
planned unit by planners. Such as upgrading a plot concerning mandatory restrictions and
prescribed heights, conversion of houses into shops and offices and transformation of public
spaces. As evident, people are not passive recipients of the dreams of the dominant actors.
Thus, highlighting that Indian planners have not only refused to acknowledge and incorporate
the universal transformations and underlying collective behaviors into decision-making but also
continue to believe in planning’s efficacy only as a rationally applicable technology.
Naidu when asked in an interview by Romig (2017) about his vision towards Amaravati, says
that “I’m not thinking [of] today and tomorrow, but thousands of years, for future 30
generations….”. While Jawahar Nagar saw a radical change from its original conception in just
three decades, one might question Amaravati’s similar township planning asking; Can Amaravati
retain its township planning as planned at least for 50 years after implementation?
Navratna: City of Nine Themes:
Combining the above described township model blocks together, a final master plan was
developed by the Singapore planners. However, concept plan was proposed with nine themed
development cities in the capital city, which is expected to be a hub of activities serving a unique
function and as employment generators within the capital. This is not the first time for a city to
have different themed districts, though Amaravati might be first to have all the nine different
themes. Cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad have their own experiences

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either with the government city or electronic city or knowledge city or with financial city in various
ways. While one can relate closely with the experiences in Bangalore and Hyderabad due to its
familiarity with the nearly similar cultural behaviors between people. Behavior styles of people,
the similarity between these cities and Amaravati is, that a Singapore-based transnational real-
estate developer specializing in building high-tech enclaves, was involved in establishing such
areas in both Bangalore and Hyderabad. While Chandrababu Naidu played a major role in
Hyderabad by acquiring seventeen villages to create a world-class high-tech enclave called
Cyberabad (called as electronic city in Amaravati concept plan).

GOVERNMENT / CAPITOL COMPLEX:

Chandigarh’s capitol complex was placed in north-east corner of the capital to take advantage of
Shivalik hill in background. In contrast, Capital complex of Gandhinagar was placed in the heart
of city with a central greenery of 60mt. wide having a riverfront behind. However, Amaravati
having the combination of both the natural features, is located in the heart of capital city. Having
Krishna River at the north edge of Amaravati government complex, it has Kondapalli hills on the
north and Neerukonda hill to the south which become points of reference for the area at a Macro
scale.

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The legislature building designed by Norman Foster consists of Legislative Assembly,
Legislative Council, central hall and hosts several ancillary functions within the building. The
iconic building spreads over 400 acres on the ceremonial axis is 250 m. tall. With the thought
that humans last only for a few decades but buildings last for centuries, the design was more
significant, that it does not fit in with any of the present architecture buildings in the capital region
or in India. In other words, without the flag, no one will be able to recognize it as an Indian
state’s legislative building. Architects claim that the design represents ‘people and their
aspirations’. Also, public and tourists are allowed into the core of building, is justified as giving
prominence to Amaravati as “people’s capital” in their perspective. Thus, questioning the
meaning of “people” in their point of view.

The high court, designed by Norman Foster, proposed to be built in the city, south of
Amaravati government complex, is inspired by Indian stupas. Along with the dream of catching
up with the west, Naidu made sure that designs include the symbols and monuments that could
be called their own. In this context, Indian leaders and architects think of this design as a great
creation that could powerfully affect Indian architecture in the future.

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 CRITIQUE
The new city of Amaravati, intended to be eco-accommodating and economical, is viewed as
another heading for Indian urban communities that are ordinarily contaminated and blocked. In
any case, there's been a push once again from nearby villagers reluctant to give up fruitful land
to development cranes.
As huge plans and complicated models were made for another city in south India, authorities
attempted to impart their vision to a large number of farmers who surrendered land for the
decades-long, multi-billion dollar project.

A GLOBAL AND NARROW VISION

Using a method called ‘land pooling’ – that has been criticized by farmers, activists and others –
the Naidu government has acquired over 30,000 acres of land on the southern banks of the river
Krishna. It promises a ‘world-class’ capital city in the style of Singapore or Dubai , with glittering
corporate and government buildings overlooking the river, wide avenues, a golf course, high-rise
residential complexes and malls and casinos on islands in the river. The Singapore-based firm
Subarna Jurong prepared the master plan for Amaravati.
This particular vision is unsurprising and far from original. It is in line with the corporate-driven,
trickle down model of development that international consultant organizations such as the
McKinsey Global Institute and Scott Wilson have recommended India follow in the coming
decades, and that the Narendra Modi government has adhered to.

PLAYING WITH WATER

The stretch along the Krishna on which Amaravati will be built is a highly fertile floodplain – or a
catchment area that replenishes itself naturally during rainfall and flooding, maintaining the water
level of the soil, as well as the flow and ecology of the river, by continuously absorbing and
discharging water.
Constructing on a floodplain would destroy that natural system of absorption and discharge and
severely raise the risk of flash flooding, as Khosla and Bolisetti explain. Several recent disasters
have been the result of encroachment – buildings, roads, dams and embankments – on
floodplains: the flooding of the Adyar and Coovam rivers in Chennai, of the Mithi river channel in
Mumbai, in Srinagar and in Uttarakhand. Building Amaravati on the Krishna floodplain is akin to
asking for a repeat of one of these disasters.

PLAYING WITH LIVES

Naidu’s government has been presenting Amaravati as a capital city ‘for all’ – as India’s first
urban centre of truly global standards. But farmers, activists and others have been questioning
the government’s motives and methods, asking just who the new city will benefit.

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In a presentation in Delhi in July 2016, Khosla and Soni described how the land chosen for
Amaravati is currently the source of a vibrant agro-economy that yields Rs 1000 crore per year,
with complete linkages from farm to market and many participating women entrepreneurs. The
soil here is so rich that over 20,000 farmers in the 29 villages grow three or more crops annually
and more than 120 varieties in total. Even marginal farmers who own half an acre or less earn
more than Rs 30,000 each month. The destruction of the Krishna floodplain for the construction
of Amaravati would mean the destruction of this rich local economy and these livelihoods.

CONCLUSION:

Overall, the planners of projects that claim to serve public health, safety and welfare have
minimal knowledge of ordinary people’s everyday activities and cultural practices and pays less
attention to these. Amaravati never a unanimous idea. Like Chandigarh, some favored the
building of a new capital while others vigorously opposed and argued that it would destroy prime
agricultural lands of the country. However, the ideology of the dominant political actor Naidu
revealed the formal political power he held, but also over- weighed the economic and social
arguments of the oppositions.

Although, Naidu is respected for his enormous efforts in trying to bring about transformation, he
is also criticized by local people for acquiring the lands through LPS, not considering the culture
and the environment of the region. His frequent comparison of Amaravati to Singapore, which
has little in common, is another aspect that is often criticized. Additionally, the LPS in Amaravati
which is considered as the most successful of its kind in India has also created uncertainties and
tensions even among those who willingly gave their lands and cooperated with the government
due its delay in construction. Yet, irrespective of these criticisms Naidu is adamant in fulfilling the
dream of Amaravati. Singapore’s transformation from a fishing village to model a megalopolis
within a generation is Naidu’s inspiration. This kind of intention in mind, Naidu turned towards
Singapore in planning the master plan of Amaravati.

The Singapore-based planners of the Amaravati project who have very little knowledge of
everyday activities of ordinary people in India produced a township model that is far from local
realities. The UK-based architects studied ancient monuments and famous places in the region
with the intention of producing an environment that India can call its own. As a product of the
processes of searching for India’s own symbols and monuments and trying to bridge the gap
between “ancient” and “modern”, the designs for the high court resulted in a combination of
abstract Indian ancient-monuments. The concept of abstraction in the designs is highly preferred
because it’s the most valued in west and claims to represent the world neutrally. However, the
cultures that the architects studied and adopted in their designs were given the least importance
by planners.

It is not wrong to get inspired from the other countries, especially the well to do ones, but one
should not overlook the resources available in its local region produced by their own people. A
great resource India is its agriculture and bustling bazaars that support livelihood of local people
in the region which the development model does not consider. People in India are more used to
eating food from road-side carts and buying fresh vegetables and fruits that sold on carts.
Andhra Pradesh which is known as the food bowl of India has more such informal businesses

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which get produce directly from the farms. In Western countries, such big box stores. In Indian
Rythu bazaars, the produce is much cheaper than anywhere else. No matter how much they
transform, such informal markets are the source for a wide-range of ordinary people. Amaravati
project is causing rapid urbanization in Vijayawada, resulting in more concrete apartment blocks
and wide roads. Yet, people produce their lived spaces by carving out room for their daily
activities which can be a subject for deeper study. Although Amaravati’s planning model might
be different from Vijayawada, the recipients who are going to live in the city have the same
culture. As illustrated in chapter four, the farmers and agricultural laborer’s have already made
up such informal business’s roadside on the way to Amaravati from Vijayawada. Thus, the
capital city’s planning resembles the initial situations of Jawahar Nagar and Chandigarh, which
saw a dramatic change after completion.

Informal space by local farmers in Vijayawada

In sum, this study is an attempt to convey the gap between Naidu’s urban dreams which follows
foreign ideals and conceptualized by foreign planners but contested and transformed by local
people’s lived processes. Amaravati is just not erasing the prime agricultural land but is also
bringing drastic changes to the livelihoods of the farmers and agricultural labour. The formal
spaces planned as per the master plan is thus an alienated space from the nature and people.
However, in Chandigarh and Jawahar Nagar, people localize themselves, their activities, and
spaces in one way or another. Understanding people’s spaces requires us to pay attention to the
“messy” spaces they produce. When planners refuse to acknowledge and incorporate these
spaces in the system, such people will become beggars or burden to the society of which there
is no of lack in India.

The real danger in the Amaravati story is that a serious, positive planning process has been
turned into a flight of whimsy and that public projects remain captive to state caprice. Every large
urban undertaking lays bare the efficiency of the systems, the capacity to self-organise and the
nature of leadership that drives them. In the making of the Amaravati, none of it appears
reassuring.

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