Urban Visionary Alain Bertaud Returns to Chandigarh After Six Decades
For Alain Bertaud, the internationally acclaimed urban planner who collaborated with Pierre Jeanneret in Chandigarh back in 1963, the city's initial impact has remained an indelible memory throughout his lifetime. What captivated him most upon his arrival, as he recounted in an interview, was Chandigarh's exceptional pedestrian-friendly design.
The Early Charm of a Walkable City
"There were very few vehicles. Crossing the main avenues was easy," Bertaud reminisced. At that time, Chandigarh was home to merely a few thousand residents, yet it distinguished itself with infrastructure far superior to other Indian cities he had encountered—a direct outcome, he emphasized, of robust top-down urban planning.
While the Capitol Complex left him utterly awestruck, another stark reality troubled him deeply: the laborers constructing the city could not afford to reside within it and were consequently relegated to slums on its periphery.
The Erosion of Pedestrian Spaces
More than sixty years later, Bertaud identifies the most profound transformation as the loss of walkability—ironically, the very attribute that initially mesmerized him. The surge in private automobile ownership has rendered pedestrian movement between sectors exceedingly difficult, he observed, with roads now overwhelmingly dominated by relentless traffic.
"Cycling has nearly vanished because it's no longer safe," he stated, highlighting that daily life has become particularly challenging for those who still depend on walking to reach their workplaces.
Balancing Development with Heritage
Regarding the long-contested metro project for Chandigarh, Bertaud implored urban planners to avoid positioning development and heritage as mutually exclusive opposites. He stressed that green spaces must not be sacrificed for infrastructural expansion, citing examples from global cities like London and Paris where modern transport systems have been integrated without compromising historic open areas.
Instead, he advocated for solutions specifically tailored to low-income residents, proposing alternatives such as streamlined elevated rail lines or efficient express bus systems. He cautioned against imposing bulky constructions that encroach upon precious public spaces, urging a more thoughtful approach to urban mobility.
A Personal and Professional Homecoming
The return to Chandigarh proved to be an intensely emotional experience for Bertaud. He described the city as the foundational chapter of his professional journey, having arrived fresh from architecture school to work as a draftsman in the chief planner's office, where he meticulously modified housing plans using traditional tools like a T-square and triangle.
He fondly recalled arriving alone with just a backpack and the heartfelt welcome extended by Pierre Jeanneret, who even offered him accommodation. Among his most cherished mementos is a clay cast of Le Corbusier's hand, which he preserved as a tangible symbol of Chandigarh's architectural legacy and its inherent human warmth.
"I'm very emotional about being back here," Bertaud expressed. For him, Chandigarh transcends being merely an urban experiment; it represents the very birthplace of his life as a planner, where his career and passion for cities truly began.
