Le Corbusier’s City Set For A Soaring Transformation; Draft New Master Plan Approved, Allows Vertical Climb.

Chandigarh: The land-starved city has approved sweeping amendments to its master plan, ditching decades of Le Corbusier’s architectural tradition to mandate high-rise apartments and double industrial density.UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday approved major draft amendments to the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031. Backed by the central govt’s deregulation initiatives, the reforms completely ban new plotted housing developments outside the historical core.The master plan splits the territory into distinct architectural zones to preserve Chandigarh’s heritage while unlocking residential capacity. Doubling the industrial floor area ratio and forcing expansion into multi-storey complexes will accommodate surging population growth.The high-rise push aims to achieve a population density of 250 people on each acre, matching the urban expansion trends of neighboring states. However, the administration carved out an environmental exception for the IT Habitat. Due to federal wildlife mandates protecting migratory bird paths near the neighbouring Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, high-rises are banned there, restricting development to low-rise plots and flat complexes.Industrial and Commercial DeregulationThe amendments introduce aggressive economic updates to Chandigarh’s industrial zones. The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) — the ratio of a building’s total floor area to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built — will double to 2.0, with allowable ground coverage expanding to 60% across Industrial Areas Phase I and II.To boost economic flexibility, industrial plots up to 2 Kanal are freed from rigid architectural controls. Owners can permanently migrate to a flexible zoning framework to capitalize on the enhanced FAR. Furthermore, a 153-acre segment of Industrial Area Phase III will transform into a mixed-use commercial corridor.The administration has opened a 21-day public consultation window for citizens to submit feedback to the Chief Architect before a screening committee finalises the code. Specific regulatory parameters and structural impacts have been omitted from the primary administrative announcement.Strict Height Controls: Phase I ProtectionTo maintain the low-rise character of the historical Phase-I sectors, public, govt, and commercial buildings must strictly observe the height restrictions prescribed in existing architectural controls and zoning regulations. The administration will permit no additional height or vertical extensions under these amendments.