Karnataka
1985

The system of dams now under construction in Karnataka will raise the level of the Ghataprabha river, submerging part of the existing town of Bagalkot under water. Hence the Government of Karnataka’s decision to develop New Bagalkot, presently under construction about 10 km further along the National Highway. This new town being developed for a population of 100,000 persons, will not only house the displaced inhabitants from the existing town, but is also expected to become the major new growth centre in the region, attracting the distress migration which is otherwise gravitating to other already overcrowded cities like Bangalore and Hubli. This assignment provided the opportunity to try and apply some of the same principles discussed in the planning of Ulwe (Affordability, Replicability, etc.) to a small town, far more typical of urban growth in India, using an approach that generates flexible street patterns analogous to the existing town of Bagalkot – as also to most traditional Indian towns that have grown naturally and organically over a period of time. Furthermore, as will be seen, in this approach, the composition of any particular sector does not have to be pre-determined by the planners, but can be decided from time to time, as the town grows, depending on actual demand.