auroville - upcommons

The Sus ta inab le Laborato r yAn A l te rnat i ve Human Set t lement

Mar ta de Sousa e Cas t roFina l Degree Research Pro ject

ETSAB

Barce lona Schoo l o f A rch i tectu re

Urban P lann ing and Lanscape I Tu to r : Car los Pe rez Lamas I Tr ibuna l : Jo rd i F ranquesa, I nes Aqu i l ué , Be r ta Bard í

h tps : / /mar tasousacas t ro.w i x s i te.com/ towards-a rch i tectu re

AUROVILLE

Abst ract

Sus ta inab i l i t y and eco logy a re ve r y p resent concepts nowadays, on

wh ich human i t y ’ s f u tu re and deve lopment on th i s p lanet depend. The impact

o f uncont ro l led g rowth and use o f resou rces beg ins to a f fect human l i fe and

a l l l i ves on th i s p lanet. The re ’ s a need to “ repa i r ” t he damage caused by

ou r spec ies and face anothe r way o f l i v i ng, a way that i s bene f ic ia l fo r a l l

spec ies.

As an a rch i tect, par t o f my job w i l l be to f i nd the bes t s t ra teg ies

to imp lement the mos t conduc ive concepts and techn iques fo r sus ta inab le

deve lopment. Th roughout the a rch i tectu re caree r these concepts a re

taught espec ia l l y i n ed i f icat ion ’ s f ie ld ; e i the r by pass i ve sy s tems, mate r ia l s,

cons t ruc t ion techn iques w i th h igh ene rgy e f f ic iency, e tc. I n u rban p lann ing,

the methods and sys tems fo r i n teg rat ing these concepts a re qu i te ra re in ou r

educat iona l sy s tem.

The re fo re, th i s wor k a ims to ana ly se eco log ica l and sus ta inab le

methods o f s t r uc tu r i ng human se t t lement s, i n ab le to under s tand the bes t

way to act i n u rban p lann ing towards a g reener fu tu re.

Key Words

Sus ta inab i l i t y, Eco logy, Eco-V i l lages, Env i ronment, A l te rnat i ve Soc ie ty, U rban

P lann ing, Human Set t lement, G rowth

-3-

Summar y

-5-

_ Fo reword

_ In ten t iona l Commun i t ies & Eco-V i l lages Movement

_ Au rov i l le _ Case o f S tudy . The Or ig in

. Locat ion . Env i ronment Re la t ion . Landscape

. U rban P lann ing

. Access ib i l i t y

. Dens i t y & So i l Occupat ion

. Soc ia l I n f ras t ruc tu re & Hous ing

. Hous ing

. Mat r imand i r, t he Sou l s o f the C i t y

. Commun i t y & Management

. Resou rces Management

. Lega l i t y & In s t i t u t iona l Suppor t

. Au rov i l le ’ s Awards

_ End ing

_ B ib l iog raphy

7

10

12

14

18

22

24

26

27

28

30

32

34

35

37

40

Fo reword

-7-

S ince the indus t r ia l revo lu t ion in the 18th centu r y, t he rhy thm

o f u rban deve lopment has been g row ing wanton ly. The search fo r a bet te r

qua l i t y o f l i fe by soc ie ty a f fected demography in ru ra l and u rban a reas.

Th i s f renet ic g rowth and deve lopment w i thout env i ronmenta l awareness (a

concept that ha rd ly emerged cont rove r s ia l l y i n the second ha l f o f the 20th

centu r y ) caused s ign i f icant damage to ou r p lanet, and l i fe beg ins to not ice

i t s consequences. The re i s cu r ren t l y a consensus assum ing no ent i t y w i l l

ma in ta in convent iona l resou rce consumpt ion and was te p roduct ion much

longer (G i ra rdet y Mendonca, 2009) .

Even though indus t r ia l act i v i t y has been rep laced ma in l y by the

commerce and se r v ice secto r i n the c i t ies, t he ra te o f resou rce consumpt ion

cont inues to g row (Lehmann and Corcke r, 2012) .

I n 2007, the wor ld ’ s u rban popu lat ion exceeded the wor ld ’ s r u ra l

popu lat ion fo r the f i r s t t ime in h i s to r y. The excess i s due to the rap id

deve lopment and g rowth o f u rban cente r s, wh ich a im to guarantee, i n th i s

contex t, a bet te r qua l i t y o f l i fe, lead ing to the exponent ia l abandonment

and degradat ion o f ru ra l a reas.

I n “ C i t ies and C l imate Change; G loba l Repor t on Human Set t lement s

2011” , the Un i ted Nat ions Organ izat ion p red ic ted that by 2050 the re

wou ld be a 70% u rban izat ion ra te and ove r 7 b i l l ion people o f the wor ld ’ s

popu lat ion . Cu r ren t l y, i n 2020, the wor ld ’ s popu lat ion has a l ready exceeded

th i s number, w i th a new f igu re o f c lose to 9 ,7 b i l l ion people expected. These

s ta t i s t ica l numbers revea l that u rban sus ta inab i l i t y i s a c ruc ia l facto r i n

g loba l res i l ience to fu tu re changes.

C l imate c r i s i s does not j u s t a f fect la rge u rban cente r s, bu t cu r ren t l y,

t he mos t a f fected te r r i to r ies a re genera l l y deve lop ing, whe re techno logy

and resou rces to face th i s p rob lem a re s t i l l ve r y scarce. These te r r i to r ies

a re mos t l y a f fected due to the deve lopment and mass i ve g rowth o f the mos t

deve loped ones. L i kew i se, sus ta inab le changes become necessa r y i n la rge

c i t ies and deve loped count r ies and sma l l , le s s deve loped set t lement s, o f

equa l impor tance and at ten t ion .

Th roughout h i s to r y, to ach ieve u top ia has been go ld fo r human i t y.

Ph i losopher s, economi s t s, po l i t ic s, sc ien t i s t s, and othe r s. have fo rmu la ted

theor ies o f how to ach ieve ha rmony and p rosper i t y by l i v i ng in a commun i t y.

Th i s way, many in ten t iona l commun i t ies a re c reated as “ laborato r ies ” fo r the

p ract ica l app l icat ion o f such theor ies. Bes ides, i t mus t be sa id that mos t o f

these p lanned commun i t ies a re, nowadays, par t o f the Eco-v i l lage Move-

ment. Be ing par t o f the Eco-v i l lage Movement i s “a combinat ion o f human

l i v i ng whe re human act i v i t ies don ’ t ha rm the natu ra l env i ronment and sup-

por t human ’ s hea l th . Eco-v i l lages combine soc ia l , eco log ica l and sp i r i t ua l

aspects ” . (Rober t G i lman)

I n ten t iona l commun i t ies have a l so b rought many soc ia l cont r ibu-

t ions to the b roader soc ie t ies i n wh ich they a re embedded – fo r example,

New Harmony, an in ten t iona l commun i t y founded by Rober t Owen in I nd iana

(USA) i n 1814 was the p ioneer o f f ree pub l ic educat ion and f ree pub-

l ic l ib ra r ies. (Rober t Scheh r, Dynamic Utop ia (Wes tpor t : Be rg in & Gar vey,

1997) ,28 .

Au rov i l le, an in te rnat iona l townsh ip founded in 1968 in southe rn I n -

d ia, i s a un ique example o f a p ract ica l exper iment i n u top ia and a sus ta in -

ab le soc ie ty to rea l i ze human un i t y. I t i s deve lopment, and evo lu t ion i s an

exce l len t p rototype o f how to reach, i n the rea l wor ld, the ba lance between

human i t y, natu re, and consc iousness. The las t 51 year s a l lowed Au rov i l le

to exp lo re innovat i ve fo rms o f governance, economic sy s tems, educat ion,

u rban p lann ing, and renewable techno log ies. Suppor ted by UNESCO and

the Government o f I nd ia (and othe r nat iona l and in te rnat iona l i n s t i t u t ions ) ,

Au rov i l le became the la rges t i n ten t iona l commun i t y and eco-v i l lage in the

wor ld . Wi th a popu lat ion o f 2500 permanent res ident s, Au rov i l le has ex-

panded i t s wor k to the neares t v i l lages by incorporat ing them in to the i r

educat iona l , soc ia l , and cu l tu ra l p rograms.

-8-

Th i s wor k p re tends to ana lyze the case o f Au rov i l le, based on i t s

idea l s and s t ra teg ies, not on l y f rom an a rch i tectu ra l , u rban and techno log-

ica l po in t o f v iew, bu t a l so f rom a soc ia l , cu l tu ra l , po l i t ica l and env i ronmen-

ta l po in t o f v iew. The ma in goa l o f th i s wor k i s to under s tand a l te rnat i ve

sus ta inab le fo rms o f management and deve lopment o f human se t t lement s,

to es tab l i sh gu ide l i nes fo r p roper sus ta inab le deve lopment o f a c i t y o r an

adecuate react i vat ion o f a ru ra l a rea, based in a rea l exper imenta l s tudy

case. The case o f Au rov i l le was chosen due i t s i nnovat ion and success i n

ach iev ing an a l te rnat i ve and more sus ta inab le mode l fo r a commun i t y.

Th i s wor k d iv ides i n to two par t s. F i r s t, t he approach o f what i s an

in ten t iona l commun i t y and the eco-v i l lage movement. Second, the ana ly s i s

o f the s tudy case o f Au rov i l le. Au rov i l le ’ s s tudy case beg ins w i th a sho r t h i s -

to r ica l i n t roduct ion, fo l lowed by ana lyz ing seve ra l po in t s : locat ion, u rban

p lann ing, access ib i l i t y, dens i t y and so i l occupat ion, soc ia l i n f ras t ruc tu re

and hous ing, commun i t y and management, resou rces management, lega l i t y,

and in s t i t u t iona l suppor t. Th i s wor k ends w i th an ana ly s i s to under s tand how

to face the fu tu re deve lopment to ach ieve a more sus ta inab le way o f act-

i ng in u rban and a rch i tectu re deve lopment.

Image 1 . Tr iang le o f Sus ta inab le Deve lopment

-9-

I n ten t iona l Commun i t ies& Eco-v i l lages ’ Movement

“The movement to c reate eco-v i l lages i s pe rhaps the mos t

comprehens i ve ant idote to dependence on the g loba l economy. A round

the wor ld, people a re bu i ld ing commun i t ies that a t tempt to get away f rom

the was te, po l l u t ion, compet i t ion and v io lence o f contempora r y l i fe. ”

He lena Norberg-Hodge,

d i recto r o f the In te rnat iona l Soc ie ty fo r Eco logy & Cu l tu re

In the ‘90s, the te rm eco-v i l lage by Rober t G i lman appears fo r the

f i r s t t ime in “ The Eco-V i l lage Cha l lenge Accord ing to G loba l Ecov i l lage

Networ k , t h i s t ype o f se t t lement s a l ready ex i s ted befo re i t s te rm was de f ined

( fo r example, Au rov i l le, t he case that th i s paper s tud ies ) . The more p ro longed

ex i s tence o f th i s t ype o f se t t lement s leads to in tu i t t hat env i ronmenta l

concern i n combinat ion w i th the search fo r a bet te r qua l i t y o f l i fe a l ready

ex i s ted in a sma l l consc ious par t o f the popu lat ion long befo re know ing

c l imate change p rob lems. Cu r ren t l y, a round the wor ld, more than 10 ’000

eco-v i l lages can be located, a l l w i th d i f fe ren t numbers o f i nhab i tan t s, a l l

l i v i ng in commun i t y accord ing to soc ia l , eco log ica l , and cu l tu ra l p r i nc ip les.

The cooperat ion, a f fect ion, and the w i l l o f a d i rect peacefu l re la t ionsh ip

w i th the p lanet by a l l t he members o f these se t t lement s a re essent ia l fo r

deve lop ing eco-v i l lages.

The re i s no s tandard mode l to g row an in ten t iona l commun i t y no r an

eco-v i l lage. These p ro ject s usua l l y e rase f rom the w i l l o f an unusua l l y sma l l

g roup o f people w i th the same idea l s and the same in ten t ion o f runn ing

f rom the t rad i t iona l soc ie ty that gathe r to ach ieve th i s a l te rnat i ve and more

sus ta inab le commun i t ies. Th i s o r ig in o f many d i f fe ren t t ypes o f se t t lement s

that can be, i n some way, i n teg rated in to the eco-v i l lages ’ movement.

S ta r t i ng, fo r example, w i th the developer- led-eco-communi ty ,

a k i nd o f convent iona l hous ing deve lopment, u sua l l y under taken by an

ent rep reneu r w i th the f i na l goa l o f mak ing a p ro f i t, bu t a l so in ten t iona l l y

des igned to be the mos t eco log ica l as poss ib le – h igh ene rgy e f f ic ien t,

du rab le and sus ta inab le cons t ruc t ion techn iques. One o f the mos t known

p ro ject s i s the BedZED – Beddington Zero Ene rgy Deve lopment i n South

London, des igned to p roduce a l l t he ene rgy necessa r y fo r consum ing.

I n the co-hous ing mode l , t he se t t lement i s u sua l l y p lanned and bu i l t

l i ke one. Fu tu re res ident s he lp to de f ine the des ign, empower ing the impact

the soc ia l and commun i t y re la t ions. However, a l l dwe l l i ngs a re independents,

wh ich a l lows each one to dec ide the leve l o f i n teg rat ion in the commun i t y.

-10-

Co-hous ing cons i s t s o f hav ing commun i t y houses fo r sha red mea l s and othe r

soc ia l se r v ices. Res ident s become fu l l y respons ib le fo r the se l f -management

o f the p ro ject once they occupy i t. “Co-hous ing i s a ma ins t ream opt ion

and in ten t iona l l y so. I t i s not an ‘a l te rnat i ve ’ l i fe s t y le but one deemed

appropr ia te fo r the b road ma jo r i t y o f people. ” (G raham Mel t ze r )

Eco-v i l lages have more robus t commun i t y dynamics than co-hous ing

p ro ject s – les s p r i vate space, more members wor k ing in the commun i t y, and

mos t have an e lement o f i ncome-sha r ing o r o the r sy s tems o f red i s t r ibu t ing

economic wea l th . Soc ia l , economic, sp i r i t ua l , and eco log ica l concerns

a re the mos t common in eco-v i l lages, wh ich tend to have s t rong sha red

va lues that va r y w ide ly accord ing to the eco-v i l lage. “Eco-villages tend to see

themselves as being in service to a wider cause, generally phrased in terms of ecological

restoration, strengthening community, nurturing the local economy, and/or deepening

spiritual insight. Most are engaged in educational and other demonstration activities

as a way of communicating their message and insights to the wider world. ” ( Jonathan

Dawson)

-11-

Aurov i l le

The Or ig in

-12-

Au rov i l le, “ t he idea l townsh ip devoted to an exper iment i n the human c i t y . ”

The Mothe r

Du r i ng the in te rnat iona l co ld war, I nd ia was the b igges t count r y

i n the out l i ne. I n September o f 1965, The Mothe r p roposed to UNESCO,

th rough the Government o f I nd ia, the c reat ion o f an in te rnat iona l c i t y ; “The re

shou ld be somewhere on ear th a p lace wh ich no nat ion cou ld c la im as i t s

own, whe re a l l human be ings o f goodwi l l who have a s ince re asp i ra t ion

cou ld l i ve f ree ly as c i t i zens o f the wor ld and obey one s ing le autho r i t y, t hat

o f the sup reme Tru th ; a p lace o f peace, concord, and harmony whe re a l l t he

f igh t i ng in s t i nc t s o f man wou ld be used exc lus i ve l y to conquer the causes

o f h i s su f fe r i ngs and m i se r ies, to su rmount h i s weaknesses and ignorance, to

t r i umph ove r h i s l im i ta t ions and incapac i t ies ; a p lace where the needs o f

the sp i r i t and the concern fo r p rogress wou ld take p recedence ove r the

sat i s fact ion o f des i res and pass ions, the search fo r p leasu re and mate r ia l

en joyment. ”

The Mothe r, 1969

I n November o f 1966, the Genera l Assembly o f UNESCO recogn izes

Au rov i l le as the on ly Un ive r sa l C i t y, g iv ing o r ig in to the f i r s t s teps o f a new

k ind and a l te rnat i ve human se t t lement. The p ro ject a ims to c reate a p lace

where a l l env i ronmenta l , soc ia l , cu l tu ra l , and sp i r i t ua l needs a re regu la r l y

searched and put i n to p ract ice, so human i t y and natu re can f i nd the r igh t

ba lance and l i ve in ha rmony w i th each othe r. On Februa r y 28th , 1968,

5000 people f rom 124 d i f fe ren t nat ions gathe red at the cente r o f the

fu tu re c i t y, nex t to a banyan t ree, whe re in a lo tus - shaped u rn , those same

people depos i ted a handfu l o f so i l f rom the i r respect i ve lands, as a symbol

o f human un i t y. The gathe r ing was the o f f ic ia l i naugu rat ion ce remony o f

Au rov i l le, whe re “ Char te d ’Au rov i l le ” – Au rov i l le ’ s Le t te r - was a l so re leased

in 16 d i f fe ren t languages.

“The Mother ” . Mi r ra A l fassa 1878-1973

Born i f F rance, f rom an egypt ian mothe r and a tu r k i sh

fa the r, M i r ra A l fassa became an accompl i shed pa in te r

and mus ic ian, and a f te r come back to A lge r ia on he r

twent ies, she became to wor k w i th seve ra l d i f fe ren t g roups

o f sp i r i t ua l seeke r s. I n Apr i l o f 1920 she jo in s S r i Au rob indo

in Pond iche r r y, whe re he recogn i sed in he r an embodiment

o f the dynamic exp ress i ve aspect o f evo lu t ionar y, c reat i ve

Fo rce, i n I nd ia t rad i t iona l l y known and approached

as the ‘ Sup reme Mothe r ’ . Both wor ked a l l t he i r l i ves fo r

the man i fes ta t ion o f a mode o f consc iousness beyond

m ind - “ The Supramenta l ” . A f te r S r i Au rob indo ’ s pass ing,

she cont inued h i s wor k o f psycho log ica l and phys ica l

t rans fo rmat ion .

“Human i t y i s not the las t r ung o f the te r res t r ia l c reat ion .

Evo lu t ion cont inues and man w i l l be su rpassed. I t i s fo r

each ind iv idua l to know whethe r he want s to par t ic ipate

in the advent o f th i s new spec ies.

Fo r those who a re sat i s f ied w i th the wor ld as i t i s , Au rov i l le

obv ious l y has no reason to ex i s t. ”

The Mothe r, 1966

Aurobindo Ghose.Sr i Aurobindo 1872-1950

Born in Ca lcu t ta, I nd ia, was a ph i losopher, yogu i , gu ru ,

poet and nat iona l i s t. A f te r be ing an in f l uen t ia l leader on

the Ind ian Movement fo r i ndependence f rom B r i t i sh ru le

he became a sp i r i t ua l re fo rmer, i n t roduc ing h i s v i s ions on

human p rogress an sp i r i t ua l evo lu t ion .

A t Pond iche r r y, S r i Au rob indo deve loped a sp i r i t ua l

p ract ice he ca l led In teg ra l Yoga. The ma in goa l o f

h i s v i s ion was the evo lu t ion o f human l i fe i n to a d iv ine

l i fe. He be l ieved in a sp i r i t ua l rea l i za t ion that not on l y

l ibe rates but a l so t rans fo rmes human natu re, enab l ing a

d iv ine l i fe on ear th . I n 1926, w i th the he lp o f h i s sp i r i t ua l

co l laborato r, The Mothe r, he founded the S r i Au rob indo

Ash ram - a sp i r i t ua l commun i t y a t Pond iche r r y.

-13-

“1 ) Au rov i l le doesn ’ t be long to anyone in par t icu la r. Au rov i l le be longs to

human i t y as a who le. Bu t to l i ve in Au rov i l le, i t i s necessa r y to be a vo lun ta r y

se r vant o f the D iv ine Consc iousness.

2 ) Au rov i l le w i l l be a p lace o f l i fe long educat ion, cons tant p rogress, and a

youth that neve r ages.

3 ) Au rov i l le want s to be the b r idge between the pas t and the fu tu re. Tak ing

advantage o fa l l t he ex te rna l and in te rna l d i scover ies, he want s to bo ld ly

launch h imse l f towards fu tu re rea l i za t ions.

4 ) Au rov i l le w i l l be the p lace o f mate r ia l and sp i r i t ua l search to g ive shape

to a conc re tehuman un i t. ”

Che r te d ’Au rov i l le, The Mothe r, 28 .2 .1968

Today Au rov i l le ach ieved 2500 people and i s a v i l lage in cons tant

evo lu t ion and chang ing s tage o f soc ia l , cu l tu ra l , educat iona l , and

sus ta inab le exper iences. An example o f an in ten t iona l human se t t lement

that a l lowed th i s p iece o f the p lanet to get a second chance and reborn

f rom the dese r t. Soc ia l cooperat ion and dedicat ion resu l ted in s ign i f icant

impact ; what 50 year s ago was a dese r t land w i th no resou rces, p resent l y

i t ’ s a land fu l l o f vegetat ion, an ima l s, and resou rces.

Au rov i l le ’ s locat ion i s i n V i l uppu ram d i s t r ic t, s ta te o f Tam i l Nadu,

South I nd ia, a t about 5 km f rom the Bay o f Benga l . When the Au rov i l le ’ s

p ro ject began, the re was no vegetat ion on th i s . I t was a lmos t l i ke a dese r t

w i th w ind s to rms and ra ins that p rovoked rav ine ’ s ca r ve c reat ing monsoon

f loods.

“ The landscape i s spar se l y wooded, the g round i s cons t i tu ted o f a

red so i l cu l t i vated by loca l peasant s accord ing to o ld methods. I n p laces

th i s land e roded by the monsoon ra in resu l t s i n ve r y sens i t i ve changes to i t s

re l ie f /he igh t s and the e ros ion c reates m ic ro landscapes.

The re i s a l so a l im i ted wooded zone and i t i s i n th i s secto r that some v i l lages

a re found. The ponds, impor tant du r i ng the d r y season ; i n the p rox im i t y the re

a re a few temp les that shou ld be rehabi l i ta ted . ”

Mar io Heyman _ UNESCO Confe rence _ November 1966

When address ing these p rob lems, the f i r s t g roup o f se t t le r s i n

Au rov i l le ’ s p r io r i t y was to c reate dams and dykes to s top the runo f f o f

monsoon f loods and p lant t rees. The key to the res to rat ion o f the ecosys tem

in Au rov i l le was the newcomers ’ en thus iasm a l l ied to the loca l s ’ i nd igenous

know ledge, wh ich resu l ted, 50 year s la te r, i n a res to red hea l thy land, f u l l o f

resou rces, p rov id ing a beaut i f u l and g reen landscape in Tam i l Nadu.

Nowadays, Au rov i l l ians and the neares t v i l lages en joy the

advantages o f the fe r t i le lands and the magn i f icent landscape. Au rov i l le

has p rograms o f suppor t and educat ion to the c loses t v i l lages, i n o rde r

to teach them how to l i ve sus ta inab ly, p ro tect ing the i r lands and c reat ing

hea l thy ecosys tems fo t a l l . Th i s way, Au rov i l le has i n teg rated in i t s p lans

more than 20 neares t v i l lages that a re now cons ide red par t o f i t s p ro ject.

Locat ion . Env i ronment Re la t ion . Landscape

-14-

Image 2 . Au rov i l le ’ s Land 1970

Image 3 . Au rov i l le ’ s Land 1970

Image 4 . Au rov i l le ’ s Land 1970 Image 5 . Au rov i l le ’ s Land 1970

Image 6 . Au rov i l le ’ s Land nowadays

-15-

Green Be l t

C i t y Cente r

Au rov i l le ’ s Proper ty

Wate r Po in t s

Ex i s t i ng V i l lages

Pub l ic Bu i ld ings

Image 7 . Au rov i l le ’ s Locat ion and Land Proper ty

Urban P lann ing

Au rov i l le ’ s p ro ject i s f rom Roger Anger, a F rench a rch i tect, accord ing

to The Mothe r ’ s i nd icat ions, based in a “Mandala. ” I t s Mas te r P lan ’ s goa l

i s to es tab l i sh the economic and human in te l lec tua l resou rces that can

be e f fect i ve l y used to sp read deve lopment more even ly and c reate an

equ i tab le and economica l l y sound soc ie ty.

The Ind ian c i t ies tend to be inc red ib ly dense due to the necess i t y, among

othe r facto r s, to she l te r f rom the sun o r v io len t ra in . The p ro ject o f Au rov i l le

i s no except ion to these reques t s. I t de f i nes, as ma in d i rect ions, fou r zones

– two o f h igh dens i t y and two o f les se r dens i t y. The zones a re a res ident ia l

zone, i ndus t r ia l zone, cu l tu ra l /educat iona l zone, and in te rnat iona l zone - to

ha rbor 50 ’000 people in an a rea o f 2000 ha. , fo l low ing a “ symbol ic p lan

exp ressed by i t s concent r ic c i rc les, i t s sp i r i t ua l cente r, and ph i losophy wh ich

i s a t the o r ig in o f th i s en te rp r i se ” (Heymann,1966) .

These fou r zones conve rge in the cente r o f a sp i ra l , t he sp i r i t ua l

cente r o f the town. I n the m idd le o f a lake su r rounded by gardens and

symbol ic scu lp tu res, i t has located the Mat r imand i r, a go ld sphe re bu i ld ing

dedicated to medi ta t ion . The w i l l i ngness to in teg rate Au rov i l le w i th i t s

su r round ings resu l ted in a p lan w i th no apparent l im i t s . The “c i t y cente r ” i s

su r rounded by a d i f f u se and p rotected g reen be l t – th i s way, i t i s eas ie r to

cont ro l the c i t y g rowth and ma in ta in a sus ta inab le re la t ion w i th the te r r i to r y

and i t s res to red ecosys tem. Th i s p ro ject was named “The Galaxy ” .

Roger Anger 1923-2008

One o f the mos t p ro l i f i c F rench a rch i tect s o f the 1950s

and 60s. Scu lp tu ra l p las t ic i t y and ind iv idua l i sed, t ime less

modern i t y ident i f y h i s un ique a rch i tectu ra l language.

Th i s i s amp ly demons t ra ted by some bu i ld ings des igned

by h i s o f f ice in Pa r i s a lone. H i s th ree 28 s to rey hous ing

tower s i n Grenob le, the h ighes t res ident ia l bu i ld ings i n

Eu rope at the t ime, and rec ip ien t o f the “ Be lg ian Prem ie r

Pr i x I n te rnat iona l d ’A rch i tectu re ” i n 1967 remain today

an icon o f the c i t y and a g reat example o f h i s wor k . I n

1965, Anger was appoin ted Ch ie f A rch i tect o f Au rov i l le,

t hat was ca l l i ng fo r v i s ionar y p lann ing, whe re in the las t

decades the essence o f h i s wor k as an a rch i tect, pa in te r

and scu lp to r was concent ra ted.Image 8 . The Galaxy, p lan f rom Roger Anger

-18-

Peace A rea

Crown

Ex i s t i ng V i lages

Ser v ice Nodes

Ci ty A rea

Green Be l t

Green Cor r ido r s

Mat r imand i r

Regenerated P lan tat ion

Farm

Recreat ion

Cu l tu ra l Zone

Res ident ia l Zone

In te rnat iona l Zone

Indus t r ia l Zone

E: 1 .1500

0m

N

200m

Image 9 . The Galaxy, Mas te r P lan

Image 10 . Land D iv i s ion accord ing The Galaxy, Mas te r P lan

-19-

The in ten t ion was to c reate a more f lex ib le and dynamic p lan,

i n teg rat ing a d ive r s i t y o f a rch i tectu ra l fo rms i n ha rmony w i th the loca l . The

p ro ject leans i n t rad i t iona l a rch i tectu re and cons t ruc t ion methods – w i th the

p r i nc ip le app l ied to the sma l l i ndus t r ies p ro jected fo r the indus t r ia l zone,

w rapped in g reen spaces, i nne r cou r t ya rds, and p rotected p lantat ion .

Based on these gu ide l i nes, some genera l u rban p r inc ip les we re de f ined ;

“1) S t ruc tu re o f the u rban fabr ic at a h igh dens i t y fo l low ing t rad i t iona l c i t ies

2) Creat ion o f an a r t i f i c ia l s i te that w i l l g i ve the characte r i s t ic shape o f

Au rov i l le

3) Rehabi l i ta t ion o f the s t reet s and pub l ic p laces as wa l k-ab le spaces to

meet

4) Exc lus ion o f ca r s f rom the c i t y a rea, to be rep laced by the d i f fe ren t t ypes

o f s i len t t ranspor ta t ion that dos not i n te r fe re w i th pedes t r ians

5) Set two essent ia l qua l i t ies to Au rov i l le : - Un i t y - D Ive r s i t y ”

Heymann, 1966

The app l icat ion o f a s imp le gu ide l i ne fo r u rban p lann ing a l lows

Au rov i l le to have a d ive r s i t y o f a rch i tectu re cooperat ing. The cha l lenge

cons i s t s o f i n teg rat ing as many a rch i tect s as poss ib le to c reate un i fo rm i t y –

not un i t y – based on the o r ig ina l ideas. The fact that Au rov i l le i s an assumed

exper imenta l c i t y, wh ich i s be ing re thought as i t i s bu i l t and l i ved in , makes

i t s Mas te r P lan, ove r t ime, changeable and adaptab le accord ing to the

needs o f the inhab i tan t s and the requ i rement s o f the p lace i t se l f.

Un t i l t he p ro ject got under way, i t s u rban p lann ing passed fo r fou r

s tages o f evo lu t ion and s imp l i f i cat ion, search ing fo r the mos t appropr ia te

s t ra tegy to respond to the des i red base p r inc ip les. S ta r t i ng w i th “The Mother ’ s

Sketch ” i n 1965, a s imp le hand de l i neat ion i s based on a mandala ’ s shape,

d iv ided in to the fou r zones ment ioned above. F rom th i s s imp le d raw, i n 1966

a rose the “Nebula ” ; t h i s i s the f i r s t tang ib le p lann ing fo r the v i l lage, a l so

based in the fou r ma in a reas de f ined, whe re the u rban izat ion i s a r ranged

rad ia l l y a round the peacefu l cente r. I n th i s p lan, the cons t ruc ted space

p redominates ove r the vo id – g reen p laces – and the zones ’ d iv i s ions we re

too mar ked. That ’ s why the p ro ject i s s t i l l i n p rogress un t i l reach ing the f i r s t

ve r s ion o f “The Galaxy ” i n 1967 . The u rban izat ion i s o rgan ized a round the

cente r i n a sp i ra l shape, a l low ing to d i f f u se bet te r the boundar ies between

the d i f fe ren t a reas. F i na l l y, i n 1968, the f i na l p lan was es tab l i shed. “The

-20-

Galaxy ” evo lved in a way that a l lows the g reen a reas to get i n to the sp i ra l ,

be ing the p lan much more in teg rated w i th i t s enve lop ing, c reat ing a much

more d i rect re la t ionsh ip w i th natu re, and th i s way c reat ing bet te r qua l i t y

env i ronments fo r the inhab i tan t s. I n 2001, a new Maste r P lan came out

“ Pe r spect i ve 2025” ; based on the phys ica l and theoret ica l p roposa l o f “ The

Galaxy, ” t h i s new p lann ing p roposes a se r ies o f ta rget s fo r 2025, ana lyz ing

s ta t i s t ic s, data co l lected s ince the b i r t h o f the v i l lage, and accord ing to

bas ic p r i nc ip les o f The Mothe r. I t ’ s d iv ided in to phases : phase 1 (15 ’000

inhab i tan t s ) and u l t imate (50 ’000) , and each po in t o f the deve lopment o f

the v i l lage i s s t r uc tu red accord ing to the requ i rement s fo r each s tageof the

p lan.

Nowadays, as a l ready ment ioned, Au rov i l le i s not on l y the in i t ia l l y

p ro jected v i l lage. The neares t v i l lages a re a l so in teg rated in th i s commun i t y

– mos t l y i n resou rces management, soc ia l , cu l tu ra l , and educat iona l . These

v i l lages mus t be connected and in teg rated in to the mas te r p lan o f the

o r ig ina l p ro ject, o f fe r them the same qua l i t y o f l i fe as the “au rov i l l ians. ”

Image 11 . The Mothe r ’ s Skectch, 1965

Image 12 . Nebu la, 1966

Image 13 . The Galaxy, 1967

Image 14 . The Galaxy, 1968

-21-

Access ib i l i t y

Au rov i l le tends to be a p lace where the re i s no re l ig ion, no po l i t ic s.

I t ’ s des t i ned to she l te r d ive r se people f rom a l l ove r the wor ld, people

who seek to evo lve and rea l i ze themse lves and that a re search ing fo r an

a l te rnat i ve way o f l i v i ng. So, Au rov i l le p re tends to be an inc lus i ve and

access ib le p lace.

On the U rban P lann ing headland, i t was ment ioned the genera l u rban

p r inc ip les de f ined fo r Au rov i l le. The th i rd and fou r th po in t s, “ Rehabi l i ta t ion

o f the s t reet s and pub l ic p laces as wa l kab le spaces to meet “ and “Exc lus ion

o f ca r s f rom the c i t y a rea, to be rep laced by the d i f fe ren t t ypes o f s i len t

t ranspor ta t ion that do not i n te r fe re w i th pedes t r ians ” , shows the w i l l o f

c reat ing a networ k o f pub l ic spaces a l l connected between them. That

a l lows people to c i rcu la te th rough a l l t he te r r i to r y by wa l k i ng o r by b icyc le.

The road networ k cons i s t s o f fou r t ypes o f roads, p lanned to meet the fu tu re

requ i rement s o f t ra f f ic and funct ion ing o f the v i l lage;

1 . Access roads to Au rov i l le : fou r p r i nc ipa l accesses ; two f rom Tind ivanam-

Pond iche r r y Road, wh ich connects the Indus t r ia l Zone w i th the In te rnat iona l

Zone; and two accesses f rom the Eas t Coas t Road that connects the

Res ident ia l Zone w i th the Cu l tu ra l Zone. These roads a l so connect to the

v i l lage ’ s ou te r r i ng road, and the sect ion i s about 30m w ide.

2 . City r ing roads : two r i ng roads w i th in the c i t y a rea ; one i s c i rcumsc r ib ing

the fou r ma in zones and the othe r ad jo in ing the u t i l i t y zone. The sect ion

p roposed fo r theses roads i s a l so 30m w ide. I n s ide o f the c i rcumsc r ib ing

r i ng road, the c i t y a rea i s p ro jected to be used by non-po l l u t i ng veh ic les.

3 . In ternal d is t r ibut ion roads : t hese roads can va r y between 18-24m w ide.

I t i s t hought to be in teg rated w i th open spaces and g reen cor r ido r s, and to

the ha rbor, veh icu la r roads and pedes t r ian and cyc le paths, w i th the m in im

requ i red o f 3m w idth fo r these two las t.

4 . Ser v ices nodes : Located in the Green Be l t, t hese two nodes a re a p roposed

in te r sect ion o f the fou r ma in access roads that connect the townsh ip and

the C i t y a rea. These nodes, w i l l p rov ide par k ing and t ranssh ipment space

fo r chang ing ove r to non-po l l u t i ng mode befo re ente r i ng the c i t y and othe r

fac i l i t ie s fo r a conven ien t i n te r face w i th the neares t v i l lage se t t lement s.

-22-

TO PO

ND

ICH

ERRY

TO C

HEN

NA

I

MAIN A

CCESS

INTERNAT IO

NAL ZONE

MA

IN A

CC

ESS

RES IDEN

T IAL Z

ON

E

MAIN ACCESS

INDUSTR IAL ZONE

MAIN ACCESS

CULTURAL ZONE ZONE

Access Roads

R ing Roads

In te rchange A rea

Exh ib i t ion A rea

Bazaar & Pub l ic Fac i l i t ie s

Se r v ice Nodes


Access Roads

R ing Roads

In te rna l D i s t r ibu t ion Roads

Ex i s t i ng Roads


Othe r Roads


1

2

3

4

5

6

6

77 7

7

7

88

9

9

2.35 1.20 1.20 5.50 1.20 1.20 2.35

15.00

18.00

3.10 1.20 1.20 7.00 1.20 1.20 3.10

3.45 2.40 1.80 3.75 1.20 3.75 1.80 2.40 3.45

24.00

2.90 2.40 1.80 7.00 1.80 7.00 1.80 2.40 2.90

30.00

PRO

DU

CED

BY

AN A

UTO

DES

K ST

UD

ENT

VER

SIO

N

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRO

DU

CED

BY AN AU

TOD

ESK STUD

ENT VER

SION


Par k ing _ Outs ide Buses .1

Aurov i l le Non-Po l l u t i ng Shu t t le Buses .2

Par k ing _ Cars & Two Whee le r s .3

Shopping & Pub l ic Ament ies .4

I n fo rmat ion Po in t .5

Ar tesans Work ing A rea .6

7 . Shops .7

Heal th Fac i l i t ie s .8

Commun icat ion Fac i l i t ie s .9

N

Image 15 . Type Roads ’ Secc ions

Image 16 . Se r v ice Nodes

Image 17 . Access ib i l i t y

-23-

Dens i t y & So i l Occupat ion

Accord ing to “Perspect ive 2025 ” , i n i t s U l t imate phase, the v i l lage

mus t be ab le to roos t 50 ’000 inhab i tan t s d i s t r ibu ted in the seve ra l a reas :

Res ident ia l – 40 ’000 , I n te rnat iona l – 600 , I ndus t r ia l – 1 ’800 , Cu l tu ra l – 600 ,

Crown a rea in a l l zones – 5 ’000 , and Green Be l t – 2 ’000 . Be ing the ma in

concent ra t ion o f res ident s p ro jected fo r the Res ident ia l Zone, the ove ra l l

dens i t y w i l l be 240 per sons/ha. I t ’ s p red ic ted to de l i neate th i s zone in to

ten secto r s o f about 10ha. Each, w i th dens i t ies va r y ing f rom 100 per sons/

ha. To 640 per sons/ha. The net s i ze o f res ident ia l a reas shou ld be about

100ha. By p rov id ing a res ident ia l f loo r space o f 1 ’500 ’00 m2 , i t i s poss ib le

to accommodate the 40 ’000 people at an ave rage f loo r space o f 30m2/

per son. Th i s way, i t w i l l be poss ib le to ma in ta in 55% o f the a rea unpaved –

pe rmeable so i l . The p roposed deve lopment p re tends to ach ieve a un ique

way w i th lower dens i t ies c lose r to the c rown a rea and h ighe r dens i t ies

as get t i ng c lose r to the Green Be l t. S t i l l , i n the res ident ia l zone, i t ’ s a l so

p red ic ted 70 ha. o f soc ia l i n f ras t ruc tu re (Phase 1) , wh ich makes about 234

ha. fo r the u l t imate phase – 11 ,7% o f so i l occupat ion o f the ent i re te r r i to r y ’ s

so i l occupat ion .

On the othe r hand, a t the f i na l o f Phase 1 ( fo r 15 ’000 people) , i t i s

p red ic ted a so i l occupat ion o f 185 ha. o f i n f ras t ruc tu re and se r v ices i n the

ent i re Au rov i l le – th i s i s on l y 9 ,25% o f so i l occupat ion o f the who le te r r i to r y.

I n te rpo lat ing numbers, a t the end o f the U l t imate phase, fo r 50 ’000 people,

i t w i l l be necessa r y about 617 ha. o f i n f ras t ruc tu res and se r v ices to respond

to the needs, wh ich makes a to ta l o f 30 ,85% o f so i l occupat ion . Adding

eve r y th ing – i n f ras t ruc tu re and se r v ices + res ident ia l f loo r occupat ion ; i n

the u l t imate phase, i t ’ s p roposed to have 851 ha. o f cons t ruc ted so i l , wh ich

j u s t 42 ,55% o f the ent i re land, be ing the res t des t i ned to unpaved pub l ic

spaces and g reen p rotected a reas, to reduce the human impact on the

ear th and f i nd the ba lance between human i t y and natu re.

Image 18 . Ed i f icat ion

Image 19 . Pub l ic Space

-24-

CH

EN

NA

I - N

AG

APA

TT INA

M H

WY

MA ILAM MAIN RD

EC

R

BAY

OF

BEN

GA

L

L igh t I ndus t r ies

Comerc ia l Bu i ld ings

Pub l ic -Sem i Pub l ic Bu i ld ings

Wate r Po in t s


Pub l ic Bu i ld ings

Image 20 . Uses Nowadays

0m 1000 m

N

-25-

Soc ia l I n f ras t ruc tu re & Hous ing

Wi th the in tu i t o f be ing a commun i t y se l f -managed and w i th

i t s resou rces, Au rov i l le p lans to have a l l k i nds o f equ ipment and soc ia l

i n f ras t ruc tu re that soc ie ty requ i res to funct ion in ha rmony and respond to

each ind iv idua l ’ s necess i t ies. D iv id ing the commun i t y i n to h ie ra rch ica l g roups

o f a reas becomes eas ie r to manage the commun i t y as a who le; s ta r t i ng by

the sma l le r g roup – commun i t y ; pass ing by the secto r, ne ighborhood, and

ach iev ing to the ent i re d i s t r ic t /c i t y. I t ’ s p lanned fo r a l l o f those a reas to

incorporate seve ra l p ieces o f equ ipment, d i s t r ibu ted equa l l y fo r a l l t he

te r r i to r y. Th i s k i nd o f p lann ing a l lows guarantee ing a l l so r t s o f se r v ices near

each res ident ia l a rea, reduc ing th i s way the d i s tances between d ive r se

po in t s, wh ich p rov ides a s ign i f icant reduct ion o f em i s s ions on mobi l i t y and,

a t the same t ime, fac i l i ta te the da i l y l i fe o f each ind iv idua l .

Soc ia l I n f ras t ruc tu re Requ i rement fo r a Popu lat ion o f 15 ’000 - Phase 1nº o f fac i l i t ie s a t va r ious leve l s

250Poppu lat ion Se r ved 1 ’000 5 ’000 15 ’000

In f ras t ruc tu re

Hea l th

Commerc ia l

Cu l tu re

Ut i l i t y & Se r v ices

Se r v ice Nodes

32

ha

.1

0 h

a.

30

ha

.8

0 h

a.

8 h

a.

Ato

tal

25

ha

.

Rec reat ion

Educat ion

Emergency

Cl in ic

Po lyc l i n ic

Hosp i ta l

A l te rnat i ve

Hea l th Fac i l i t ie s

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Shopping

Gues thouses

Tou r i s t Cente r

5 shops 10 shops 25 shops

2

Super s to re

8

3

Exh ib i t ion Space

Cinema

Audi to r i um

1

1

1 m in i -c inema

1

Main tenance Cente r s

Zona l Of f ices

Ci ty Of f ices & Town Admin i s t ra t ion

Bu r ia l & Cremat ion S i te

Wate r D i s t r ibu t ion

Waste Wate r Treatment

So l id Waste Recyc l i ng

1 1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Tra f f ic & V i l lage

In te r face Fac i l i t ie s 8

Commun i t y Pa r k s & P layg rounds

Secto r Pa r k s & P layg rounds

Neighbourhoods Par k s & P layg rounds

Ci ty Leve l P layg round

K indergar ten

Schoo l (age 6-10)

Schoo l (age 11-19)

Un ive r s i t y

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Commun i t y

Leve l

Secto r

Leve l

Ne ighbourhood

Leve l

D i s t r ic t

Leve l


PRO

DU

CED

BY

AN A

UTO

DES

K ST

UD

ENT

VER

SIO

N


PRO

DU

CED

BY AN AU

TOD

ESK STUD

ENT VER

SION

Commun i t y Leve

Secto r Leve l

Ne ighbourhood Leve l

D i s t r ic t Leve l

Image 21 . Secto r i za r ion Scheme - Phase 1

-26-

Hous ing

Au rov i l le i nc ludes d i f fe ren t k i nds o f up l i f t s and va r ious hous ing

types - dwe l l i ngs, commun i t y hous ing, apar tment s, and youth hos te l s . Each

ind iv idua l can choose the mos t appropr ia te accommodat ion, accord ing

to h i s w i l l s and needs. A t p resent, he ave rages househo ld s i ze i s a round

two per sons, cons ide r ing that the re a re many s ing le-per son househo lds.

I n 2001, when the p lan “Perspect ive:2025 ” was launched, 767 dwe l l i ng

un i t s o f d i f fe ren t s i zes, techn iques, mate r ia l s, and shapes were a l ready bu i l t.

The ma jo r i t y o f ed i f icat ions used loca l mate r ia l s and innovat i ve bu i ld ing

mate r ia l s – such as Fe r ro-cement roo f s and loca l l y made pane l s. However,

t he re i s s t i l l some s ign i f icant number o f ed i f icat ions whe re conc re te and t i le s

p redominate.

Th i s v i l lage i s i n cons tant change and exper imentat ion, and so on

cons t ruc t ion techn iques and mate r ia l s ; t hese can va r y mos t l y f rom adobe,

s tab i l i zed ear th b locks, and rammed ear th to f i red b r ick s. One o f the mos t

i n te res t i ng exper iment s i s the ‘ f i re b r ick s house ’ techn ique - the ent i re

s t ruc tu re i s bu i l t on landear th and f i red l i ke a k i l n , p roduc ing an innovat i ve l y

cons t ruc ted house.

The a rch i tectu re o f Au rov i l le re f lec t s the research and p ract ice o f

i nnovat i ve des ign and a l te rnat i ve bu i ld ing mate r ia l s . Th i s bu i ld ing techno logy

a ims to ach ieve fa r- reach ing imp l icat ions i n des ign and mate r ia l s, reduce

energy consumpt ion, and adopt eco- f r iend ly p ract ices.

Image 22 . The Wal l House - Anupama Kundoo A rch i tect s. By Jav ie r Ca l le jas

Image 23 . House fo r Su rendra Gupta - He lmud Schm id

Image 24 . House fo r K la ra - Fab ian Ostne r

Image 25 . Sansk r i t Schoo l - Roger Anger

-27-

Matr imandi r, the Soul of the Ci ty

The mos t famous bu i ld ing o f Au rov i l le i s th i s “Temple of The Mother ”

– mean ing o f Mat r imand i r. A g iant go lden sphe re su r rounded by twe lve

peta l s located in the cente r o f the v i l lage, ca l led Peace, i s the mos t

symbol ic and sp i r i t ua l bu i ld ing fo r the Au rov i l l ians. The on ly funct ion i s to be

a p lace where people can medi ta te and f i nd the i r consc iousness and f i nd

themse lves.

Mat r imand i r ’ s cons t ruc t ion began on Februa r y 21 st o f 1971 – The

Mothe r ’ s 93 rd b i r t hday – and took 37 year s to be completed. I t s s t r uc tu re

compr i ses fou r ma in p i l la r s that ca r r y the Inne r Chamber – the cent ra l dome/

medi ta t ion ha l l , fo rmed by the mos t mass i ve opt ica l l y-pe r fect g lass g lobe.

The g lobe a l lows the re f lec t ion o f the sun l igh t i n s ide – and a geodes ic

dome, covered by go lden d i scs, once again , re f lec t ing the sun l igh t i n eve r y

d i rect ion, g iv ing the bu i ld ing th i s rad iant and sh in ing characte r i s t ic, and

be ing th i s way the re fe rence bu i ld ing o f the ent i re commun i t y.

ADIT I- LIMITLESS -

MAHAKAL I

MA

HA

SA

RA

SW

AT I

M A H ESH WA R I

MA

HA

LAK

SH

MI

L IGHT BLESS

CONSCIO

USNESS

EXIS

TEN

CE

L I

FE

PO

WE

R

WE

ALTH

UT IL ITY

PROGRESS YOUTH

HARM

ON

Y

PE

RFE

CTI

ON

COURAGE PROGRESS

RECEPT IV ITY

AS

PIR

ATIO

N

GO

O

DNESS

GE

NE

RO

SIT

Y

EQ

UA

L ITY

PEACE

S INCERITY HUMIL ITY

GRATITU

DE

PER

SE

VE

RA

NC

E

Image 26 . Mat r imand i r ’ s I nne r Chamber

Image 27 . Mat r imand i r ’ s I n te r io r

Image 28 . Under the Mat r im i r

Image 29 . Amph i theate r, Peace Zone - V iew o f the Mat r imand i r ’ s bu i ld ing

Image 30 . V iew o f the Mat r imand i r ’ s bu i ld ing at n igh t Image 31 . Mat r imand i r ’ s Symbol i sm

-28-

36.00

36.00

36.00 E: 1 .500

0m

N

10 m

Image 32 . Mat r imand i r ’ s P lan

Image 33 . Mat r imand i r ’ s Secc ion P lan

-29-

Commun i t y & Management

Has ment ioned in the p rev ious chapte r s, Au rov i l le i s a se l f -managed

commun i t y that fo l lows no conc re te re l ig ion o r conc re te po l icy. Toes tab l i sh

the cor rect funct ion ing and deve lopment o f the v i l lage, i n 1988, the

Government o f I nd ia fo rma l i zes The Au rov i l le Foundat ion Act that compr i ses

th ree lead ing “autho r i t ies ” : The Govern ing Board, The Res ident s ’ As sembly,

and The In te rnat iona l Adv i so r y Counc i l ; d i v id ing and o rgan iz ing th i s way

the management o f the v i l lage.

The Govern ing Board , composed o f the em inent and sen io r people,

wh ich the Government o f I nd ia appoin t s the Cha i rman and Secre ta r y ’ s,

i s respons ib le fo r the v i l lage ’ s p roper management and deve lopment.

Promot ing the Au rov i l le ’ s idea l s, coord inat ing the act i v i t ies and se r v ices,

rev iew ing the bas ic po l ic ies and p rograms, and g iv ing necessa r y d i rect ions

fo r the fu tu re deve lopment a re the ma in funct ions o f th i s depar tment – whe re

eve r y dec i s ion i s consu l ted w i th The Res ident s Assembly.

The Res idents ’ Assembly i s composed o f a l l t he res ident s o f the

v i l lage ove r the age o f 18 . I t s p r imar y funct ion i s to o rgan ize d i f fe ren t

v i l lage act i v i t ies and dec ide upon the te rms o f the i r membersh ip. I n s ide th i s

depar tment, i t i s se lected as a Work ing Commi t tee rep resent ing i t se l f w i th

the Govern ing Board and the Sec re ta r y to the Foundat ion . I t i s impor tant

to not ice once again that The Res ident s ’ As sembly i s requ i red to approve

eve r y dec i s ion taken by The Govern ing Board – i nc lud ing the fo rmu la t ion o f

the Maste r P lan o f the v i l lage.

The In ternat ional Advisor y Counci l , composed o f em inent people

f rom Ind ia and abroad, has the funct ion, as the name says, o f adv i s i ng both

Govern ing Board and Res ident s ’ As sembly.

Au rov i l le Foundat ion

In te rnat iona l

Adv i so r y Counc i l

Govern ing

Board

Secreta r yWork ing

Commi t tee

Res ident s

Assembly

Image 34 . Res ident s ’ As sembly

Image 35 . Res ident s ’ As sembly at the Amph i theat re

Image 36 . Ecov i l lage Des ign Educat ion (EDE) Team, 2016 . By Eugen ie Dumont

Image 37 . EDE ’ s Meat ing at n igh t, 2016 . By Eugen ie Dumont

Image 38 . Au rov i l le Foundat ion ’ s S t ruc tu re

-30-

Apar t f rom these o f f ic ia l l y “au tho r i t ies, ” o the r seve ra l g roups were

cons t i tu ted to manage spec i f ic aspects o f the v i l lage ’ s o rgan izat ion ; Ent r y

Group , Economy Group , Funds and Assets Management Commit tee,

Land and Estate Management , and Pro ject Co-ordinat ion Group . Th i s

cons t i tu t ion i s a way to evo lve a l l commun i t y members, i n teg rat ing each one

on a g roup where each one ’ s s k i l l s and op in ions w i l l be we l l approved. One

o f the mos t c r i t ica l g roups in da i l y l i fe i s “Pour Tous ” – Fo r A l l . I t ’ s a k i nd o f

depar tmenta l s to re, a pu rchas ing and d i s t r ibu t ion se r v ice, whe re the re a re

no cash t ransact ions. The sys tem wor k s on c red i t th rough the ma in tenance

o f i nd iv idua l s account s. Present l y, t he “Pour Tous ” bu i ld ing i s located on

the per iphe r y o f the v i l lage. However, i t ’ s p roposed to be re located to the

Crow a rea and c reate seve ra l ou t le t s i n a l l v i l lage te r r i to r y to ach ieve a l l

i nhab i tan t s equa l l y.

Accord ing to The Mothe r ’ s v i s ion, Au rov i l le does not need to have

an a rmy o r po l ice regard ing the law and o rder s i t uat ion ; “No a rmy, no po l ice,

they a re rep laced by a bat ta l ion o f guards cons i s t i ng o f a th le tes and

gymnas t s . ” (The Mothe r ) – these guards a re, i n rea l i t y, young vo lun tee r s that

a re ava i lab le fo r th i s se r v ice. A l though the re i s no spec i f ic po l ice s ta t ion in

the v i l lage, po l ice l ia i son se r v ices a re ava i lab le in any emergency.

-31-

Resou rces Management

Va lues i n th i s commun i t y i nc lude sus ta inab i l i t y, se l f -management and

renewable ene rg ies. Based on th i s, Au rov i l le cons i s t s o f a l l resou rces need

fo r the r igh t deve lopment and qua l i t y o f l i fe : wate r supp ly and d i s t r ibu t ion,

sewerage and san i ta t ion, so l id was te management, d ra inage, power-

ene rgy-te lecommun icat ion .

Water Supply and Dis t r ibut ion

Th i s reg ion ’ s wate r s i t uat ion i s not mos t adequate due to the excess i ve

runo f f, l im i ted su r face s to rage, i nadequate know ledge o f aqu i fe r s to rage

a reas, and evaporat ion caused by the h igh temperatu res. To respond to

these i s sues, the commun i t y-made hydro log ica l s tud ies that revea led that

g roundwate r i s potab le. The g roundwate r has good qua l i t y, as long as

the re i s no sa l i ne in t ru s ion due to ove r-ex t ract ion to th i s facto r, jo in ing

the fact that Au rov i l le env i sages the deve lopment o f les s wate r consum ing

indus t r ies. The p red ic ted demand and the p red ic ted ava i lab le wate r a re

w i th in the sa fe l im i t s so that the ex t ract ion o f g roundwate r i s enough to

supp ly the ent i re commun i t y. The d i s t r ibu t ion o f the wate r i t s made f rom a

p redominant l y decent ra l i zed sys tem. Each o f the ma in a reas i s supp l ied f rom

loca l tubes located in the par t icu la r zone i t se l f o r the Green Be l t ad jo in ing

the s i te. Th i s way, i t i s poss ib le to reduce the cos t s o f lay ing long lengths o f

h igh d iamete r s p ipes and, a t the same t ime to ass i s t i n recyc l i ng was tewate r

fo r garden and othe r non-d r in k ing uses c lose to the zone i t se l f.

Sewerage and Sani tat ion

The mos t common sys tems used in Au rov i l le a re the sept ic tanks,

Imho f f tanks – i nd iv idua l and commun i t y leve l . These sys tems a l low fo r

p rocess ing and t reat ing sewage wate r s w i thout any chemica l s and g iv ing

back the wate r to i t s natu ra l cyc le.

The “ ze ro-was te ” concept i s a l so par t o f the va lues o f the v i l lage. Th i s way,

the re i s no need fo r dumping o r san i ta r y land f i l l , and the requ i rement o f

re l iab le was te t ranspor ta t ion i s m in ima l .

Sol id Waste Management

A t p resent, so l id was te management at Au rov i l le i s based on so r t i ng

at sou rce, e f f ic ien t co l lect ion, and recyc l i ng, both o rgan ic and non-o rgan ic.

The re a re two-chambered LPG- fue l led inc ine rato r s located at the hea l th

cente r, we re inc ine rab le was tes a re bu rn t a t 800ºC. Non- recyc lab le was tes

– have bat te r ies, r ubber i tems, g lass - a re ma in ta ined in spec ia l s to rage

un t i l an env i ronmenta l - f r iend ly so lu t ion can be found. Waste management

i n Au rov i l le a l so inc ludes garden was tes on the C i t y A rea – exc lud ing th i s

same f rom the Green Be l t. The was ted p roduced in the Green Be l t i s u sed

Image 39 . Sept ic Tanks

Image 40 . Imho f f tanks. Ve r t ica l Secc iont on Top. Hor i zonta l Secct ion

-32-

as b iomass fue l to c reate e lect r ic i t y o r conve r s ion in to so i l nu t r ien t s and

en r iche r s.

Accord ing to “The Perspect ive 2025 ” t he ma in goa l s fo r was te management

at Au rov i l le a re :

“ - F i nd ing p rat ica l and eco log ica l pack ing a l te rnat i ves to reduce non-

degradable was tes ;

- So r t i ng was tes at sou rce in to 5 o r 6 s t reams – paper, p las t ic, meta l , g lass,

o rgan ic, bat te r ies, e tc.

- Conver t i ng recyc lab le was tes i n to use fu l p roducts. Th i s i nc ludes conve r s ion

o f compostab le mate r ia l i n to so i l en r iche r s

- Us ing bu i ld ing debr i s as road/bu i ld ing mate r ia l

- Us ing inc ine rab le was tes to generate e lect r ic i t y

- Sc ien t i f i c and sa fe d i sposa l o f b io-medica l and hazardous was tes “

The Pe r spect i ve:2025

Drainage

One o f Au rov i l le ’ s mos t s ign i f icant cha l lenges was cont ro l l i ng the

monsoon f loods and wate r s to rage and t reatment. F rom the beg inn ing i t was

bu i l t check dams ac ross the canyons and ear then dams a long and across

roads to runo f f the wate r i n to the g round be low. I t ’ s p lanned to incorporate

on bu i ld ings roo f top wate r ha r ves t i ng sys tems, and a l so the re i s a p ro ject

to co l lect the excess runo f f w i th in the Green Be l t and to pump i t ou t to

the fu tu re cent ra l lake. Th i s a l lows us to recharge the aqu i fe r s th rough the

in f i l t ra t ion regu la r l y and to p revent sa l i ne in t ru s ion in to aqu i fe r s due to

ove r-ex t ract ion that may occu r ou t s ide the v i l lage.

Power and Energy

The goa l o f Au rov i l le i s to become energy independent and se l f -

su f f ic ien t th rough renewable ene rg ies sou rces. Fo r that, sou rces l i ke sun

and w ind have been used in s tead o f fos s i l f ue l s . Nowadays, mos t o f the

bu i ld ings have in s ta l led so la r photovo l ta ic e lect r ic i t y and so la r wate r

heate r s fo r the i r requ i rement s. The re a re more than 140 so la r wate r sy s tems

and 30 w ind pumps operat ing at the v i l lage fo r garden ing and i r r igat ion

pu rposes. Thanks to the suppor t o f the Government o f I nd ia, i n 2001, as

i n s ta l led a 36 .3 kW so la r photovo l ta ic power p lan t c lose to the Mat r imand i r

– the la rges t s tand-a lone so la r power p lan t i n I nd ia. Onthe So la r K i tchen

roo f, i t was bu i l t a g iant so la r bow l that generates enough energy to cook

mea l s fo r about 1000 per sons a day fo r the commun i t y. Bes ides, an ima l and

vegetab le was tes a re p rocessed th rough a Fe r ro-cement b iogas sy s tem to

p roduce methane gas fo r cook ing and o rgan ic fe r t i l i ze r. Image 42 . So la r Bow l

Image 41 . So la r Bow l - K i tchen ’ s Sys tem

-33-

Lega l i t y & In s t i t u t iona l Suppor t

Even be fo re the p ro ject got under way, UNESCO suppor ted and

adv i sedAurov i l le ’ s bes t deve lopment i n a l l reso lu t ions and s tages s i nce

1966 . I t ’ s one o f the mos t essent ia l and cu r ren t i n s t i t u t ions fo r the v i l lage

s ince Au rov i l le, and UNESCO ’s va lues and p r inc ip les have many s im i la r i t ie s. ,

The s im i la r i t ie s a re d ia logue among c iv i l i za t ions, cu l tu res and re l ig ions,

cu l tu ra l d ive r s i t y as facto r s deve lopment, pover ty e rad icat ion, qua l i t y

educat ion, and l i fe - long lea rn ing and renewable ene rg ies – i n conc lus ion,

sus ta inab le deve lopment fo r human se t t lement s. On the othe r hand, the

suppor t o f The Government o f I nd ia has been immense ly i n f l uen t ia l . I t took

ove r Au rov i l le i n 1980 . I n 1988, as ment ioned befo re, the Par l iament o f

I nd ia approved the Au rov i l le Foundat ion Act, a l low ing Au rov i l le to p rosper

i n o rgan izat ion and management to bet te r and fu r the r deve lopment.

Ti l l t he p resent, seve ra l i n s t i t u t ions and government s suppor ted

Au rov i l le. Thanks to i t s deve lopment based on in te rnat iona l cu l tu ra l va lues,

th i s p ro ject, w i th a l ready more than 50 year s, o r ig inated va r ious awards –

a rch i tectu re, commun i t y, eco log ica l , sc ien t i f i c research, des ign, and u rban

deve lopment - f rom mu l t ip le i n s t i t u t ions and count r ies. I t i s cons ide red by

many o rgan izat ions the “human i t y ’ s f i r s t un i ve r sa l c i t y, t he sha red t reasu re

o f a l l nat ions and people (…) dedicated to the evo lu t ion o f human

consc iousness toward p laneta r y un i t y ” . The C lub o f Budapes t, 1996

-34-

1992

Hassan Fath i In ternat ional Award for Arch i tecture for

the Poor f rom Soc ie ty fo r the Rev iva l o f P lann ing and

A rch i tectu ra l He r i tage, Ca i ro, Egypt, fo r the cons t ruc t ion

o f the Au rov i l le V i s i to r s ’ Cente r

1994/95/96

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te get s Outstanding

Per formance Award for the Best Bu i ld ing Cente r

t h rough Hous ing and U rban Deve lopment Corporat ion

(HUDCO) , New DE lh i , f rom the Min i s te r y o f U rban

Deve lopment and Pover ty A l lev ia t ion, Government o f

I nd ia

1995

We the Peoples 50 Communi t ies Award in the

categor y of Human Sett lements on the occas ion o f the

50 th Ann ive r sa r y o f the Un i ted Nat ions

1996

The Club of Budapest adopted the Au rov i l le p ro ject

to “become human i t y ’ s f i r s r un i ve r sa l c i t y, t he sha red

t reasu re o f a l l nat ions and people ( . . . ) ded icated to

the evo lu t ion o f human consc iousness toward p laneta r y

un i t y ”

1997

The Aurovi l le Center for Sc ient i f ic Research was

nominated Best NGO in the Renewable Energy Sector

in India by the Ind ian Renewable Ene rgy Deve lopment

Agency ( IREDA) , New De lh i , I nd ia

1998

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te get s Bharth iya Ni rman

Ratan Excel lence Award of Indian Const ruct ion ,

fo r “ I nd iv idua l Outs tand ing Ach ievement and Nat ion

Bu i ld ing ” f rom Ind ian Economic Deve lopment and

Research Assoc iat ion ( IEDRA) , New Ge lh i , I nd ia

1999

Bharata Excel lence Award and Gold Medal

Excel lence Award fo r Outs tand ing leadersh ip and

ex t raord ina r y ach ievements i n h i s f ie ld o f wor k and fo r

the se r v ices renderes to p romote g reate r f r iendsh ip and

Ind ia- In te rnat iona l Co-operat ion f rom Fr iendsh ip Fo rum o f

I nd ia (FF I ) , New De lh i - I nd ia

- - -

Aurovi l le Bu i ld ing Center rece ived the Gold Medal

f rom the Ind ia Trade Promot ion Organ izat ion ( I TPO) , New

De lh i , I nd ia

- - -

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te get s Nat ion ’s V ikas Jyot i

Award fo r I nd iv idua l Ach ievement fo r the g rowth o f

I nd ian economy, f rom Wor ld Economic Deve lopment

Assoc iat ion (WEDF) , New De lh i , I nd ia

2000

Glor y of India Award and Gold Medal Excel lence

Award fo r g reat ach ievement and exp lo i t i n h i s f ie ld o f

wor k f rom Fr iendsh ip Fo rum o f I nd ia (FF I ) , New De lh i , I nd ia

- - -

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tue get s I nd ia Gold Star Award

and Gold Medal f rom Fr iendsh ip Fo rum o f I nd ia (FF I )

New De lh i , I nd ia

2003

Edi t ions Aurov i l le Press In ternat ional Un i t won an

Award fo r i t s i n sp i r i ng “ Gen ius o f I nd ia ” fo r The Best

Programme of the Year

2004

Aurore Pro jects and Ser v ices w in s the Award for

Ent repr i se

2005

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te i s awared F i r s t Pr i ze o f the A l l

I nd ian des ign compet i t ion “Hazard Res is tant House”

- - -

Upsana Des ign Studio won an Award of Excel lence

Cert i f icate i n De lh i fo r the i r i nnovat i ve and h igh l y

Tsunami ka do l l p ro ject, sponso red by Nat iona l I n s t i t u te

fo r Fash ion Techno logy

- - -

Aurovi l le Arch i tect Jana Dreikhausen won an Award

at an In ternat ional Conference on Ecological

Arch i tecture and Env i ronment in the Tropics he ld in

Semarang, I ndones ia

2006

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te rece ives Fi r s t Pr ize of the A l l

India Des ign Compet i t ion “Mul t i Hazard Res is tant

Shel ter ” , Gandh ig ram Ru ra l I n s i tu te, f unded by Bhoomi ka

Trus t, Chenna i , I nd ia

2007

EM Award fo r Au rov i l ian

2009

Dr. Kamla Tewar i receves the Prest ig ious Award for

Excelence for Socia l Ser v ice

2010

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te rece ived “The Pr ince Su l tan

B in Salman Award for Urban Her i tage” by A l -Tu ra th

Foundat ion, R i yadh, K ingdom o f Saud i A rab ia

- - -

A Danish Award fo r Sadhana Forest

2016

The Annual Center for Communal Studies

Undergraduate Paper Pr ize was awared to Aurovi l ian

Sur yamayi Clarence-Smi th

- - -

Aurovi l le Earth Ins t i tu te rece ives In ternat ional Fi r s t

Pr ize “ Low Carbon Award ” o f the “ Green Bu i ld ing

So lu t ions Awards 2016”

2017

Nandita rece ives Nat ional Award of 8 March

2018

SCORRES Pro ject Winn ing Rush l ight Awards

- - -

Aurovi l ian Depika Kundaj i rece ived a Nar i Shakt i

Puraskar - Woman Power Award

- - -

Probiot ics House get s BID Award for Qual i ty

- - -

Auro Ratna Award f rom the Overman Foundat ion to D r.

M i ra As te r Pate l

Au rov i l le ’ s Awards

-35-

End ing

The fasc inat ing th ing about Au rov i l le i s that i t i s a commun i t y w i th

a fu tu re v i s ion . That i s i n cons tant change and adaptat ion to i t s natu ra l

and human env i ronments. I n the las t 50 year s, i t p rogressed in the oppos i te

way o f the usua l l y known c iv i l i za t ions, a t tend ing eve r yone ’ s and eve r y th ing

su r round ing i t and not foment ing the no rma l cap i ta l i sm that we a l l know

and possess the ent i re wor ld . I t ’ s a p lace o f l i fe fo r people and the ear th ,

whe re each par t f i xes i n i t s p lace w i thout comprom i s ing the fu tu re o f the nex t

generat ions.

Au rov i l le found the p rob lem o f human se t t lement s much be fo re the

deve loped c i t ies and began to act when the re was s t i l l hope. We a l l l i ve

now, exhaus t i ng ear th resou rces. Au rov i l le i s one o f some p laces on ear th

that funct ions by i t s s ide. I t s methods, techn iques, and se l f -management

p rove that l i v i ng peacefu l l y and sus ta inab ly i s poss ib le. Adapt ing th i s sy s tem

to the b ig (and sma l l ) u rban izat ions m igh t be the so lu t ion fo r human i t y ’ s

f u tu re.

One o f Au rov i l le ’ s ou t s tand ing ach ievements i s, w i thout a doubt, the

re fo res tat ion o f the land, based in the d ra inage sys tem bu i l t, w i th ear then

dams, a l low ing to conduct and s to rage the wate r i n “ natu ra l spots ” . W i th

t rees p lan tat ion, c reat ing these sma l l natu ra l ecosys tems in the Green Be l t,

he lps to s tab i l i ze th i s a rea ’ s c l imate. To la rge u rban a reas, by c reat ing a

good networ k o f wooden g reen spaces – based on loca l spec ies - i t shou ld

in f l uence the improvement o f the env i ronment and the a i r qua l i t y – low ing

down the po l l u t ion .

A l so, the use o f renewable ene rg ies i s not a nove l t y ; however, t he

la rge r u rban cente r s a re s t i l l spend ing othe r “ non” renewable sou rces – such

as foss i l f ue l s – to respond to ene rgy requ i rement s. I t ’ s t r ue that nowadays,

new ed i f icat ions i n c i t ies mus t fo l low spec i f ic requ i s i tes to ach ieve ind iv idua l

ene rgy e f f ic iency. Some s t ra teg ies a re s ta r t i ng to come out, bu t the p r imar y

go ld i s too fa r fo r how we – i n la rge u rban cente r s – p lan and manage c i t ies ’

g rowth . Power and economy a re s t i l l t he p r io r i t y, and the b ig compan ies

a re even cont ro l l i ng deve lopment so that on l y they can p ro f i t. Of cou r se,

Au rov i l le ’ s example mus t be we l l s tud ied and adapted, s i nce i t ’ s s t i l l a

sma l l commun i t y – a v i l lage. S t i l l , t he use, fo r i n s tance, o f o rgan ic was te to

p roduce b iogas fo r cook ing, i t ’ s a sy s tem that cou ld be eas i l y imp lemented

in c i t ies, tak ing advantage o f the da i l y was te p roduct ion to reduce the

need o f us ing foss i l f ue l s to p roduce energy.

-37-

The u rban p lann ing – ‘The Galaxy ’ - fo r Au rov i l le i nc ludes fu tu re

per spect i ve and respects the mos t the ba lance between man and natu re.

I t s des ign a l lows us to subt l y me rge the c i t y a rea w i th the Green Be l t – that

se r ves as a l im i t o f the u rban g rowth – a f fo rd ing to the popu lat ion to en joy

a bet te r re la t ionsh ip w i th i t s natu ra l env i ronment. On the othe r hand, the re

cou ld be a p rob lem o f i ncoherence re la ted to dens i t y, so i l occupat ion,

and popu lat ion requ i rement i n adapt ing Au rov i l le ’ s s t ra tegy to la rge r u rban

cente r s. Th i s u rban p lann ing that i s thought fo r 50 ’000 people in 20 km2 –

dens i t y o f 2 ’500 inhab i tan t s / km2 – m igh t ach ieve the success i n th i s spec i f ic

p lace in I nd ia, s i nce i t was an undeve loped a rea that was a f fected by the

indus t r ia l exp lo i ta t ion and led to dese r t i f i cat ion . I t was poss ib le to c reate

th i s commun i t y because i t was bu i l t and deve loped in th i s dese r t land

where i t was poss ib le to imp lement a new a l te rnat i ve k ind o f c i v i l i za t ion .

La rge u rban cente r s house many more people in the same a rea s ince i t

supposed ly p rov ides more oppor tun i t ies fo r a bet te r qua l i t y o f l i fe. And by

th i s, I mean that the re a re more job o f fe r s – and people f rom ru ra l a reas

tend to move to la rge u rban a reas. Tak ing the mun ic ipa l i t y ’ s example o f

Barce lona, Spa in – accord ing to the Cata lan In s t i t u te o f S tat i s t ic s, t he c i t y

as 101 ,35km2 , and in 2019, the re was 1 ’636 ’762 inhab i tan t s, dens i t y o f

the town o f 16 ’139 ,7 inhab. / km2 . I t wou ld be necessa r y seven Au rov i l le ’ s

– w i th the same p red ic ted so i l occupat ion - to ha rbor the same number

o f people as Barce lona. A t tend ing these numbers, appears the ques t ion :

wou ld i t be sus ta inab le to app ly th i s k i nd o f u rban p lann ing in b ig c i t ies

and la rge u rban se t t lement s? Th i s wou ld lead to a decent ra l i za t ion o f the

popu lat ion and act i v i t ies and imp ly a h ighe r land occupat ion – fo r the

ent i re wor ld ’ s popu lat ion . I t wou ld be necessa r y 3 ’880 ’800 km2 o f land

fo r a dens i t y o f 2 ’500 inhab i tan t s / km2 ; th i s i s a lmos t 200 ’000 Au rov i l le ’ s .

Bes ides the env i ronmenta l consequences that th i s cou ld b r ing, i t a l so cou ld

lead to some soc ia l impact. We l i ve in a soc ie ty dominated by neoc lass ica l

economics, and the concept o f l i fe i s now def ined by sat i s fact ion . Our

soc ie ty ’ s cond i t ions a l low choos ing among many opt ions concern ing l i v i ng,

wor k ing, s tudy ing, shopping, and le i su re. A l te rnat i ve commun i t ies, such as

Au rov i l le, tend to counte r th i s t rend by loca l i z i ng act i v i t ies and conta in ing

the range o f cho ices – wh ich can go, to some people, aga ins t the no rma l

i nd iv idua l i sm and “ f reedom” that we a re a l l u sed to.

I n conc lus ion, the re mus t be a ba lance between ind iv idua l i t y and

un i fo rm i t y, between la rge u rban cente r s – w i th h ighe r dens i f icat ion and

-38-

sus ta inab le s t ra teg ies o f deve lopment, techno logy, and management – and

ru ra l / sma l l eco log ica l a rea, . Th i s ba lance a l lows c reat ing a networ k o f g reen

spaces as we l l as a networ k o f sus ta inab le human se t t lement s. Au rov i l le

can be an example fo r the fu tu re u rban deve lopment - espec ia l l y i n the

react i vat ion o f ru ra l , dese r t, o r abandoned a reas - a lways at tend ing that

each p lace and set t lement as i t s res t r ic t ions. These sus ta inab le s t ra teg ies

mus t be adapted fo r each one. I t i s t ime to change the per spect i ve o f

u rban g rowth and s ta r t to th in k i n “degrowth ” s t ra teg ies fo r genera l u rban

p lann ing so that soc ie ty i t se l f can dea l and adapt to a more inc lus i ve,

respect fu l , and sus ta inab le way o f l i v i ng.

-39-

B ib l iog raphy

. Akker, Jos van den; L ipp, Ladakh. (May/ June 2004) . “ The Power o f Human i t y. Renewable Ene rgy in Au rov i l le ” . Re-Focus

. Aswin i Clarence-Smi th, Sur yami. (4 th May 2015) . “Au rov i l le : A Pra t ica l Ecper iment i n Utop ian Soc ie ty ” . Bache lo r o f A r t s Rqu i rement s i n I n te rd i sc ip l i na r y S tud ies. UGIS – The Un ive r s i t y o f Ca l i fo rn ia, Be r k ley

. Avel ino, F lor ; Kunze, I r i s. (4 th/5th J une 2009) . “Exp lo r i ng the Trans i t ion Potenc ia l o f the Ecov i l lage Movement ” . Eu ropean Con fe rence on Sus ta inab i l i t y Trans i t ions : Dynamics & Governance o f Trans i t ions to Sus ta inab i l i t y

. Bhat i , La l i t. (2009) . “Au rov i l le : The C i t y the Ear th Needs – ‘A Success fu l l case o f chang ing the c imate fo r ho l i s t ic sus ta inab le deve lopment ” . IOP Con fe rence Se r ies : Ea r th and Env i ronmenta l Sc ience

. Borràs Font, Lucas Pol . ( J u l y 2018) . “Rammed Ear th as a Sus ta inab le Bu i ld ing Techn ique fo r A f fo rdab le Ru ra l Cons t ruc t ion ” . Mas te r i n I ndus t r ia l Eng ineer ing. ETSE IB - Barce lona Schoo l o f I ndus t r ia l Eng ineer ing

. B rooks, Joss ; Everard, Mark ; Longhurs t, James ; Pont in, Jonh. (27th September 2016) . “Deve loped-deve lop ing wor ld par tne r sh ips fo r sus ta inab le deve lopment (1) : An ecosys tem se r v ices pe r spect i ve ” . E l sev ie r L td .

. Chan, Edwin ; K. L. Lee, Grace. (27 Februa r y 2007) . “C r i t ica l facto r s fo r imp rov ing soc ia l sus ta inab i l i t y o f u rban renewal p ro ject s ” . Sp r inger Sc ience+Bus iness Media B.V.

. Dawson, Jonathan. (2006) . “Ecov i l lages. New Fron t ie r s fo r Sus ta inab i l i t y ” . G reen Books fo r The Shcumacher Soc ie ty. I SBN: 9781903998779

. G i rardet, Herbert. (1999) . “C reat ing Sus ta inab le C i t ies ” . G reen Books fo r Schumacher Soc ie ty. I SBN: 9781870098779

. G i rardet, Herbert ; Mendonça, Miguel . (2009) . “A Renewable Wor ld : Ene rgy, Eco logy ” . Equa l i t y Green Books. I SBN: 9780857841384

. Gonçalves, Eduardo; Jeanrenaud, Jean-Paul . (2017) . “Sus ta inab le C i t ies ” . Wor ld U rban Fo rum Focus. SUSTDEV

. Heehs, Peter. (2015) . “S r i Au rob indo and h i s Ash ram, 1910-2010 . An Un f i n i shed H i s to r y ” . Nova Re l ig io : The Jou rna l o f A l te rnat i ve and Emergent Re l ig ions, Vo lume 1 , p. 65-86 . ISBN 1541-8480

. Kapoor, Rakesh. (18th December 2006) . “Au rov i l le : A sp i r i t ua l - soc ia l exper imente in human un i t y and evo lu t ion ” . E l sev ie r L td .

. Kundoo, Anupama. (2014) “Wal l House” . Pa l impses to n º11

. Lehmann, Stef fen ; Crocker, Robert. (2012) . “Des ign ing fo r Ze ro Waste: Consumpt ion, Techo log ies and the Bu i l t Env i ronment ” . Ea r th scan. ISBN: 9781849714358

. Mi l ler, Freder ica. (2018) . “Ecov i l lages A round the Wor ld . 20 Regenerat i ve Des igns fo r Sus ta inab le Commun i t ies ” . F i ndhorn Press. I SBN: 9781844097432

. Montaner, Josep Mar ia ; Mux í , Zaida. (2011) . “A rqu i tectu ra y Po l í t ica. Ensayos para Mundos A l te rnat i vos ” . Ed i to r ia l Gus tavo Gi l i , S. L. 1s t ed i t ion 2014 . ISBN: 9788425224379

. Moore, Steven A. (Apr i l 2008) . “A l te rnat i ve Routes to the Sus ta inab le C i t y : Aus t i n , Cu r i t iba, and Frank fu r t ” . Md. : Rowman & L i t t le f ie ld . Vo l .49

. Moteval i , Zahra. (12th November 2017) . “Eco-V i l lage, A Modelo f Sus ta inab le A rch i tectu re ” . Jounar l o f Fundamenta l and App l ied Sc iences. ISSN 1112-9867

. Un i ted Nat ions. (2014) . “Wor ld U rban izat ion Prospects. H ighL igh t s ” . I SBN 978-1-151517-6

. Un i ted Nat ions. (2015) . “ I n te rnat iona l Gu ide l i nes on U rban and Te r r i to r ia l P lann ing ” . Span i sh ve r s ion . ONU-Habi ta t

. Un i ted Nat ions. (2017) . “ The New Urban Agenda – Habi ta t I I I ” . Span i sh Ve r s ion . ISBN 978-92-1-132736-6

. Un i ted Nat ions. (2018) . “Wol rd U rban izat ion Prospects. The 2018 Rev i s ion ” . I SBN 978-92-1-148319-2

. Wi ley, John. (2007) . “Au rov i l le. An A rch i tectu ra l Laborato r y ” . Jonh Wi ley & Sons L td.

. Xue, J in . (24th J une 2014) “ I s eco-v i l lage/u rban v i l lage the fu tu re o f a degrowth soc ie ty? An u rban p lanne r ’ s pe r spect i ve ” . E l sev ie r B.V.

Books & A r t ic les

-40-

Images Sou rces

-41-

Cover

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Image 11

Image 12

Image 13

Image 14

Image 15

Image 16

Image 17

Image 18

Image 19

Image 20

Image 21

Image 22

Image 23

Image 24

Image 25

Image 26

Image 27

Image 28

Image 29

Image 30

Image 31

Image 32

Image 33

Image 34

Image 35

Image 36

Image 37

Image 38

Image 39

Image 40

Image 41

Image 42

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Unknown Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le.o rg/content s /7




Autho r : V i k ram Ramak r i shnan. Sou rce: h t tps : / / sonu ra i .com/b ingwa l lpapers /Au rov i l le Ind ia

Own E laborat ion

Autho r : Roger Anger. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le.o rg/content s /691

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Autho r : The Mothe r. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le. i n fo/ACUR/mas te rp lan/concept.h tm

Autho r : Roger Anger. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le. i n fo/ACUR/mas te rp lan/concept.h tm



Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Autho r : Jav ie r Ca l le jas. Sou rce: h t tps : / /a rch i tectu re l i ve. i n / the-wa l l -house-at-au rov i l le -by-anupama-kundoo-arch i tect s /

Autho r : Anne P lnd. Sou rce: “Au rov i l le. An A rch i tectu ra l Laborato r y ” . Jonh Wi ley & Sons L td.

Au tho r : Anne P lnd. Sou rce: “Au rov i l le. An A rch i tectu ra l Laborato r y ” . Jonh Wi ley & Sons L td.

Au tho r : Anupama Kundoo. Sou rce: “Au rov i l le. An A rch i tectu ra l Laborato r y ” . Jonh Wi ley & Sons L td.

Unknon Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / / recond i to.o rg/2017/08/17/ the-mat r imand i r /

Unknon Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / / x l i l i .wo rdpress.com/2012/04/19/au rov i l le /

Unknon Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www. redd i t.com/ r /b i za r rebu i ld ings/comments /e i599 l / the_mat r imand i r _ in te r io r_a_space_ fo r_those_who/Autho r : Soumya Sum i t ra Beher. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www. t r ipsavvy.com/au rov i l le -pond iche r r y-v i s i to r s -gu ide-1539711

Unknown Autho r. Sou rce: h t tp : / / lavue l taa lmundo.net /up load/b log/20090722092051- im2gr-2 . jpg

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Unkown Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le. i n fo/ACUR/mas te rp lan/admin .h tm#up

Unkown Autho r. Sou rce: h t tps : / / s i tes.goog le.com/a/au rov i l le foundat ion .o rg . i n /www/ in fo rmat ion/au rov i le - res ident s

Autho r : Eugene Dumont. Sou rce: h t tps : / / s i tes.goog le.com/a/au rov i l le foundat ion .o rg . i n /www/ in fo rmat ion/au rov i le - res ident s

Autho r : Eugene Dumont. Sou rce: h t tps : / / s i tes.goog le.com/a/au rov i l le foundat ion .o rg . i n /www/ in fo rmat ion/au rov i le - res ident s

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Own E laborat ion

Autho r : Jonhy. Sou rce: h t tps : / / so la rcook ing. fandom.com/w i k i /Au rov i l le_So la r_K i tchen

Autho r : Marco Saro ld i . Sou rce: h t tp : / /geograph ica l .co.uk /natu re/energy/ i tem/2697-tu rn ing-on-the- l igh t s

-42-

Web S i tes

. h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le. i n fo/ACUR/mas te rp lan/ index .h tm

. h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le -c i t y theear thneeds.o rg/

. h t tps : / /www.anupamakundoo.com/ roger-anger- research-on-beauty/

. h t tps : / /www.au rov i l le.o rg/

. h t tps : / /ecov i l lage.o rg/

. h t tp : / /au rov i l le.es / index .php

. h t tps : / /www. faena.com/a leph/es/a r t ic les /chand igarh- la-c iudad-de- la-ind ia-que-d i seno- le-corbus ie r /

. h t tps : / /www.un .o rg/span i sh/con fe rences/wssd/unced.h tm l

. h t tps : / /www.au ro-ebooks.com/autho r s / the-mothe r /

. h t tps : / / fe tz igoes.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/ ind ia-au rov i l le -by- roger-anger /

auroville - upcommons

Documents