Urbanitarian

Aranya Housing

By B.V. DOSHI (VASTUSHILPA FOUNDATION)
In Indore, India

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The Aranya Housing master plan was designed by the Vastu Shilpa Foundation, led by renowned architect B.V. Doshi.
It is a low-cost housing community aimed at providing affordable homes for the economically weaker sections of society.
The design was created as a self-contained community with housing, civic amenities, and small commercial services.

The community is divided into 6 sectors, each functioning as an independent neighborhood with populations ranging from 7,000 to 12,000 people.
Each sector includes residential, civic, and small commercial amenities, ensuring that essential services are within easy reach.
The town center, the hub of commercial and recreational activity, is located along the central activity spine and is accessible from all sectors via a network of green belts.

The green belts running diagonally across each sector form a pedestrian network, encouraging residents to walk and engage in community spaces.
The road network is hierarchical, with road widths varying from 4.5 m at the dwelling level to 15 m at the sector level, allowing for smooth vehicular movement around the periphery.
The plan promotes a segregation of circulation, where pedestrians move inward towards the town center while vehicular traffic moves outward.

The plots were arranged concentrically, with middle and higher-income groups positioned at the periphery and lower-income groups in the center, fostering a sense of community interaction across different socio-economic levels.
Doshi’s vision for the housing was a participatory process, where residents could customize their homes using a "kit of parts" approach.
The smallest plots measured 35 sq.m., and each homeowner received a concrete plinth, service core, and a room. Residents could then build upon this base gradually, depending on their financial capacity.

The "kit of parts" allowed homeowners to select elements such as staircases, balconies, fenestration, and entrances, adapting their homes according to personal needs and finances.
This self-building approach was particularly well-suited to the lower-income demographic, enabling incremental investments and flexibility in home design.

The service cores were located in narrow open spaces within clusters of dwellings, efficiently servicing double the number of homes as compared to conventional methods.
Homes were oriented north-south to minimize solar heat absorption and keep interiors cool.
Every ten houses opened out to a shared courtyard, which connected to larger pedestrian streets, fostering community engagement and interaction.

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