Urbanism, Chandigarh, and Contested Modernity

Le Corbusier proposed large-scale zoning, towers, highways, and demolition as solutions to industrial cities. These visions influenced planning while drawing criticism for abstraction, car dependence, and disregard for existing street life.

At Chandigarh, his Capitol Complex formed part of a larger team effort for post-independence India. The project’s monumentality and civic ambition should be considered alongside displacement, local collaborators, and the limits of author-centered history.