2.4     CONCEPT AND APPROACH

2.4.1    The Mother in her 1965 sketch of Auroville laid down the basic concept for the town. This sketch delineated all the important areas of activity that will fulfil the vision of making it a Universal Township. This concept is as practical as it is visionary. The way in which this concept lends itself to international, national and local thinking is extraordinary. It is as modern today as it was innovative when it was expounded some thirty years ago. (Refer sketches) The concept envisions close interaction between Auroville and its surroundings to create a holistic model of development in which urban and rural settlements will complement each other and are not seen as separate. This concept is now being widely recommended to move towards balanced sustainable development.

2.4.2       The activities of the Cultural Zone represent unending education; the International Zone shows acceptance of Auroville's universality; the Industrial Zone emphasises the importance of a strong economic base; the Residential Zone gives the realisation of human oneness; and the Green Belt manifests environmental, economic, spiritual as well as material sustainability. The Green Belt activities help to meet the internal requirements of the town as well as the external requirements of the region. All these activities emanate from the central theme of Auroville: to live and work for an actual human unity-the underlying message of all religions and philosophies. The Divine Presence is signified in the Peace Area by the Matrimandir, the timeless Banyan Tree and the Amphitheatre containing the soils from all parts of India as well as from all over the world.

2.4.3       Auroville, from its very inception, has embarked upon several innovations assisting human development. The Master Plan of Auroville would break new grounds in settlement planning which can help other cities in India and other countries experiencing high urbanisation trends. It would demonstrate how 'urban' and 'rural' areas can complementarily develop in an integral and holistic way for their mutual benefit and well-being. Till recently, urban growth was considered undesirable and all policies emphasized preventing migration from rural areas. However, these policies have not succeeded and urban areas are growing rapidly and becoming more and more degraded. Presently, both national and international opinions are in favour of urbanisation, as they have become engines of development, and emphasise policies that promote urbanisation. Taken too far, these policies may also become untenable, because of the heavy toll urban areas impose on limited natural resources and their unbridled growth is liable to disrupt the food security of the entire nation. This is why planners today are talking of establishing strong rural-urban linkages.

2.4.4       Talking about planning for agriculture and rural development, the Deputy Chairman of the Union Planning Commission said: "Our population has just crossed the one billion mark, and experts have projected that we would be overtaking China by 2035 as the world's most populous country. To feed this growing population, an additional 5-6 million tonnes of foodgrains will need to be produced annually. In addition, we have to recognise that balanced nutrition, which is essential for the health of our people, demands the consumption of a wide array of food stuffs. These too must be provided without compromising on the provision of the basic calorie requirements. All this will have to be done in a context which is less favourable than it used to be. To begin with, we need to recognise that the scope for expansion of the area available for cultivation is limited. In fact there is a possibility that cultivable area may shrink somewhat. Environmental considerations, which are just as important for the well-being of our people, demand that the area under forest cover be increased from the dangerously low levels that it has reached. Demands of urbanisation and industry too will eat into our cultivable land, though we should keep this to the minimum. These are imperatives that we cannot ignore."*

2.4.5       Auroville's development approach, while taking cognisance of the above philosophy, goes much further. The approach of the Master Plan is to establish that economic and human intellectual resources, which normally gravitate to urban areas, can be effectively used to plan development more evenly and to create an equitable and economically sound society. However, it is common knowledge that expanding urban areas encroach not only on valuable agricultural land but surround village settlements in such a way that they become islands of poverty and scarce infrastructure in a neighbourhood which is well served with better quality of infrastructure.

2.4.6       It is Auroville's concept, therefore, to build a City that will economise on land needs by introducing development approaches with an optimum mix of densities but not sacrificing the appealing urban forms or required amenities. The surrounding Green Belt will be a fertile zone for applied research in the sectors of food production, forestry, soil conservation, water management, waste management, village development and other areas essential for sustainable development. The resulting innovative methods can be applied/extended in both rural and urban areas everywhere, particularly in India where the urban-rural divide is continually increasing.

* “Planning for Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities”, K.C. Pant, Yojana, Vol 44, no 9, Sept. 2000