With Chandigarh’s growing reputation as nature’s paradise, every aspect of this man-made creation, originally spread over 47 blocks of 246 acres each, vindicates the visionary thinking of the early planners. Surely, Le Corbusier, MS Randhawa and others must be smiling at the evolution of Chandigarh into a standard for sustainable living amidst the chaos typical Indian cities are.

Chandigarh is an intricately inter-connected green world made up of numerous parks, forests and tree-lined avenues. While spaces such as the Sukhna landscape are known to be biologically diverse, it is the smaller green zones within residential areas, educational institutes, government offices and hospitals that act as ecological bridges for more than 270 species of avifauna and numerous small mammals.

The original planners had made an everlasting impact in determining the city’s future course by integrating trees and plants into the construction plans. However equal credit goes to the Forest Department and horticulture wing of the Municipal Corporation who have preserved natural spaces and continuously engaged in plantation drives of diverse indigenous species.

Controlling micro-climate

An annual assessment as part of the government’s Greening Chandigarh Action Plan suggests that annually more than 1,60,000 trees have been planted over the last 14 years (2007-’21) leading to a significant increase in…

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