Designed in the 80s by the Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, the project Aranya, in the Central Indian city of Indore, is an experiment in provision of housing for the poor. Built around the concepts of versatility and adaptability, Aranya sought to both provide quality housing and create the conditions for rich, neighbourhood-based social life.

A very strict Master Plan was elaborated that comprised various types of roads and a hierarchy of public space, from the small squares dotting the alleys to large grounds for cultural events and sports in the middle of Aranya. Sectors were drawn to accomodate various income-based groups in order to create a sustainable social mix. The main innovation of Aranya, though, laid in the social design of the neighbourhood. Housing was to be constructed by the inhabitants themselves, in keeping with the usual practices of slum-dwellers in Indian cities, but with easy access to subisidized land and materials, while water and facilities were provided.

Elaborating on the 81 experimental houses designed by Doshi in what is now known as « Lal Bangla » - for « red bungalow », the inhabitants adapted their houses to their needs, from building extra floors to opening a shop on the ground level.

This photographic project is a study of the built form and the different types of urban spaces in today’s Aranya. Almost thirty years since its inception, Aranya has now been engulfed by the urban sprawl of Indore, yet retains a singular quality of life and rich social life starting from the very front of the houses.

Showcasing a unique variety of housing designs, Aranya has been able to adapt to its inhabitants’ needs, in part thanks to the rigorous respect of the Master Plan. Inadequacies, however, have arisen as the market-driven urbanization of India has gathered pace and the pressures on land are fast becoming pressing for Aranya. Now surrounded by gated communities and large houses for Indore’s new upper-middle class, Aranya tells an incongruous story for Indian cities. It remains a unique example of sustainable urbanism designed from the top but housing provided through bottom-up processes.

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Arthur Crestani (website)