Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c53.7

v1.c53.7

Hence the modern town-planning is not so much concerned with founding new towns as with the improvement and the extension of the existing ones in order to provide, not only the symmetrical, systematic and comfortable residential houses, the wide roads for transport and traffic, the open spaces for play, recreation, fresh air and plantation, parks, gardens, orchards, etc. as well as the railway lines, pipe-lines, drainage and air landings, etc., but also to improve the living conditions of the labourers—the mass of humanity working in factories and mills, by slum-clearance and providing better houses. To cope with the increasing population it has to extend the town by creating muhallas all round the town and thus laying out a new city altogether. Many cities in India have been transformed beyond recognition in altogether new cities. The modern town-planning has also a responsibility to provide the expert guidance for the site-planning of the new public buildings like educational institutions, laboratories, banks, secretariats, market-places, the town-halls and so on and so forth.