URBAN VAASTU - Building modern India Magazine - October 2014

In this issue

What is Urban Vaastu about?
Urban Vaastu supports the creation and expansion of planned
urban environments. Currently, over 30 per cent of India's
population lives in towns and cities. Given that close to twothirds
of the world's population will live in urban spaces by
2050, and with India predicted to follow this pattern, there is
great urgency to the development and expansion of urban
centres. The aim is to create strong communities, living in
security, health, wealth and peace. Similarly, living and work
spaces must become places where the individual's potential is
maximised.
To meet these ends, Urban Vaastu proposes to apply the Roman
architect Vitruvius' principles of firmness, function and beauty
to evaluate cities, landscapes and structures. We hope our effort
will make a difference by creating urban centres that merge
seamlessly with our lives rather than force us to struggle in an
alien landscape that is not designed to take care of our needs.
The Goal
It is critical that we help in the construction of sustainable,
breathing spaces that foresee and accommodate India's great
urban growth. Hence, the goal of Urban Vaastu is to nurture and
support the principles of science and art to create public and
private spaces that enhance our quality of living.
Urban Vaastu does not limit itself to factual information, but is
based on evaluation and balanced comparison against
universal principles of architecture. This means that, for every
fact that we present, we evaluate it from the eyes of planners,
citizens and economic interests and measure it against the best
examples around the world.