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Located in Rajasthan’s semi-arid climate, Mahindra World City Jaipur (MWCJ) is an integrated business city in the south-west of Jaipur, India. The city currently accommodates a successful employment-focused special economic zone. Arup was commissioned to develop a masterplan for a new 180-ha residential and social infrastructure zone within MWCJ. The new zone will create a vibrant community for those who work in the MWCJ already, and for new residents. It will deliver twenty-five thousand new sustainable homes in mixed-use walkable neighbourhoods.
Mahindra World City Jaipur is the first project in Asia to receive Stage 2 certification from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. It is committed to a long-term roadmap towards achieving net negative operational Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions.
Arup’s masterplan aims to:
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create a new place for people to live locally and reduce commutes to work and trips to Jaipur for shopping and leisure;
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establish a new regional centre for Jaipur offering retail and entertainment facilities; and
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promote a sustainable new development to support MWCJ in its journey to become one of the world’s largest climate resilient developments.
Project Summary
10 new, self-sufficient communities
9kmof landscape frontage
4kmof shaded, walkable streets
Communities in Landscape
Our concept for the new district is comprised of distinct yet interlinked mixed-use communities. These communities are surrounded by green corridors and open spaces with a central river park at the heart, creating an attractive landscape setting that is accessible, usable, and climate-resilient. Our concept of ‘Communities in Landscape’ is supported by the following core principles:
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Each resident or visitor will be less than a 5-minute walk from a high-quality open space.
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Each community will have access to a plaza with local stores and amenities which will act as its heart – a place to meet and relax in a more urban setting.
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Designated routes for walking and cycling will promote active, sustainable travel between communities and with surrounding villages and settlements.
A new town centre for the World City
Our masterplan proposes ten distinct neighbourhoods in the district, each within a short walking distance of a neighbourhood hub with convenience retail and community facilities. A local centre in the north-west provides hospitality, commercial and retail facilities to serve the wider World City businesses. A central hub is designed to be a new town centre with destination retail, cultural uses, health and wellbeing facilities, and food outlets. Higher education facilities housed in a network of university buildings to the centre and south-west of the site complement the uses and activities of the business community.
Creating a multifunctional landscape
The new district is bisected by a monsoonal storm water corridor that is unsuitable for development. We proposed to use this corridor to create the blue-green Nevata Park, which functions as a primary open space at the city scale from which pedestrianised green corridors connect to new communities and the wider context. Water management within the park is designed to contain storm water and increase flood attenuation capacity during the monsoon season creating an accessible riverfront park for the community. In the dry season, small ponds, wetlands and canals create pockets of shaded and cool gathering areas, creating a different character.
Developing a climate responsive city
Thermal comfort in a hot climate is crucial for walkability and use of open spaces. To promote walking and cycling and to improve the thermal performance of buildings, we used solar assessment tools to determine the optimal orientation for the plots and streets. Through our microclimate and route network analysis, we identified areas with direct exposure to solar radiation and developed a shading strategy, which included narrower street profiles, shading structures and tree planting to improve outdoor comfort levels. We also embedded a range of sustainability interventions including reuse of treated water for landscaping, passive design for energy efficient buildings, and proposals to use low emission buses for last-mile connectivity.
Planning for communities of the future
The new district within Mahindra World City Jaipur creates a mixed-use place tailored to the needs of a future community. The central Nevata Park together with a hierarchy of open spaces ensures access to high-quality and memorable landscapes for residents and visitors. Our climate responsive design ensures a walkable and shaded environment for pedestrians. Ultimately, these strategies create a vibrant place for local residents whilst also attracting visitors from the wider area and from Jaipur.
Given the increasing importance of climate change mitigation in a rapidly urbanising country like India, Mahindra World City Jaipur could serve as a model for development across emerging communities.
