Rurban Architecture in India

Abstract

National Rurban Mission (NRM) was launched in India in February 2016 with the aim of bringing about clusters of 300 Smart Villages across the country. These rurban clusters with “rural soul and urban amenities” is envisioned to revitalize the rural areas along with unburdening the overcrowded urban areas resulting from high rural-urban migration rate, thus steering a balanced growth and development of the country. The objective of this paper is to study the current rural-urban divide in India and look into various case studies of rural architecture of the central part of India with the highest rural-urban migration rate. The aim will be to generate an overall picture of the common housing design practices of the traditional as well as the modern houses in rural India today and further come up with certain design recommendations for a sustainable rurban cluster and a rurban residential development, thereby introducing the concept of rurban architecture. The paper will also propose an architectural solution in the form of a new generation green social housing project for empowering the working class in these rurban clusters, discuss its design approach and the social impact of such a project on the villages in the rurban areas, corporates setting up business in these areas and the nation as a whole. It will highlight few of the issues and challenges to be catered by the policy makers, planners and designers to make the rurban clusters more endurable in the present age of urbanization.