A UK travel vlogger visiting Chandigarh has shared his surprise at the city's planned layout, wide roads and green spaces, saying it feels very different from other major Indian cities. He compared Chandigarh's organised streets and architecture with the chaos he experienced elsewhere during his travels.
UK vlogger praises Chandigarh's planned design
The video was shared by UK travel vlogger Jack Heaton, who described Chandigarh as “literally the opposite of India” while exploring the city.
“You only have to look around to see why. Designed from scratch by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, this is Chandigarh,” he says in the video.
Heaton points out that unlike the traffic and congestion commonly associated with several major Indian cities, Chandigarh was designed around a grid system, with wide roads, green spaces and distinctive Brutalist architecture.
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“Instead of the usual chaos, it's laid out in a huge grid with wide green spaces and a hefty dose of Brutalist buildings. Basically, someone actually sat down and planned the bloody thing,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“Instead of the usual chaos, it's laid out in a huge grid with wide green spaces and a hefty dose of Brutalist buildings. Basically, someone actually sat down and planned the bloody thing,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}After travelling through some of India's biggest cities, Heaton says the organised nature of Chandigarh feels “bizarre” to him.
“It's miles different, and everything is suspiciously organised,” he says.
He also highlights Chandigarh's unusual administrative status. The city serves as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana while also functioning as a Union Territory.
“If that wasn't confusing enough, it's also its own self-governing territory,” Heaton says.
Heaton goes on to describe Chandigarh as one of India's most liveable cities, pointing to its planned layout and relatively spacious surroundings.
In the caption accompanying the video, he said that while he had enjoyed travelling across India, the country's big cities were “undeniably chaotic”, making his arrival in Chandigarh a “little bit of a shock”.
He praised the city's “planned, efficient design and maintenance” and highlighted its wide roads, organised layout and green spaces. He also pointed to Chandigarh's high property prices, saying houses can cost more than a million dollars due to high demand.
Take a look:
How did social media react?
The video prompted several Chandigarh residents and other social media users to share their views.
“Built by French architect, that's why,” one user commented.
“As someone from Chandigarh, I absolutely agree. Every time I travel to other Indian cities, the chaos and lack of planning give me a headache. Chandigarh really spoils you!” another wrote.
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“Really amazing! Chandigarh is one of my favourite cities,” a third user said.
The comments showed how proud many Chandigarh residents are of the city's planning, architecture and wide, open spaces.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)