The urban history of the city of Lalitpur is as old as the urbanization of the valley itself, which seems to have started about a little over two thousand years ago, during the Kirat rule. The city was rich and self-sustained, with its strong agricultural and economic base. Various rulers of different dynasties Kirat, Licchavis, Mallas to Shahs contributed in its development and prosperity.
The city of Lalitpur was one of the three main cities of Kathmandu valley which also consisted of several other small satellite settlements like Lubhu, Khokana, Bugamati, and there existed close socio-economic and cultural linkages between. The city like other cities in the valley shows distinct urban settlement and land use pattern. The settlements were compact in nature and within them were hierarchy of spaces depending upon the social position held by the people especially during the Malla period.
The royal palace or Durbar Square with series of courtyards and big open spaces with temples in it occupied the central position within the city. The immediate area surrounding the palace was allocated for the priests, noblemen and people belonging to the high castes. Next to this were people of the business community, craftsmen, farmers and workers. To the outermost boundary or the periphery of the city were the lower caste groups such as cleaners, podes, butchers etc. Agricultural land extends beyond the city area. This is in consonance with the traditional urban settlement pattern of human history.
Urban Form and Design
The urban design of old city area exhibits the marvelous use of space and meticulous planning of its different urban elements well correlated with the people, building they live in and activities they perform. The presence of form and functionality within the urban elements in those days is quite astonishing. A sense of uniformity and definite pattern existed with compact building units; often built around courtyards, connected with well laid out streets and alleys, artistic façade. One finds consistency in the scale and dimensions of the buildings and its various elements. The technology and materials used in buildings and their structure are inspiring even to present day builders.
The urban design of the old city was dominated by courtyard system. Buildings were built around interconnected courtyards large and small. Often the buildings in a courtyard are owned by people belonging to a single caste, which also determined the occupation of the people in those days. Courtyards were an essential element of the urban fabric serving the multiple needs of its inhabitants. These provided vital open spaces within the compact settlements where cultural and religious activities that dominated the social life of the people were performed. In addition they also provided space for economic activities and recreation.
The urban boundary of the then Lalitpur city was defined by the four stupas located at four cardinal directions, at Pulchowk, Lagankhel, Imadol and Sankhamul, separating it from the surrounding fertile agricultural land. In addition to this, the extent of the city and its command area too was demarcated by placing Astamatrikas, the custodian goddess of the city.
In this regard urban containment seems to have been given high priority in those days. Several existent small towns and settlements in its peripheral areas with close socio-economic and cultural linkages could have been developed with the present day concept of satellite towns to relocate the growing urban population without infringing the existing city boundary.
However, this unique tradition of urban development and land use gradually diminished not just in Lalitpur but also in the whole of Kathmandu Valley with the advent of Rana rule in Nepal. The noble Rana rulers built several mansions exhibiting their power and supremacy at several locations on the outskirts of Lalitpur, which were beyond the traditional urban boundary. Slowly settlement began to cluster around those areas thus opening the floodgates for urban sprawl.
Historical Land Use / Zoning in LSMC
The only distinctive land use pattern of the traditional settlement area of Lalitpur city is the division of agricultural land from the built up area. A cautious effort and planning seems to have been made to preserve the fertile agricultural land and at the same time build human settlements at a location most suitable for urban development in terms of habitation and provision of urban infrastructures and services.
But if we look deep into the social and economical make up of the community and their settlement location, it reveals a picture of some form of arrangement that is synonymous with what we today called zoning or land use in terms of planning.
The conglomeration of people belonging to a particular caste or Jaat, which also defined their occupational group, at one particular location in the city and the benefit they get from being at that particular location in relation to their work and activity suggests a zoning of some sort in early days. In other words the city was zoned by caste or Jaat.
For example, the location of farming community at the outer ring of the settlement hierarchy puts them close to their fields thus saving both their traveling distance and the haulage distance for their harvest. The courtyards and open spaces within their settlement provide them area for off farm activities like drying and storing their harvest, among others shows.
The use of building, particularly within the business and working class people, as a place of residence in the upper floors and shop or workshop in the lower or ground floor not just negated the need to travel to and from the place of living to the work place but also contained a particular work or business at one specific location of the city. Also the location of these areas in the vicinity of market or bazaar area is indicative of judicious planning effort.
The control and regulation of the land use together with other aspects of urban development is another interesting aspect to notice. These were often enforced through religious doctrine rather than the law, which the highly religious people of those days strictly followed wholeheartedly, and this further ensured its success and self-continuity for generations.
Housing
LSMC has been known for its rich art and architecture. Apart from the magnificent monuments and palaces, it is also manifested in the buildings of the ordinary citizens that line up the core city area. The urban design of old city area exhibits the marvelous use of space and meticulous planning of its different urban elements well correlated with the people, building they live in and activities they perform. A sense of uniformity and definite pattern existed with compact building units, often built around courtyards, connected with well laid out streets and alleys, artistic façade. However, in the last few decades the new urban development and building construction works in LSMC has often proceeded without any proper planning.
Urban Development Effort in LSMC
In an effort to curb the uncontrolled haphazard urbanization, particularly in the new development area, municipality along with other urban development authorities have enforced and implemented land development programs such as Guided Land Development (GLD) and Land Pooling Project.
Number of potential development areas within LSMC has been designated as GLD areas. The GLD program has been successful in opening up access making way to the basic infrastructures like road, drainage among other in newly developing urban areas. According to KVTDC, Lalitpur, of the total target of 137 km, about 85 km of road access have been opened up by GLD program in Lalitpur by the year 2062 BS (Chart 6.5).
However, the city of Lalitpur have not seen too many Land pooling project, which have gained widespread popularity in KMC in the last few decades due to its innate character, successful implementation, effectiveness and most importantly growing participation of the people. There were altogether 3 Land pooling projects implemented in the district of Lalitpur, of which only one, Bagmati Corridor Land Pooling Project, is located within the city boundary.
Current land use
Agriculture use has been the predominant land use in the Kathmandu valley, followed by forests and grasslands. Over the past decades urbanization has encroached upon "tar" agricultural land and more recently on more fertile land along the river flood plains closer to the developed areas of the city. It has spilled over into adjoining VDCs converting agriculture land to urban use. Agriculture land of the valley had reduced from 41,950 ha. in 1984 to 33,308ha. in 1994 and 27,570 ha. in 2000. Urban land had increased correspondingly from about 3,096 ha. in 1984 to 8,378 ha. in 1994 and 9198 ha. in 2000.
Halcorw Fox et al. had estimated that the net area under urban development would be about 10,128 ha. in 2010 and 14,332 in 2015. The development plan 2020 (KVTDC) had estimated that if a gross density of 300 persons per hectare could be achieved within the existing urban areas, the demand for urban land in the next 20 years would be slightly over 3600 hectares. A study undertaken by MSUD in 1989 had determined that only 62% of KMC area and 52% of LSMC area had been built up.
Considering this Kathmandu Valley Urban Development Programme (KVUDP) has devised a certain land use ordinance to guide the pattern of land use within the city and this is the basic guideline that has been followed for this purpose of preparing a current land use map.
The main objectives of this zoning ordinance are:
- To retain the natural beauty Kathmandu valley.
- To retain healthy and clean environment of Kathmandu valley.
- To retain traditional and indigenous identity of Kathmandu Valley
- To conserve declared Conserved Monumental Zone’s historical and architectural environment.
- To manage the haphazard growth of in urbanization
- To systematize and plan the building activities that is going to take place in the future.
The zoning done by KVTDC, as applicable to LSMC is as follows:
A. Core Area/ Inner City Area
Depending upon the nature of the place, this zone is divided into following three sub zones.
1a. Protected Monumental Sub zone zone
Various archeological and historical places such as bahal, bahi, temple, Durbar Square fall under this sub zone.
1b. Conservation Sub Zone
This sub zone consists of courtyards and surrounded side walks, old building on land connected with courtyards and the houses, buildings and temples etc. of traditional style and reflecting age old urban character with stages of historical developments.
1c. Mixed Old Residential Sub zone
All places of the core area not covered by protected monumental sub area and conservation sub area fall under this mixed old settlement sub zone.
B. Residential Zone
Residential zone specifically means the zone used for residential purpose.
2a. Commercial Sub Zone
This sub zone covers areas alongside the roads of 14 meters width or above and falling within the residential areas where major wholesale and retail trading activities take place.
The Area along side the road from four way crossing at Thapathali , Kupondole, Pulchowk, Jawalakhel, Lagankhel and up to Ring Road crossing at Satdobato are covered by this sub zone.
2b. Dense mixed Residential Sub zone
This sub zone covers the following areas excluding areas within commercial/business sub zone:
Pulchowk, Jawalakhel, Lagankhel etc.
2c. Other residential Sub Zone.
This sub zone covers Sanepa and Satdobato etc. excluding areas mentioned in 2a above.
2d. Planned Residential Sub Zone
Planned Residential areas are residential areas developed by government or non-government level.
C. Institutional Zone
Area covering institutional buildings used for government, semi-government as well as other public uses fall under this zone. This zone is divided into following sub zone.
3a. Government and Non-government office Sub zone
3b. Health Service Sub-Zone
3c. Police and Army Sub zone
3d. Education Sub zone
D. Industrial Zone
Industrial zone denotes the existing industrial district at Patan.
E. Conservation Zone
Conservation zone covers open green area and the river banks which are necessary for conservation from historical, religious, archaeological and environmental point of view. The following sub zones have been specified under this zone.
5a. Green and Open spaces Sub zone
This sub zone covers open fields, ponds, stone spouts, asylum and other open area.
5b Park and Forest Sub zone
Places such as Zoo fall under this sub zone.
5c. Cultural, Religious and Archeological Sub zone
This sub zone covers areas and places announced by his majesty’s government as being conserved monumental sites by publishing notice in the Nepal Gazette as well as other cultural, historical, ancient archaeological and religious areas excluding conservation area of old town zone.
F. Surface Transportation Sub zone
Bus Park, Truck Park, car Park, roads, etc. fall under this classification.
G. Sports Zone
This zone covers areas prepared for the development of sports. (e.g. Satdobato Swimming pool and shooting range and Chyasal Sports complex which are recent developments)
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