The Co-operative model town society; history, planning, architecture and social character of an indigenous garden suburb in colonial Lahore.

This thesis investigates the Co-operative Model Town Society Lahore; a town covering an area of around 2000 acres developed in the 1920’s in the (then) suburbs of Lahore, capital of Punjab province in British India. The Town is a remarkable interpretation of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City ideals and the co-operative principles. However, the real significance of the town is it being a unique example of a co-operative garden town built by the local Indian bourgeois, majority of whom were forced to migrate due to the disturbances that followed after the declaration of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947. Despite the admiration and significance of the Town in the realm of pre and post-Independence Lahore, very little has been documented about it. Its formal documented history is non-existent while its original built environment, an excellent example to illustrate late-colonial architecture in the region, is diminishing rapidly due to negligence and reconstructions. The aim of this research is the documentation of history, urban form, social character and architecture of the pre-independence Model Town. Consequently, through an analysis of its built environment this study intends to develop an insight into the colonizer-colonized cultural transfers, in particular, to the transformation of British town planning ideas in the colonies due to their interpretation by the local Indians under the influence of prevalent religious, cultural and social practices. The research was conducted by the process of historical construction, whereby evidences from the documents and the built environment have been used collectively to develop the historiography of the town. The selection of primary material has been based on its availability as the documentary evidences are scattered across Pakistan, India and the UK. The built environment has been documented using the official drawings as well as onsite surveys and measurements where the original drawings are unavailable. The Town has been analysed in a comparative setting with respect to contemporary urban, architectural and social trends and practices prevalent locally ( both by the colonial rulers and the colonized natives) as well as global movements, especially Western ideologies and perspectives and their retrospect local adaptations. The documentation and analysis were used as a ground for four interpretative conclusions. The first conclusion elaborates on the need of urban historiography in Pakistan. The second conclusion interprets the Model Town in the realm of twentieth century urban planning in the region. The third conclusion elaborates on the colonial architectural styles. The fourth conclusion gives an insight into the Model Town with reference to western styled ‘Indian’ nationalism