Know Your Neighbourhood: How Model Town became a familiar name across North India | Trending

Look at the map of several North Indian cities and you may spot a neighbourhood called Model Town. The name is familiar in places such as Delhi and Ludhiana, where it is associated with established residential colonies. But how did the same name come to be used in different cities? And does it have anything to do with the idea of building a model neighbourhood?

Model Town is a familiar residential locality in several North Indian cities. (Representative Image/Unsplash)Lahore Model Town and the origins of planned coloniesThe name Model Town first became associated with a planned neighbourhood in Lahore in the early 20th century. It was meant to offer residents an alternative to the crowded parts of the city.

In 1919, Khem Chand proposed setting up a Model Town on the outskirts of Lahore. The project took shape over the following years, and its first building was inaugurated in 1924, according to a doctoral thesis by Shama Anbrine at the University of Liverpool, which examines the history and planning of the Co-operative Model Town Society.

The thesis describes Lahore's Model Town as an adaptation of British urban planner Ebenezer Howard's Garden City concept. First outlined in his 1898 book, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, the concept was later developed in the 1902 edition titled Garden Cities of To-morrow.

Howard's vision was to create communities that combined the advantages of town and country living. His model placed importance on open spaces, greenery and access to everyday facilities, offering an alternative to the overcrowded and polluted industrial cities of the time.

Khem Chand and other society members adapted these principles in Lahore, planning residential plots, open spaces and community areas away from the congestion of the old city.

Partition in 1947 left millions of people displaced and created an urgent need for homes, jobs and basic facilities. The government had to find places where families arriving from Pakistan could rebuild their lives.

Faridabad, near Delhi, was one of the townships developed for this purpose. In 1949, the government proposed setting up a model town there to accommodate around 50,000 people who had migrated from areas that became part of Pakistan.

A study published in the journal Rural History by Cambridge University Press explains how the Faridabad project formed part of the government's efforts to rehabilitate refugees. The township was also intended to give residents opportunities to work and learn new skills.

The thinking behind the project is reflected in a speech by Jawaharlal Nehru in August 1949, preserved in the Nehru Archive. Addressing displaced people, he spoke about building a new city where they could find work, educate their children and start afresh.

Faridabad was among the new townships planned in northern and western India after Partition to provide displaced families with homes and opportunities to rebuild their lives.

As Indian cities expanded, planned residential colonies became a more familiar part of urban development. Government bodies, improvement trusts and private developers began creating new housing areas with roads, residential plots and basic civic facilities.

Delhi offers an example of this growth. According to DLF's official history, the company was founded by Chaudhary Raghvendra Singh in 1946 and developed 22 urban colonies in the capital between 1950 and 1964.

However, neighbourhoods called Model Town do not all share the same history, nor were they necessarily developed by the same organisation. The name was used in different cities for residential areas that reflected the growing preference for planned layouts and better civic facilities.

So, while the name may seem ordinary today, it reflects an idea that shaped the growth of many Indian cities by creating more organised places to live.

Vaishali Kapila is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital, where she covers internet culture, viral social media moments, human interest stories and workplace trends. She believes the best stories often come from ordinary experiences and everyday conversations. Through her stories, she aims to help readers understand not just what is trending, but why it matters. Vaishali has over five years of experience in digital journalism. Before joining Hindustan Times, she worked as a Sub Editor at NDTV, where she specialised in food and travel writing. Over the years, she has written and edited stories on recipes, nutrition, restaurants, destinations and travel trends, while building expertise in digital storytelling and audience-focused content. Today, her work spans topics including consumer issues, lifestyle, workplace trends and stories that reflect everyday life. She enjoys finding fresh angles, speaking with people and adding context that helps readers make sense of a story.Read More