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South Gate, Auroville
A Mobility & Transit Hub Project
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Auroville Mobility
The Auroville Master Plan, in its “goals and objectives”
concerning traffic states: “Determining the hierarchy of
roads and access ways, particularly emphasising where
non-polluting movement should take precedence over
general traffic.” Based on the Master Plan‘s general
considerations on traffic, especially the aim of giving
preference to non-polluting movement, a network of roads
and pathways has been proposed - The Crown containing
the city center, the Radials connecting to the Outer Ring
Road and the Outer Ring Road containing the city.
Auroville aims to be completely motor-vehicle free,
however, in phases progressively from the city center
outward.
At the four junctions of the four entrances into the four
zones of Auroville, there are planned Secondary Service
Nodes. The main function of these nodes is to act as
mobility transit zones, where visitors and residents will
switch from fossil-fuel vehicles to e-vehicles or
non-polluting mode of transport or public transport. A
shuttle bus system will have to be put into place to
effectuate the transition.
The Southern Service Node (SSN) or South Gate has now
been developed as the first of the four secondary service
nodes that will model this mobility and transit hub.
SOUTHERN SERVICE
NODE / SOUTH GATE
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South Gate - campus layout
The layout of the Southern Service
Node or South Gate aims to make this
the formal entrance into Auroville on
the Residential Zone side. The current
entrance via the Certitude poramboke
will need to be closed to effectuate
this controlled entry.
The campus is designed with a
parking/ mobility transit hub, a bus
access and bus stand with a waiting
area, existing buildings integrated into
future developments, of which the first
phase will include a Food Court
building including a store, an info and
e-vehicle rental desk. Along with this,
in the building is included a space for
Swiggy/ Parcel delivery office, which
contributes to a large portion of
Auroville’s motorized traffic today.
With FAMC these services will have to
be formalized, and Aurovilians who
order food or goods will need to pick
them up from the pick-up point, and
no longer be able to receive the items
at doorstep.
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Solarizing Carports
The parking or mobility transit hub will be covered by “carports” with solar panels as
roof cover. Carports are modern parking coverings that allow the transformation of a
traditional car/ bike park area into a ‘solarize’ car parking. An idle parking space is
converted into a ‘solar energy generating carport’. It serves the dual purpose of both
covering the vehicles and producing clean energy at the same time.
Mahindra Solarize is one such company in India that customizes and installs solar
carports. The Mobility Transit Hub of SSN has been designed to house carports for
both car and bike parking spaces.
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Carports in the South Gate
The parking or mobility transit hub of SSN are designed with
Solar Roofs facing the south for optimal solar harvesting.
A total of 90 car parking spaces and 420 bike parking spaces
have been provided for. 50% of these parking spaces will be
reserved for Aurovilians to park their personal-owned petrol
vehicles, and transit into Auroville only via e-bikes/ cycles or
buses.