Rajkot Smart City, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Harnessing Urban Hydrology: Reviving Water, Reimagining Cities: Atal Sarovar, part of IGBC Platinum–certified Rajkot Smart City Masterplan, exemplifies a progressive model of water-centric urban transformation.
The regenerative blue-green system reclaims a neglected low-lying catchment & reimagines it as a multifunctional civic landscape.
Water is positioned not as residual infrastructure, but as the primary driver of urban form, ecological performance & public life.
Atal Sarovar, Rajkot Smart City byINI Design Studio,won a 2026 Green Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design, and Urban Studies.
Designing Smart Water Networks for a Resilient Future: The 930-acre Rajkot Smart City Masterplan is structured around existing natural assets, including three low-lying depressions re-envisioned as interconnected urban lakes.
Atal Sarovar, with a 0.90 sq km catchment, anchors this system. Comprehensive hydrological, topographical & environmental assessments, including 100-year return period flood modelling, informed the lake’s depth, embankment profiles & overflow mechanisms, restoring natural drainage patterns & ensuring long-term flood safety.
Closing the Urban Water Loop: A defining innovation of Atal Sarovar is its integration of tertiary-treated water from a nearby Sewage Treatment Plant, introduced through the stormwater network. This ensures year-round water availability without dependence on freshwater sources, directly advancing SDG 6.
The three lakes operate as an interconnected hydrological network, overflowing into a canal that ultimately discharges into Nyari Dam, transforming fragmented drainage into a resilient, city-scale water system.
Blue-Green Infrastructure as Regenerative Systems:
The system acts as an ecological sponge, managing stormwater, enhancing biodiversity & elevating urban resilience.
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), bioretention zones, infiltration landscapes & permeable pavements emulate natural hydrological processes, reducing surface runoff & enhancing groundwater recharge.
Native wetland & riparian vegetation stabilize shorelines, establish green buffers and support avian & pollinator habitats.
Material selection was guided by principles of ecological compatibility, longevity & carbon efficiency, ensuring low-maintenance, high-performance infrastructure.
Designed for Inclusive & Equitable Public Realm: The lake is framed by a continuous, non-motorized blue-green mobility network that weaves together organic trails, plazas, lakeside decks & theme parks.
Universal accessibility is embedded by design, with gentle gradients, slip-resistant surfaces & integrated ramps enabling access for all.
Clear wayfinding, shaded rest nodes & inclusive amenities enhance comfort, safety & year-round usability.
Interpretive signage explains water reuse, biodiversity & climate resilience, transforming the site into an open classroom.
Atal Sarovar has emerged as a vibrant social condenser, hosting daily recreation & cultural events, strengthening civic ownership & environmental awareness.
A Blueprint for Future Water-Centric Urban Design: Atal Sarovar exemplifies the successful integration of natural systems into the urban fabric, resulting in a sustainable, dynamic public space that synergistically blends ecological integrity with urban functionality that has invited new investments & developments.
Contributing to SDG 11.7 and SDG 13, it exemplifies a replicable prototype for rapidly urbanizing cities, demonstrating how visionary planning can transform underutilized landscapes into climate-adaptive, socially vibrant & ecologically robust urban infrastructure.
Project: Atal Sarovar, Rajkot Smart City
Architects: INI Design Studio
Lead Architects: Mentor/Director: Jayesh Hariyani, Design Director: Saumil Mevada; Project Director : Rakhi Rupani
Design Team: Viresha Hariyani, Meet Maradia
Client: Rajkot Smart City Development Limited (RSCDL)
Photographers: Vinay Panjwani
