New Birth
@Sector 1, Residential Zone
What if the heart of the Residential Zone invited you to slow down, walk together, and live a little closer—closer to neighbours, to nature, and to the spirit that brought Auroville into being?
New Birth is that invitation.
Designed by the ATDC Planning Group in 2023, New Birth is a community-oriented housing initiative that brings three compact clusters of homes—a mix of family apartments (2-BHK) and single-occupancy studios—together with shared, people-friendly spaces: a shared parking, community kitchen and dining, laundry, and a crèche. Threaded through and between the clusters is the Yellow Network: shaded walkways and bridges that make Sector 1 permeable, walkable, and open.
New Birth gently challenges the “my garden / your garden” habit that has crept into many neighbourhoods of Auroville. Instead of fences, it proposes shared courtyards and green passages; instead of car dependency, it promotes cool shade and short, friendly journeys on foot or pedal; instead of isolation, it offers common spaces and everyday meeting points. It is urban design as social architecture—quietly re-stitching community life.
Why Now?
In 2023, we asked Aurovilians and Newcomers to share their interest and capacity to help launch this project. The response was heartening: many households expressed readiness to contribute, fully or partially, towards apartments and shared infrastructure. The design is done. The intent is clear. What remained was the catalytic push needed to mobilise Cluster 1 and set the pace for Clusters 2 and 3.
With New Birth, we also respond to a very real need: youth housing and starter homes for individuals and young families who want to root themselves in Auroville’s future. A town that aspires to grow must create space—literally and figuratively—for its next generation.
For Whom?
The project will house registered Newcomers and Residents of Auroville.
What Makes New Birth Different
Collective by design: Common kitchens, laundry, and crèche areas reduce duplication, save costs, and invite shared rhythms of life.
Permeable & inviting: The Yellow Network flows through the site, linking neighbourhoods and enabling car-light movement.
Right-sized living: A mix of studios and 2-BHK units answers diverse life stages—from single volunteers to growing families.
A living piece of the Galaxy: Situated in Sector 1, New Birth helps animate the Master Plan’s intent through a tangible, replicable model.
How We’ll Phase It
The project unfolds in three clusters, each composed of blocks that can be easily constructed in sub-phases, allowing progress to respond organically to fund flow. At full capacity, the development can accommodate approximately ~388 persons (adults and children combined), with an overall estimated project outlay of around Rs. 57 crores.
Homes are realised through contributions rather than purchase. As an indication, a compact studio typically emerges through contributions in the range of the 20 Lakhs bracket, while family units ranging around 60 Lakhs take shape through higher contributions reflecting their size, shared spaces, and long-term stewardship. These figures are not prices per flat but expressions of collective participation in creating a living environment rooted in nature, simplicity, and community.
We prioritise Cluster 1 as a demonstrator: the moment its funding basket is ready, we break ground. As donations towards Cluster 1 arrive, they create a revolving momentum for Clusters 2 and 3. Simple, transparent, and paced by community will.
Important note: New Birth is not a sale. Homes are realised through donations and contributions to the Auroville Foundation, aligned with Auroville’s ethos. This is a collective effort—a shared build, not a market transaction.
1. Sign up if you wish to live here
Register your interest (household size, preferred unit, availability of funds): newbirth@auroville.org.in
2. Contribute if you have the means
Your donation—large or small—helps us launch the project. Those with capacity, whether you need an apartment or not, are warmly encouraged to donate generously so that youth and families can be housed swiftly.
3. Support the commons
Earmark your donations to shared infrastructure (kitchen, crèche, shaded walkways). These are the spaces that knit us together.
4. Spread the word
Share New Birth with friends, devotees, volunteers, and well-wishers who believe in Auroville’s experiment and wish to see it grow, and most importantly, to manifest the City The Earth Needs, of which housing is a key component.
Transparency & Trust
Receipts & reporting: All contributions are donations to Auroville Foundation; official receipts will be issued.
Clear accounting: Funds will be tracked by clusters and components (units / shared spaces), with periodic public updates on progress and utilisation.
Open process: Key milestones—ground-breaking, cluster handovers—will be communicated to the world.
The Spirit of New Birth
New Birth is modest in footprint and ambitious in spirit. It’s a small but meaningful act of urban courage: to live more openly, to live more together, share more, to walk more, to meet more. This is the spirit of the Galaxy. It is a step—concrete, buildable, and replicable—toward the Galaxy we speak of so often.
If Auroville is an evolving experiment, then New Birth is one of its living labs. Let’s build it together.
A Warm Ask to Well-Wishers
If Auroville has touched your life—through a visit, a workshop, a friendship, a sunrise at the Banyan—this is your chance to seed a home for its next generation. Your contribution will directly translate into youth housing, shared spaces, and the shaded paths that carry us to each other.
● Donate: https://donate.auroville.org/
● Sign up / Volunteer: newbirth@auroville.org.in
This is a collective act of manifesting a piece of the Galaxy - together. For more information on the project, phasing, funding, design and more, please write to us. We will be delighted to share.
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