India, July 5 -- The proposed amendments to Chandigarh's Master Plan 2031 have predictably drawn attention to numbers: higher floor area ratios (FAR), taller buildings and increased ground coverage. These technical revisions have sparked a familiar debate. Should Chandigarh build upwards or preserve the low rise character that has defined it for over seven decades? But perhaps we are asking the wrong question. The Master Plan is not merely proposing changes to development regulations. It has reopened an old question about what Chandigarh values most. Is its identity rooted in the physical form of the city, or in the planning principles that shaped it? As land grows scarce and urban pressures mount, the city finds itself at a defining mome...