New Delhi is trying to outdo New York City’s Central Park. Efforts are underway to carve a 1,200-acre green space by adjoining many such smaller spaces in the central part of India’s capital. Quartz asked the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the folks behind the restoration, for photos and renderings of the grand plan. Here’s the initial vision:



Sunder Nursery. Photos courtesy of Aga Khan Trust.

A restoration of Sunder Nursery, adjacent to tourist attraction Humayun’s Tomb, is at the heart of the plan. The photos below show striking before and after shots. “The idea here is that this is a magical space that takes people away from the humdrum of daily life,” project director Ratish Nanda told the Associated Press.

The nursery’s central axis in 2008.

The central axis in 2013.

The Lakkarwala Burj, a monument, in 2008.

Lakkarwala Burj in 2013.

Microhabitat in 2008.

Microhabitat in 2013.

Nursery beds in 2008.