The Harappan civilization, lasting from 3300 to 1300 CE was undoubtedly one of the largest and most developed one among the Bronze Age civilisations. One of the most significant of its features was the civilization’s urban architecture, which was well planned and way ahead of its time.

1. Streets: The main streets were laid out on a grid plan. They were quite straight and intersected each other at right angles, thus dividing the city into large rectangular blocks. This kind of alignment of streets indicates conscious town planning. Almost each street had a public well and lamp-posts at intervals.
2. Bricks: A striking feature of Harappan structures is the uniformity in the average size of the bricks used for construction.
3. Houses: Most of the houses had a well, a bathroom and a good system of covered drainage connected with that of the street. All these as well as the main buildings were made of well-made burnt bricks, which have been excellently preserved even to this day and would be considered highly creditable even according to our modern standards.
4. Privacy concerns: People lived in houses of different sizes, mostly consisting of rooms arranged around a central courtyard. Doorways and windows generally faced the side lanes and rarely opened onto the main streets. The view from the lane into the courtyard was blocked off by a wall.
5. Drainage system: Many houses or groups of houses had separate bathing areas and toilets. Bathing platforms with drains were often located in rooms next to a well. The floor of the bathing area was usually made of tightly fitted bricks to make a carefully sloped watertight surface. A small drain led from here, cut through the house wall, and went out into the street, connecting ultimately with a larger sewage drain.

These features demonstrate that the Harappan civilization had architectural and urban planning practices that were advanced for their time and share similarities with modern principles.