Rethinking Urban Planning in India

Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure

Context

• India’s urban centers need to evolve from being reactive spaces to proactive engines of growth and focus on land-use zoning, as it aspires to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047 under the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Need of Urban Planning in India & Strategic Role of Cities

• Economic Growth: Cities contribute over 63% of India’s GDP and are projected to account for 75% by 2030.
  • Urban planning ensures that this growth is spatially efficient and economically inclusive.
• Population Surge: Over 400 million people live in cities, and it is expected to increase nearly 600 million people by 2036 and 800 million people by 2050, planning is essential to manage density, infrastructure, and services.
• Frontline of Climate Action: India’s pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 demands urban leadership.
  • Cities consume significant energy and contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, they need to integrate climate action plans that promote low-carbon growth, efficient energy use, and sustainable infrastructure.

Limits of Traditional Urban Planning

• Historically, urban planning in India has revolved around static master plans that prioritize land allocation for residential, commercial, and industrial use. However, this approach has failed to keep pace with the dynamic challenges of modern urbanization, like:
  • Fragmented Governance: Cities suffer from overlapping jurisdictions and weak local governance, making coordinated planning difficult.
  • Mobility and Transport Integration: Cities are growing rapidly, but without integrated transport planning, congestion and pollution worsen.
  • Environmental Stress: Rapid urban expansion has led to water shortages, air pollution, and heat stress, demanding integrated environmental planning.
  • Social Infrastructure & Inequity: Health, education, and affordable housing are often afterthoughts, leading to inequitable urban development.
    • Informal settlements and inadequate infrastructure continue to marginalize millions, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
  • Economic Dynamism: Land-use plans seldom account for economic clusters, innovation hubs, or employment zones that drive urban prosperity.
• Financing Gaps: Cities struggle with low absorptive capacity, fragmented governance, and limited access to commercial financing.
  • A World Bank report estimates that ₹70 lakh crore will be needed by 2036 to meet urban infrastructure demands.

Towards a New Paradigm: Rethinking Urban Planning

• Economic Vision as the Foundation: Urban planning should begin with a city-level economic vision spanning 20–50 years.
  • It involves identifying economic drivers, estimating job creation, and aligning land-use and infrastructure requirements accordingly.
• Natural Resource Budgeting: Each city needs to assess its natural resource availability and carrying capacity.
  • Urban plans should incorporate resource budgeting for water, energy, and waste while promoting demand management and circular economy principles to ensure sustainability.
• Climate Action Integration: Cities should formulate Climate Action Plans that outline strategies for emission reduction, renewable energy adoption, and resilience building.
  • These plans need to align with national targets for greenhouse gas reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2070.
• Environmental and Mobility Planning: Urban environmental management needs to include air pollution control, waste management, and green infrastructure.
  • A Comprehensive Mobility Plan should promote public transport, cycling, and walking to reduce congestion and emissions, in line with sustainable transport principles.
• Regional and Smaller City Integration: Urban economies extend beyond municipal boundaries. Therefore, planning needs to adopt a regional approach, integrating urban and rural economies.
  • Smaller cities, with their lower land costs, hold immense potential for manufacturing and industrial expansion. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making: GIS mapping, real-time analytics, and smart city tools can enable adaptive planning.
• Institutional and Educational Reforms:
  • Revised Planning Laws: To enable economic, environmental, and regional integration within urban plans.
  • Capacity Building: Updating educational curricula in planning and architecture to train professionals equipped for economic, environmental, and technological challenges.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Encouraging partnerships between economists, environmental scientists, and urban planners to foster holistic development strategies.

Government-Led Planning Reforms

• NITI Aayog’s 2021 Report: Recommends creating an All India Urban and Regional Planning Service, reforming Town & Country Planning Acts, and strengthening urban planning education.
• MoHUA Initiatives: Through Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) and Model Building Bye-laws, the Ministry promotes land-use efficiency, sustainability, and affordability.
• India Infrastructure Report 2023: Emphasizes urban redevelopment, sustainable growth, and the need for institutional capacity building.
• PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan: A multi-modal infrastructure strategy integrating transport, logistics, and urban planning for seamless connectivity.
• Smart Cities Mission: Aimed at improving quality of life through technology-enabled governance, efficient public services, and sustainable urban design.
• Urban Infrastructure Investment: India is allocating 3.3% of its GDP to infrastructure, with a focus on roads, railways, and urban transport.

Source: IE