Purpose of Development Plan

Development Plan is a tool which helps to promotes and regulate growth for the future of cities and towns. It allocates the lands for the various uses in the city for working out the land and infrastructure requirement for its sustainable growth in the future. A Development Plan plays an important role in characterising its urban area and therefore it must plan and organise its resources carefully to achieve sustainable development within the planning area. Hence, it is integral to be aware of the strength and weakness of the planning area to consider the integration of all the aspects while planning for the identified area by the Development Authority.

Sustainable Urban Planning

The term sustainability is broadly used to indicate programs, initiatives and actions aimed at the preservation of a particular resource. Sustainability is made up of three pillars: the economy, society, and the environment. In the search for a sustainable development pathway, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development published in 1987 Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report. It is considered the starting point of the global discourse on sustainability and defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The aim of sustainable urban planning has emerged and spawned numerous urban settlement theories, including the “Healthy City”, “Sustainable City”, “Low-Carbon City”, “Transit-Oriented City”, “Compact City”, “Smart City”, “Green City”, and “Livable City”. Urban development should be guided by a sustainable planning and management vision that promotes interconnected green space, a multi-modal transportation system, and mixed-use development. Diverse public and private partnerships should be used to create sustainable and liveable communities that protect historic, cultural, and environmental resources.

Indian cities are urbanizing at an unprecedented scale and pace. Over the next few decades, India’s urban population is expected to increase significantly, from 377 million in 2011 to 590 million by 2030. This urban sprawl has created a sense of urgency to improve the quality of life in our cities now for the benefit of future generations.

In addition, policymakers, regulators and developers should support sustainable site planning and construction techniques that reduce pollution and create a balance between built and natural systems. New sustainable urban developments or re-developments should provide a variety of commercial, institutional, educational uses as well as housing styles, sizes and prices. The provision of sidewalks, trails, and private streets, connected to transit stops and an interconnected street network within these mixed-use developments provides mobility options and helps reduce pollution by reducing vehicle trips. Walking, bicycling, and other mobility options should be encouraged throughout the urban mixed-use core and mixed-use neighborhoods with easily accessed and well-defined centers and edges.

Sustainable urban planning involves many disciplines, including architecture, engineering, biology, environmental science, materials science, law, transportation, technology, economic development, accounting and finance, and government, among others. This kind of planning also develops innovative and practical approaches to land use and its impact on natural resources. New sustainable solutions for urban planning problems can include green buildings and housing, mixed-use developments, walkability, greenways and open spaces, alternative energy sources such as solar and wind, and transportation options. Good sustainable land use planning helps improve the welfare of people and their communities, shaping their urban areas and neighborhoods into healthier, more efficient spaces.

Urban Planning

Urban planning is considered to be an important arm of urban development. Planning is an important aspect of development. Generally speaking, a plan is a scheme, a design or a framework of programmes of action, strategies and activities.

> Urban planning is the study of the built environment of a city, town, or other urban areas and is closely related to environmental studies, conservation, and land use planning. 

> Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the control of the use of land and design of urban environment, including transportation, networks, to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities.

> Urban planning is a complex and dynamic process to synthesize the diverse activities, perspectives, aspirations and resources into a composite whole. 

> Urban planning is one of the important public policies that government regulates. It involves the spatial resources, instructs the development of a city and the countryside and construction. It is concerned with maintaining social justice, safeguards public security, and public benefits.

Need and Importance of Urban Planning:

It is believed that planning in general makes economic and social development easier by providing scope for explicit collection, analysis and interpretation of data and developing alternative policies that can systematically resolve competing demands and conflicts. As urban development is an emerging area and new areas are added to urban areas gradually, therefore urban planning is a key to urban development. It helps to accomplish the task as how to meet the needs of residents for food, fiber, and other natural resources. It also anticipates the need for places of residence, recreation, industry, trade, service, and other uses of land. It facilitates the provision of a system of transportation, sewage disposal, water supply, recreation, education, health, etc. 

Urban planning enables a government to optimally utilize land and to create a smart and compact city, together with a new paradigm of land use and flexibility. It helps to ensure that the various establishments in urban areas are situated in appropriate localities. This avoids overcrowding and lessens congestion in a transportation system and other public facilities.

Urban planning enables a planner to judiciously utilize the scarce financial resources in various activities of urban development such as poverty eradication, employment generation, water conservation, energy, transportation, environment and population control, etc.

Urban planning helps to integrate the sect oral approach to planning. In urban development, different experts are engaged in different sectors such as housing, sewage, transport, land management, etc. In general, all these professionals are competent not only to manage their own sector but also to establish co-ordination with the other sectors. Good inter and intra sect oral management is sine-quanon for urban development. This is possible only with the help of systematic urban planning.  

Components of Urban Planning:

City level plans

This is by far the most common form of urban spatial planning in Indian cities. In some states it is called Development Plan and Master Plan in others. These plans layout the land use zoning for the whole city and propose the city level transportation network as well as land allocation (usually through zoning or reservations) for other city level infrastructure, both physical and social. The city level land use zoning is broad-brush and infrastructure proposals are schematic. These plans don‟t go into adequate detail for actual implementation.

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Sector Plan

A Sector Plan is a long-range plan for a specific geographic area of at least 15,000 acres in one or more local governmental jurisdictions. Local governments—or combinations of local governments—may adopt Sector Plans into their Comprehensive Plans. A sector plan consists of a group of neighborhoods where it is possible to provide higher order facilities for larger population. 

A Sector Plan is intended to Promote and encourage long-term planning (50 years) for future land uses to meet conservation, economic development and agricultural needs  and Emphasize regionally significant resources, such as water and wildlife, and public facilities.

Contents of a Sector Plan: 

• Social and physical infrastructure to be allocated based on development control norms laid down in master plan 
• Traffic links to be identified between arterials and collector roads 
• It is a detailed site plan with broad identification of residential clusters 
• Allocation of commercial areas and other facilities based on access requirement 
• Formation of a boundary depending on circulation pattern and administrative setup 

Functions of a Sector Plan: 

• It is the lowest level plan for the implementation of the various levels of planning proposals extensively detailed out.
• Each sector plan has to identify the various neighborhoods with population ranging from 3500-15000 .

Comparision of Scale of Maps

        Type of Map /

    Planning Excercse                              Size of Planning Area

  Perspective Plan                       1:2,50,000 – 1:1,00,000 (for larger regions)

                                            1:1,00,000 – 1:1,50,000 (for Smaller regions)

Regional Plan                   1:50,000 – 1:25,000 (District Development Plan)

                                             1:25,000 – 1:10,000 (Metropolitan Region Plan)

 Development Plan                1:10,000 – 1:8,000 (As per State Provision)

 Local Area Plan /

Special Purpose Plan      1:5,000 – 1:1,000 (As per the requirement of the Project)

Planning Process in India

The planning system in India has been all the more centralised one.Since it is a top-down plan preparation model, it had ignored people’s participation on the whole; this is not advisable in any democratic country especially in India. Again the Indian planning system was allocative and sectoral in nature which resulted in excessive concentration of economic activities in metropolitan regions. Thus lack of spatial concern in economic planning has resulted in unbalanced development. Therefore based on various discussions held in this regard, efforts were made to decentralise the planning system. 

The most important event in the history of decentralised planning process in India was the promulgation of 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts on December 22nd 1992 conferring constitutional status to Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGIs). These Acts were notified by the Central Gazette on April 20,1993 aiming to devolve functional and fiscal powers to the local bodies. This became a landmark in democratic decentralisation in the country, giving Local Self-Government Institutions the required constitutional legitimacy. Thus the 9th Plan was an opening for the States to adopt the decentralised planning system based on bottom up approach. However though a number of sporadic experiments and theoretical manifestations by experts in the realm came along, most of the States in the country did not took up the initiative as envisaged in the Constitutional Amendment Acts.

Master Plan

A master plan is a dynamic long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development. Master planning is about making the connection between buildings, social settings, and their surrounding environments. A Master Plan includes analysis, recommendations, and proposals for a site’s population, economy, housing, transportation, Community Facilities, and land-use.

The master plan is the planning document which gives a general framework which includes planning for the development of downtown or the centre city area. The characteristics of a master plan are that it plans for the physical development of the downtown, that it is future oriented and that it is geographically inclusive and looks at the entire downtown or centre city.

> The master plan consists of future directions of development, policy and implantation of the same.

> It sets out how a particular area can develop and redevelop into the future.

> A high-level plan intended to set out objectives and strategies to manage development and change over time.

> A process that defines what is important about a place and how its character and quality can be conserved, improved and enhanced.

> Master plans can have an important role in determining the shape of the urban environment.

> Master Plans generally prepare for 20 years of the horizon period.

Layout Plan

Layout Plan means a Plan indicating configuration and sizes of all Use Premises. Each Use Zone may Have one or more than one Layout Plan depending upon the extensiveness of the area under the specific Use Zones and vice-versa. A Layout plan shall have at least two use premises (apart from Recreational, utilities and transportation) and a minimum area of 1 Ha. below which it shall be termed as site plan or sub division plan.

Layout Plan will indicate the location of all proposed and existing roads with their widths, dimensions of plots along with building lines and setbacks, location of drains, public facilities and services and electric lines etc, statement indicating the total area of the site, area under roads, open space for parks, playground, recreational spaces and other public places, as required by specific section of the development code.

Land Use Planning

Land use refers to the use of the land in urban areas, i.e., cities and towns. In case of areas beyond the city limits into the hinterland of the city, the uses the land is put to, is referred to as Land utilization. The categories of land utilization are agricultural land, fallow land, forest areas, areas under settlements including urban and rural settlements, etc.

A land use plan is a guide for the location and intensity of future development in a community. It is a part of a comprehensive plan which deals with the interrelationship between the different land uses. It designates the present and future location, form, class and extent (size) within a planning jurisdiction for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional (public areas and buildings) use or reuse. The land use plan includes a map and a written description of the different land use areas or districts. A land use map geographically and specifically locates existing and future land uses such as residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional (public areas and buildings) that has been established in the land use plan. The land use plan serves as the guide for official land use decisions. Zoning is one means of implementing a land use plan. A land use plan is part of a Master Plan that is formulated for the city for its planned development and to guide the development of the city in the future.

Land use planning provides the prerequisites for achieving a sustainable form of land use that is acceptable as far as the social and environmental contexts are concerned and is desired by society, while making sound economic sense. Land use planning in the context of technical co-operation is an iterative process based on dialogue amongst all participants.

The Land Use Planning process covers all steps extending from setting up of vision, formulating objectives, generating information base, processing, analysis, discussion and evaluation, right up to the negotiation for a consensus concerning the form of land use to be practiced. This includes the prerequisites for preparing, initiating and implementing the plan. New developments and knowledge gained during the planning process should be incorporated and may require revision and updating.

Local Plan

The local plan is the result of a decentralized plan. This plan is prepared either by the municipality or a particular municipal ward and is based on local need assessment. Nowadays, the district plan in India follows the local plan approach. In London it is called neighborhood planning. The neighborhood planning represents government’s desire to decentralize power from Whitehall and give more responsibility to councils and particularly communities over decisions that directly affect their area.

The important elements of local plans area are as follow:

> Applying the strategy of a structure plan and developing policies and proposals contained in the structure plan;

> Providing a basis for coordinated development; public and private and investment on area covered on them will be coordinated;

> Providing detailed basis for development controls in the structure plan are refined and standards and other criteria will be precisely stated; and

> Bringing local and detailed planning issues before the public, informing property owners and developers how their interests will be affected.

Structure Plan

This is a key document, which includes policies for the future use of land and the protection of the environment in the city. It sets levels of future development and its distribution. In doing this, it influences the economic prosperity and social well being of the city. It is basically a written and illustrated statement of the local planning authority’s policies and main proposals for change on a large scale.

A structure plan takes into account all the issues affecting an area, including its buildings and spaces, land uses, activities, and transport. An essential aspect of the structure planning process is feedback from the community on how the area should evolve. An important phase of the structure planning process requires consultation with the community, local residents, traders, and the development industry to determine the best outcome for the centre. From the background research, analysis and consultation, the structure plan determines what is working well in an area and how this can be enhanced, as well as how the area can grow and change in the future. It provides clear strategies for how this can be achieved.

A few important components of the structure plan follow:

> Interpret national and regional policies.

> Establish aims, policies, and general proposals for the area for which the plan is prepared

> Provide a framework for local plans. The broad policies and proposals of the structure plan form a framework for the more detailed policies and proposals in local plans.

> Indicate action areas which are a priority for intensive action.

> Provide guidance for development control in those parts of the area covered or not yet covered by a local plan.

> Provide the basis for coordinating decisions between committees of the planning authority and district councils who deal with various components of development, and other public bodies likely to be concerned with important aspects of the plan.

> Bring main planning issues and decisions before decision making authority and the public.

Development plan

Development plan is a statutory plan prepared (under relevant Act) within the framework of an approved perspective plan. The objective of a development plan is to provide further necessary details and intended actions in the form of strategies and physical proposals for various policies given in the perspective plan and regional plan depending upon the economic and social needs and aspiration of the people, available resources and priorities. Proposals of a development plan should be definite, supported by an implementation strategy and evaluation criteria. It makes known publicly the intention of the local authority regarding physical, social and economic development, the facilities and the services that are proposed to be provided in the near future. The approved development plan allows the local authority to implement development of the land area specified under the plan with the help of local area plans and projects.

The time frame of the existing Development Plans is for a period of 20 years by most of the Urban Development Authorities/ULBs. For greenfield cities, a longer planning period can be considered, aligned with the infrastructure life of 30 years. These plans should be in phases of 5 years, to make it convenient for periodic reviews and revision. This 5‐year cycle could also be usefully coincided with the State Five Year plans and State Finance Commissions’ recommendations, though such an alignment need not be made mandatory. The targets set for each phase can be assessed as the mid‐term review against the achievements at the end of each phase. For Greenfield area, phasing could include a ‘Zero’ period for approvals, institutional set‐up, initial land polling and revisiting any strategy.

A development plan prepared within the framework of the approved perspective plan is a medium term (5 years) comprehensive plan of spatioeconomic development of the urban centre. The objective of a development plan is to provide necessary details and intended actions in the form of strategies and physical proposals for various policies given in the perspective plan. The objectives depend upon the economic and social needs and aspiration of the people, available resources, and priorities.

A development plan is a statutory plan, approved and adopted by the local authority for implementation with the help of schemes and projects.

Regional Plan

For planned and sustainable development of the human settlements, the regional planning approach needs to be promoted. The planning regions could be classified under three heads:

(a) Administrative Regions, which can be District Regions or Metropolitan Regions as per the recommendations of the 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendment Act,

(b) Investment Regions, which can be new investment manufacturing zones, industrial and freight corridors, special investment regions etc. They could be identified under National Acts/ policies,

(c) Special regions, which are sensitive in terms of environment/ socio economic or political aspects.

        States undertake Urban and Regional Planning under a variety of statutes such as the Town and Country Planning Act, Municipal Laws, Urban/Metropolitan Planning/ Development Act, Improvement Trust Act, Industrial Development Act, Cantonment Board Act, Major Ports Act etc. Often these laws are mutually exclusive. For instance,  a Master Plan for a city would exclude the lands covered under the Industrial Development Act, even though the lands would be adjacent and the movement of the people and of the economic activities may be seamless. This leads to sub‐optimal planning for land use as well as for infrastructure. It is, therefore, suggested that the principles for spatial planning recommended by these guidelines are extended to all areas, whether administered by the regular administrative system of the State Government or by special laws such as for the ports, cantonments, railways, industrial zones etc. Furthermore, the concepts of regional planning enunciated in these guidelines should be extended to all contiguous areas that are socially, economically or functionally inter‐dependent. For instance, a civilian town and the adjoining port/ cantonment/railway area should be covered by an umbrella regional plan, even though the actual authority for administration of the individual piece of land would continue to vest with the respective organisation, such as the Port Trust, Cantonment Board, Railway Administration, etc. At times, even certain infrastructure could be planned and developed in a regional set up. For instance, the road network/ mobility plan, or the drainage plan could more efficiently be executed in a regional set up, rather than limiting to the jurisdiction of the statutory authorities administering their respective lands.

Regional plan is to be a comprehensive plan at an appropriate scale (district/interdistrict, investment region or special area) for the integration of urban nodes with the semi‐urban and rural areas. The plan is based on understanding of the characteristics of the region such as flow of people, goods, knowledge and money. Some states have comprehensive town and country planning legislation, which provides for urban planning and development in a regional perspective beyond the city limits and coordinated with the overall framework of economic development, priorities and resource availabilities. Regions, identified in the States, are to be planned holistically or as sub‐regions for the holistic approach of planning.

The detailed planning of the urban nodes will be addressed by the development plans at the next stage of planning, while the requirements of the region will be addressed by the regional plan to bring out policies for development and bringing in harmony between the different types of human settlements. Regional plan focuses on balanced development and plan for hierarchy of settlements, both urban and rural (in terms of its geographical area coverage), hierarchy of connectivity network, road, rail, sea and airports and intermodal transport hubs, focuses on land utilisation, resource mobilisation, environmental protection and disaster risk management.

A regional development plan, conceived within the framework of the regional perspective plan, is a comprehensive medium term (5 years) plan that consolidates the planning proposals of all urban and rural local bodies falling within the delineated area and provides regional development goals, objectives, priorities, sect oral programmes, and their spatial and environmental implications. The output report has illustrations and maps drawn to 1 : 50,000 to 1 : 100,000 scale.

Perspective Plan

Developing a vision for region is essential for policy framework. The vision stipulates direction of growth and identification of resource potential and innovations to be adopted for the thrust areas of development. It integrates broad level plan with the regional or development plan. A realistic vision helps policy formulation and preparation of Perspective plan. Perspective plan defines the vision and focuses on the spatio‐economic development policies, strategies and programmes towards the intended development of the State.

The Perspective Plan of a State could include ‐ State Urbanisation Policy and State Land Utilisation Policy. The plan is based on state resource mapping and analysis and assessment of potential resources. It addresses the long term policies regarding development of infrastructure and resource mobilisation. The scope of this plan covers the social, economic, environmental and spatial development goals, policies and priorities relating to the activities that have spatial and financial implications. The purpose of a perspective plan is to provide an overall framework for preparation of detailed plans. Therefore it serves as a guide for urban local authorities and regional development authorities in preparation of the regional and development plans.

A perspective plan is a written document, supported by illustrations and maps, containing spatio-economic development policies, strategies, and general programmes of the local authority. This plan presents, to the state government and people, the intentions of the local authority regarding development of the urban center in the next 20- 25 years. The scope of this plan covers social, economic and spatial development goals, policies and priorities relating to all those urban activities that have spatial implications or that require land for their location and desired functioning.

Cadastral Map

A large-scale map showing the boundaries of subdivisions of land, usually with the directions and lengths thereof and the areas of individual tracts, compiled for the purpose of describing and recording ownership.

A cadastral map is a map that defines the boundaries and division of land to define the ownership and purpose of the land. Cadastral map meaning suggests that the map is a detailed graphic representation of the division and sub division of land with points to direction, length and breadth.

The details in the Cadastral Map of a specific city, state, or locality based on the references to their prior and updated maps.

> Boundaries of land parcels

> Ownerships of land pieces

> Certificate of title numbers

> Section or lot numbers

> Adjoining and adjacent street names

> Selected boundary dimensions

> Survey district names

> Positions of existing structures

> Unique identifying numbers for parcels

The major reasons to use Cadastral Maps when finding land records are:

Detailed Information:
Cadastral Maps provide you with detailed information, so you must use them in case you need any details related to land records. Majorly, the Cadastral Maps provide the details of boundaries and the size of your chosen property.

Time Saver:
Cadastral Maps are a real time saver. All you need to do is visit the portal, and you can find the required details in just a few clicks. You can simply access your desktop or a laptop or even a mobile phone to visit the online portal of your state anytime, from any location, to get your property details.

Ownership Verification:
This is one of the effective benefits of creating Cadastral Maps. With these maps, you can verify the property title of a plot, building or apartment before making a purchase. This helps you save yourself from getting into any fraudulent transactions.

Base Map

A base map is a map which shows the existing physical pattern of the land upon which survey info analysis or planning proposal can be superimposed. The information required for base map varies from map to map because it largely depends upon its scale, the area covered and the level of planning details. The base map, with its corresponding representation of the topography of the territory, shows the physical reality of the area where the new city plan is to be implemented. This physical reality is expressed through cartography, an absolutely essential component and probably the most important of all those comprising the information necessary for carrying out urban planning. 

A base map is the graphic representation at a specified scale of selected fundamental map information; used as a framework upon which additional data of a specialized nature may be compiled. Within the multipurpose cadastre, the base map provides a primary medium by which the locations of cadastral parcels can be related to the geodetic reference framework; to major natural and man-made features such as bodies of water. roads, buildings, and fences; and to municipal and political boundaries. The base map also provides the means by which all land related information may be related graphically to cadastral parcels. 

Base Map Features:

Before taking up any urban development plan exercise the first task, both from planning point of view and as statutory requirement, is to prepare or obtain reliable, accurate and up‐to‐date base map for the respective town or city for which the plan is being prepared. The amount of information to be represented on the map varies from map to map because information depiction depends on: 

·         Purpose of map 

·         Scale 

·         Projection 

·         Method of map‐making 

·         Draughting skill 

 

Uniformity of base map with regard to presentation of features, scale, size and notations, facilitates the readability of these maps and comparison of one map with another. Mapping software of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System are capable of generating maps with uniformity as well as processing data from different platform. 

Types of Basemaps:

Maps always communicate a message. So in order to communicate your message, it is important to choose the right type of basemap.

Although various types of basemaps exist, there are generally just several in use today. Each one has its own benefits and disadvantages when it comes to displaying and conveying information.

Here is a table that describes the types of basemaps and a bit of background on what situations you would use them.

Basemap	Description
Orthophoto	Orthophoto basemaps show ground features with detail from a top-down perspective. They are usually created by satellite imagery, but can also be created with aerial or drone photography. Its major advantage is that you can see the features of Earth and even measure distances with anything from buildings to streets. Ex. Google Satellite Imagery
Topographic	Topography is the underlying foundation of a landscape and can refer to mountains, valleys, and rivers on the surface. A topographic basemap generally includes elevation in the form of contours. But it can also incorporate natural and artificial features such as administrative boundaries, hydrography, parks, urban areas, and transportation. Ex. USGS Topographic Basemaps
Satellite	Satellite imagery provides users with an aerial view of a location captured from space. This is a useful type of basemap if you want to see any features with an aerial view. Because satellites orbit in a circular path with repetitive acquisitions, it’s capable of capturing imagery with up-to-date information. Ex. Sentinel-2 Views
Elevation	A digital elevation model, also known as a DEM, is a digital representation of the elevation surface of the Earth. Elevation is the vertical distance between the ground surface and an ellipsoid model or geoid. This is useful for depicting any type of construction project as elevation can add extra cost. Ex. SRTM Digital Elevation Model
Contours	Elevation contours are just another way of showing how elevation changes in geographic locations. These lines show constant heights of elevation. Lines closer together represent steeper terrain. Whereas lines spaced further apart show gentle slopes. Ex. Contour Map

Urban Planning in India

The origins of urban planning in India can be traced to the planned towns of Mohenjodaro and Harappa belonging to the Indus Valley Civilisation as early as 2500 BC(Ramachandran 1989). Cities and towns werealso built around forts and centres of trade and commerceat various periods in the history of India. More broadly, over the longer historical span, scholars argue that India witnessed very little in situ urbanisation. Historically, urban centres have grown up due to concerted investment in certain areas by state governments or through administrative mechanisms such as transplanting district and sub-district (tehsil) headquarters and municipal apparatus (Bhagat2005).Pre-colonial rulers built up prominent towns and cities mainly for political and strategic reasons. One can find many such cities that were built during medieval times. FatehpurSikri andSikandra, in Uttar Pradesh, Murshidabad in West Bengal, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Mewar and Udaipur in Rajasthan,Ahmedabad in Gujrat, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradeshand Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh are some of the prominent towns and cities developed during medieval times under various rulers and dynasties.

City Development in Ancient and Medieval India:

 Scholars such as Ramachandran (1989: 24) divide urbanisation and city development in pre-colonial India into three time periods: 

· The pre-historic (2350 to 1800 BC) 

· Early historical period (600 BC to 500 AD) 

· Medieval period (600 AD to 1800 AD) 

Cities of the Indus Valley civilisation, such as Harappa, Mohenjodaroand Lothal followed a system of town planning with similarities in their layouts on a rectilinear basis of main east-west routes directed to the citadels and north-south cross routes (Morris 1979). These cities were also the earliest instances of gridiron town planning. The city proper consisted of two components– a citadel, built on high ground and a lower city where the majority of the population lived (Ramachandran 1989: 30). The citadel consisted of a large number of structures with large halls and palaces and was fortified with walls. The lower city was built on a gridiron pattern with a hierarchy of streetslarge, small and smallest. An elaborate drainage system, storm water drainage system, water supply in brick lined wells, houses of different sizes and sites like the granary and public bath were some of the prominent features of the cities under the Indus Valley Civilisation. 

The earliest city developments in the second phase of urbanisation around 600 BC took place in and around the Indus valley and adjoining parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and also in the Deccan and southern parts of India. These cities were Nalanda, Taxashila, Vijayanagar, Pataliputra, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Varanasi and Delhi.It was during this period that towns like Varanasi and Pataliputra in the North 4 and Kancheepuram and Madurai in South gained prominence and became the centres of India’s earliest urban history (Ramachandran 1989). The use of iron helped clear forests and facilitated human settlements, triggering the emergence of these cities. During the Mauryan period,a complex town planning pattern developed and the janapadas (politicoadministrative units ruled by local kings) and later mahajanapadas (larger kingdoms) came into being. Texts like Kautilya’sArthashastra and the travelogues of Fa Hsien and Megasthenesalso suggest that cities also increased in size and number (Ramachandran 1989). Taxashila, Mathura, Kausambi, Pataliputra and Sravasthi were important cities of the Mauryan period. The decline of these cities in the post-Mauryan period could be attributed to factors like recurrence of natural calamities, the decline of well-administered empires and foreign invasions. The major cities in South during this period were Puhar (the port of the Chola kings), Madurai, Kanchi, Karur and Korkai(Ramachandra 1989). 

Around the fifth century AD, during the rules of the Gupta kings,there was a revival.Again there were revivals at the time of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals. Delhi became the capital city of the slave dynasty and later the Khiljis, Tughlaqs and Lodhis. Two leading cities from around this time were Delhi and Agra. Others like Mathura, Allahabad, Varanasi, Thaneshwar, Gwalior, Ujjain, Somnath, Meerut, Panipat, Baroda and Srinagar also developed. During the Mughal period (1526-1800 AD) the growth of capital cities, building of forts, large residences and buildings, palaces and mosques became essential features of cities like Agra, Delhi, Sikandra, Shahjahanabad in the north and Hyderabad and Ahmedabad furtherSouth. For instance,Shahjahanabad was a planned city with a central avenue leading to the main gate of the Red Fort. Chandni Chowk housed the market; on one side of the avenue was the Jama Masjid and on the other the residence of the nobles. Commoners usually lived outside the fort area in mohallas with narrow streets

Urban Planning under British Rule in India: 

During the colonial era, up to the early 20th century, cities were consciously laid out for 5 military and political dominance.The concerns of public health and sanitation, spatial and social segregation, colonial dominance, and control were the underlying ideas of colonial planning in India. The establishment of town planning institutions and a knowledge edifice complete with the establishment of civil works departments and engineering colleges and the use of statistics, census and surveys institutionalised the planning process in colonial India. The underlying philosophy that cities are important centres of economic productivity informed the colonial urban planning process