Connecting People to Cities - Reimagining the Master PlanRejeet Mathews, Program Manager- Urban Development and Accessibility, EMBARQ India

Connecting People to Cities - Reimagining the Master Plan

Rejeet MathewsEMBARQ India

Session 2B

‘Interpreting current master plan frameworks to achieve

pedestrian oriented urban environments’

In India, Master Plans or Development Plans prepared under their respective State Town and Country Planning Acts are currently the main statutory tool used to allocate densities and land use and to develop, improve and regulate the planning area in its entirety or in parts.

Development Control Regulations as part of Master Plans/ Development Plans are to address parameters such as floor area ratios (FAR), building heights, parking norms, coverage and setbacks.

Master Planning in India

Traditional urban settlements

And

Current urban development

Cases: Mumbai, Hubli Dharwad and Naya Raipur

Automobile oriented, polluted, un-engaging urban form alongside unregulated urban sprawl

Gaps in current master planning frameworks

Depending on the Town and Country Planning Act, master plans undergo comprehensive review/ envisioning only once in 20 years or once in 10 years.

Aggregation based analysis and proposals at macro scales tend to broad brush out local specificities.

Master plans have pre-determined boundaries. Boundaries are often the most dynamic areas.

Disconnect continues between various scales of plans such as regional level, city level, zonal level and local area level

Interpreting the city’s needsGaps at the city level could be addressed at the Master Plan TOR formulation stage itself through collaborative brainstorming workshopsCase: Hubli Dharwad

Steps to reconnect at the city scale

Enabling frameworks rather than content based

frameworks

Impact of investment led development to be spatially

addressed rather than just plan led development

Range of solutions to be sought through scenario

building to arrive at a well debated final plan

Reinforcing the 3 tier planning process and

investment plans

Interpreting the city’s master plan at the sector or zonal scales

Assessing current design interpretations for transit integration, density, mixed use, block size, walkability, community spaces etc.

BRT

BRT

Testing and challenging regulations/ ideas

Articulating design with key stakeholders

750

81

0

Steps to reconnect at the sector scale

Articulation of sector design

Walkable pedestrian urban environment designed based on existing land use and regulations and accommodating similar number of people as other sectors Case: Naya Raipur

Land Use Area (sqm)

Percentage

Total Plot 603480

Net Developed Area

546297 100.00

Residential 253338 47.00

Roads 163371 30.00

Open Space

78985 14.00

Amenities 49429 9.00

People 11,000 people accommodated

Interpreting master and sector plans at the people scale

Articulating end user needs

Testing and challenging standards/ ideas

Large gap in the divider No street markings to guide vehicles and pedestrians

Unsafe crossing, no pedestrian refuge area

Testing and challenging standards/ ideas

Create pedestrian refuge areas

Reduce gap in the divider

Create table top intersection

Safe crossings

Managing change on the ground at the people scale

Summing Up…Mainstreaming and iterating our policies, plans, systems and designs to reconnect people to cities

Connecting people at street and building scales

Connecting people at sector and neighbourhood scales

Connecting people at city scales

Connecting people at policy scales

Informed input across scales Down Top and To

p Down

Proce

ss

Iterative process

Hands On Experience Contin

uous pro

cess

People centric development

Thank you.

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