SESSION 2B - ‘Connecting People to Cities’ – Redefining Masterplans

1. Connecting People to Cities -
Reimagining the Master Plan
Rejeet Mathews, Program Manager- Urban Development and
Accessibility, EMBARQ India

2. Session 2B
Connecting People to Cities - Reimagining
the Master Plan
Rejeet Mathews
EMBARQ India

3. ‘Interpreting current master plan
frameworks to achieve pedestrian
oriented urban environments’

4. Master Planning in India
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.

5. Traditional urban
settlements
And
Current urban
development
Cases: Mumbai, Hubli
Dharwad and Naya Raipur

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

7. 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

8. Interpreting the city’s needs
Gaps at the city level could be addressed at the Master Plan TOR formulation
stage itself through collaborative brainstorming workshops
Case: Hubli Dharwad

9. 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

10. Interpreting the city’s master plan at the
sector or zonal scales

BRT
BRT
 Assessing current design
interpretations for transit
integration, density, mixed
use, block size, walkability,
community spaces etc.

11. Testing and challenging regulations/ ideas

12. Articulating design with key stakeholders

13. Steps to reconnect at the sector scale
750
810

14. Articulation of sector design
Land Use Area (sqm) Percentage
Total Plot 603480
Net 546297 100.00
Developed
Area
Residential 253338 47.00
Roads 163371 30.00
Open Space 78985 14.00
Amenities 49429 9.00
People 11,000 people
accommodated
Walkable pedestrian urban
environment designed based on
existing land use and regulations
and accommodating similar
number of people as other
sectors
Case: Naya Raipur

15. Interpreting master and sector plans at the
people scale

16. Articulating end user needs

17. Testing and challenging standards/ ideas

18. Testing and challenging standards/ ideas
Large gap in the divider No street markings Unsafe crossing, no
to guide vehicles pedestrian refuge area
and pedestrians

19. Managing change on the ground at the
people scale
Create pedestrian refuge Reduce gap in the Create table top Safe crossings
areas divider intersection

20. Summing Up…
Mainstreaming and iterating our policies, plans, systems and designs to
reconnect people to cities
Iterative process
Connecting people at policy scales
Connecting people at city scales
Connecting people at sector and neighbourhood scales
Connecting people at street and building scales
People centric development

21. Thank you.
www.EMBARQIndia.org