Singapore-based firm Surbana Jurong Infrastructure Pvt Ltd will prepare the master plan and planning framework for the city, which will be known as the Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town. This was announced by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) last week. 

Maharashtra is not alone. A few months back, Telangana and Odisha initiated work on their greenfield projects — the Bharat Future City and surrounding areas near Hyderabad and a new city near Bhubaneswar, respectively.

These three states have one thing in common — international consultants. Telangana and Odisha too have roped in the Surbana Jurong group. This underscores an inherent weakness in urban planning in India, a lacuna the country can ill afford on the path to development in the 21st century. 

S. Devendar Reddy, Director of Town and Country Planning, Telangana government, said, “In India, we have very limited experience in planning greenfield projects, and there are not many successful models."

Telangana has also hired the Singapore-based DP Architects-led consortium to prepare the master plan for the ₹1.85-lakh-acre Future City Development Authority area, which surrounds its Bharat Future City project.

India’s city planning has come under the spotlight with crumbling infrastructure in the metros. Rapid urbanisation has strained the existing infrastructure, resulting in traffic congestion, flooding, water shortage, and housing crises. For instance, Gurgaon, right next to the Indian capital, sinks under water every monsoon.

To decongest cities, improve the quality of life, and provide employment opportunities, urban planners say it is essential to plan for outward expansion of cities or greenfield projects. The land market is in demand in adjoining areas because people can't find affordable places within the city.

The non-profit UofT India Foundation lists “infrastructure deficits, climate vulnerability, housing crises, governance gaps, transportation inadequacies, persistent inequity, data limitations, and coordination difficulties” as the challenges to sustainable urbanisation in India. 

The expertise of global companies in urban planning, especially in shaping Singapore’s urban development, greenfield development, and their futuristic vision, led to their selection.

But can that guarantee the success of the new Indian cities? 

International Blueprint

Many states have hired international consultants to plan greenfield projects in the past few decades, including Andhra Pradesh for its ambitious Amaravati capital city project.

Singapore’s sustainable Transit-Oriented Development model and governance architecture is what the three states aim to replicate in their new city projects. The consultants will also prepare a governance model and development guidelines for the new cities.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has worked with the Surbana Jurong group’s Indian counterpart for the development of Bhubaneswar Town Centre. “They developed the multi-modal transit hub at the railway station. We found their work really interesting, mainly the architecture and planning aspect, and the focus on developing green spaces. Their work in the development of Singapore’s Jurong area attracted us, and we felt it could be replicated in Bhubaneswar’s new city as well,” BDA Vice-Chairman Chanchal Rana told The Secretariat.

Rana said the consultants would help BDA design guidelines for infrastructure development and streetscaping, as well as prepare a governance model and regulatory framework for infrastructure development in the new city.

Similar plans are on for two mega projects in Telangana. 

“We have studied various greenfield cities in India such as GIFT City, Noida, and Greater Noida. We will incorporate some of their best planning features,” Reddy said. But global tenders were invited because the state government wanted to engage “firms with experience in planning greenfield developments”. 

Does Demand Exist?

India’s urban planners, however, advise caution.

Mumbai-based urban planner Vidyadhar Phatak, author of Planning For India’s Urbanisation, said if international consultants bring in good ideas in terms of climate change, energy, flood management, and stormwater drainage, then it would be a good thing. 

“Our statutory plans have not been able to pay enough attention to these aspects. But the real test will be putting these ideas to actual use,” Phatak told The Secretariat.

He said the main issue was about creating a demand for greenfield cities. “They have to have an economic base to attract investment. Just making a good physical plan and developing infrastructure will not necessarily attract private investment or result in employment generation. It may create a negative cash flow for a considerable period of time, which may be difficult to sustain,” said Phatak.

The Real Challenge: Implementation

Coordination between various agencies may prove to be a hurdle.

Former town and country planner R. Srinivas, Honorary Secretary of the Institute of Urban Transport, said, “In a large number of greenfield projects in India, the problem is lack of visualisation of the master plan and delay in its implementation. For instance, the international airport project in Jewar. It took almost 25 years to implement the plan, and even now its connectivity to surrounding towns through buses is still being worked out.”

Similarly, Metro train connectivity between Noida and Greater Noida - both greenfield development projects conceived in the 70s and 90s respectively - was provided almost two decades later. “Metro connectivity is not good, because of which people continue to rely on personal transport,” he said.

Urban planners in India say the problem is not just about planning new cities it is also about implementation and management.

Dikshu Kukreja, Managing Principal, C.P. Kukreja Architects, said, “If there is a lack of infrastructure in cities, including planned cities, it is because policies are made in silos. The cities are in a mess due to lack of coordination between various agencies when it comes to implementation of crucial policies and plans.” 

Kukreja said there was no guarantee that international firms would be able to fix the problem. “There is little focus on urban planning with a vision for the next 50-100 years. Roping in international firms will not guarantee that these issues will get fixed.” 

“If we genuinely want a global experience, then state governments should select Indian firms that already have global experience or ensure that they bring in an international consultant. Indian planners have the advantage of deep local understanding and can combine it with their global experience while planning greenfield projects,” he said.

(The writer is an independent journalist. Views expressed are personal.)