NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for prioritizing the creation of facilities, amenities, and improved transportation networks in zones of existing cities that naturally attract people and businesses, rather than developing new cities that promote horizontal expansion. This was conveyed during a recent review meeting with senior officials from the housing and urban affairs ministry, sources reported.
According to sources, the ministry presented a comprehensive roadmap for urban development, highlighting planned city growth. The meeting was attended by key officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Cabinet Secretariat, Niti Aayog, and the Ministry of Finance.
PM Modi emphasized that while certain areas within existing cities possess the necessary resources to attract people and businesses, convincing people to relocate to new cities remains challenging.
In response to the Prime Minister’s suggestions, the ministry is set to develop a better framework for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in cities, aiming to encourage intensive, planned growth along transportation networks. The focus will be on enabling vertical development in zones along transit corridors while addressing decongestion and creating ample public and open spaces.
A former Union Urban Development Secretary pointed out that, although land use is primarily under the jurisdiction of states, the Centre should devise a sound policy that can be replicated across states. He stressed the importance of involving states in the policymaking process and making them partners in the effort. He also suggested that, to alleviate congestion along existing transit corridors, states should allow higher Floor Area Ratios (FAR) to encourage vertical growth during redevelopment projects.
TOD is a planning strategy aimed at fostering sustainable urban growth by creating compact, walkable centers integrated with robust public transit systems. Successful implementations of TOD can be seen in cities such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore.
