Urban Planning Definitions – Flipbook Style (Sections A–C)
A. Core Planning Concepts & Types of Plans
Basic ideas, levels of planning and key statutory / strategic plans.
Urban planning is the process of guiding the physical, social and economic development of towns and cities through plans, policies, regulations and design so that growth is orderly, efficient and sustainable.
Regional planning deals with planning for a larger area that includes many settlements and rural hinterland, aiming to reduce regional imbalance and coordinate development of transport, economy and resources across the region.
A settlement is any inhabited place where people live in a cluster—such as a hamlet, village, town or city—characterised by built-up area, population and economic activities.
Hierarchy of settlements is the ordering of villages, towns, cities and metros by size and functions, used to distribute services and facilities in a balanced way across a region.
Urbanisation is the process by which an increasing share of population comes to live in towns and cities, usually accompanied by changes in economy, land use and lifestyle.
Urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread consisting of a core city and its adjoining urban outgrowths (towns or census towns) that are physically contiguous and functionally linked.
A region is a larger geographical area, often defined on the basis of functional linkages, shared resources or administrative boundaries, taken as a unit for regional planning and development policies.
A master or development plan is a long-term statutory plan, usually for 20–25 years, that allocates land uses, prescribes development controls and proposes transport and infrastructure networks for a city or town.
Structure plan is a strategic spatial plan that sets out broad patterns of land use, transport corridors and major infrastructure, without detailed plot-level zoning for every parcel.
Zonal development plan is a detailed plan for a specific zone of the city, translating the master plan into fine-grained land use zoning, local street network and development control parameters for that zone.
Local area plan is a micro-level plan for a ward or neighbourhood focusing on street improvements, public spaces, local regulations and upgrading of infrastructure in existing built-up areas.
Town planning scheme is a land readjustment tool where plots in a defined area are pooled, re-planned with roads and amenities and reallotted as reconstituted plots after deducting land for public purposes and cost recovery.
Planning horizon is the time period for which projections and proposals are made—typically 20–25 years for perspective/master plans and 5–7 years for short- or medium-term plans.
Vision statement is a concise description of the desired future state of a city or region (for example, “compact, inclusive, green city”), which guides goals, objectives and strategies of the plan.
Planning authority is the legally empowered body (development authority, metropolitan authority, etc.) responsible for preparing plans, granting development permissions and enforcing planning regulations in a notified area.
Urban local body is a municipal corporation, municipal council or nagar panchayat responsible for local-level planning, service delivery and implementation of many schemes within its jurisdiction.
B. Land Use, Density & Urban Form
How land is used, how dense development is, and how the physical city is shaped.
Land use is the functional utilisation of land parcels—such as residential, commercial, industrial, recreational or transportation—as designated in plans and zoning maps.
Land use zoning is a regulatory tool that divides urban land into zones and specifies permitted, conditionally permitted and prohibited uses in each, along with development controls like FAR and height.
Mixed use development allows more than one compatible use (for example, housing over shops, offices with retail) in the same building or area to create vibrant, walkable neighbourhoods and reduce travel distances.
Floor area ratio is the ratio of total built-up floor area on all floors to the plot area, used to regulate intensity of development and relate built form to infrastructure capacity.
Ground coverage is the percentage of plot area covered by the building footprint at ground level, excluding open-to-sky areas such as setbacks and internal courtyards.
Setback is the minimum clear distance required between the building line and the plot boundary on each side, provided for light, ventilation, privacy and emergency access such as fire tender movement.
Building line is an imaginary line fixed at a certain distance from the street or plot boundary beyond which the external wall of a building cannot project, except for projections allowed in bye-laws.
Plot subdivision is the division of a larger land parcel into smaller plots according to an approved layout plan, following norms for access, minimum plot size, frontage and provision of open spaces and amenities.
Net residential density is the number of persons or dwelling units per hectare of land used only for residential plots and internal access roads, excluding schools, parks and other non-residential uses.
Gross density is the number of persons or dwelling units per hectare calculated over the entire neighbourhood or sector area including roads, parks and community facilities.
Urban sprawl is low-density, scattered and car-dependent outward expansion of cities into rural areas, often with leap-frog development, high infrastructure cost and loss of agricultural land.
Compact city is an urban form characterised by relatively high densities, mixed uses and good public transport, aimed at reducing travel distances and protecting open land around the city.
C. Development Control & Legal Instruments
Regulations, permissions and legal tools that control and guide development.
Building bye-laws are legally enforceable rules that govern construction of buildings, covering aspects such as site requirements, structural safety, fire safety, height, setbacks and provision of services.
DCR are a set of planning and building regulations that specify allowable uses, FAR/FSI, coverage, height limits, setbacks, parking norms and other controls to regulate development in a planning area.
Development permission is the formal approval granted by the planning or local authority for carrying out development, including construction, change of land use, subdivision or amalgamation of plots.
Building permit is the written permission issued by the competent authority allowing the owner to start construction or reconstruction of a building according to approved plans and bye-laws.
Commencement certificate is an official document certifying that all initial conditions (such as plinth inspection) are satisfied and the builder is allowed to proceed beyond a particular stage of construction.
Completion certificate is issued by the authority after inspecting that the building has been constructed as per the sanctioned plan, structural safety norms and relevant bye-laws.
Occupancy certificate is the final approval allowing the building to be occupied, certifying that it is fit for use and that necessary services (water, sanitation, fire safety) are in place as per norms.
Unauthorised construction is any development carried out without obtaining required permissions or in violation of sanctioned plans and regulations, liable for penalties, sealing or demolition.
Change of land use is the process of allowing a plot or area to be used for a different land use than that specified in the approved plan, subject to prescribed procedures, fees and planning considerations.
Transferable development rights are rights given to landowners in the form of additional FAR/FSI that can be used on another plot or sold, typically granted when land is surrendered for public purposes like roads or open spaces.
Land pooling is a mechanism where landowners pool their land, which is then re-planned for roads and amenities, and re-allotted as smaller serviced plots, while part of the land is used for public purposes and cost recovery.
Development charge or impact fee is a levy collected by planning/local authorities from developers to partly fund external infrastructure and services required due to additional development.
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