Over 500 town planners, policymakers and urban development experts from across the country to deliberate on the future of regional planning in India
Ahmedabad: After a gap of 13 years, Ahmedabad will host the National Town & Country Planners Conference from February 6 to 8. The conference will bring together over 500 town planners, policymakers, academicians and urban development experts from across the country to deliberate on the future of regional planning in India. It will highlight the perspective of High-speed Rail (Bullet Train) and use of AI and GIS Model tools in urban planning. The three-day conference, organised by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI) with support from the state’s Urban Development Department, will focus on the theme “Proactive Regional Planning and Development to Usher Viksit Bharat.”
K Srinivas, Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, will be the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony. Ahmedabad Mayor Pratibha Jain and former Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Keshav Verma will be the Guests of Honour.
The conference is being organised at a time when India’s urban and regional development challenges are intensifying. With the country’s urban population projected to reach 600 million by 2031, accounting for nearly 40% of the total population, and 68 cities expected to have populations or more than 10 lakhs, the need for balanced and proactive regional planning has become critical.
Speaking about the conference, ITPI President Pradeep Kapoor said, “As India moves towards its goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, proactive regional planning has become essential to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation and infrastructure growth. This conference will provide a national platform to exchange ideas, learn from successful models, and evolve strategies that ensure inclusive and balanced development across various regions.”
NK Patel, Patron & Past President of ITPI, said, “The conference will place a special focus on spatial planning for balanced growth, climate-resilient infrastructure, economic corridor and industrial cluster development, urban-rural continuum management, and institutional mechanisms for effective regional governance, including Metropolitan Planning Committees, Regional Plan Authorities, and inter-state coordination mechanisms for river basins and economic regions.”
R.J Rawal, the chairman of the Gujarat Regional Chapter gave the brief about the ITPI and the National Conference.
Sub-themes include inclusive infrastructure for global events like Commonwealth games to be held at Ahmedabad in year 2030, AI applications in planning and 100 years of town planning schemes in Gujarat.
Ahmedabad’s metropolitan region will serve as a living case study at the conference, with discussions covering Dholera SIR, GIFT City, DMIC, Metro Rail connectivity, industrial and automobile hubs such as Sanand and Becharaji, new announced policy of satellite towns by Government of Gujarat and emerging opportunities in integrated regional development.
The deliberations will address policy frameworks, governance models and implementation strategies to manage rapid urbanisation while ensuring equitable development. Key discussions will explore how planning can support economic corridors such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), strengthen urban-rural linkages through initiatives like the AMRUT 2.0 Mission and recently announced policy of satellite towns of Government of Gujarat, and build climate-resilient infrastructure.
ITPI has a presence across 26 states and having more than 10,000 town planners plays a key role in shaping India’s town and country planning discourse. Adani Cement is the conference’s preferred brand partner.
