Assessing Smart-Growth Strategies in Indian Cities: Grounded Theory Approach to Planning Practice

Abstract

Urbanization in India is neither unique nor exclusive, but is similar to a worldwide phenomenon and has led to the development of urban sprawl, as it has elsewhere in the world. In the context of rapidly evolving policy frameworks in India, this article assesses the extent to which urban planning policies address sprawl. Local development plans of 53 cities across India are analyzed using content analysis and grounded theory. The study reveals that cities in India are not completely embracing smart-growth strategies in their development plans, and the use of smart-growth strategies differs among highly populated metropolitan cities versus less-populated cities. The study identified that four barriers—conventional urban planning mindset, lack of incentive-based practices and resources, ad-hoc planning, and lack of integrated land use transportation and environmental planning—impede smart-growth strategies in India. Furthermore, the results reveal a theory of planning action, which urban planners may tend to incorporate in their early stages of planning steps to address sprawl before they move toward more complex political policies.