Abstract
In recent years urbanization has become a synonym to the development. The increase in urban population has lead to rapid urbanization. The transformation of the rural areas into urban centers has affected the economic, social and physical changes in the country (Kolhe & Dhote, 2016). Cities are expanding outward at a rate that outpaces their population growth, and they’re doing so haphazardly, without paying attention to the principles of urban planning, without adequate infrastructure like water facilities, electrical services, waste management, and transportation services, and without considering the environmental impact. This unplanned and rapid urban growth pressurize the development when the required infrastructure and basic services are not provided or when the dedicated policies are not being implemented for the common good of the city life by which everyone gets equal opportunities. These unplanned growths and non-manageable urban expansions in some cities are leading to urban sprawl, which further leads to pollution to environmental degradation along with unsuitable development patterns (United Nations, 2014). This research is focused on how our statutory plans and the planning process deals with urban sprawl or haphazard growth. In order to understand these issues in our cities, this research will focus on the Indian city of Ahmedabad as a case study to assess, the influence of statutory plans on the sprawl taking place. From years Ahmadabad’s has tried to keep the city compact by one or the other planning principles. In its two tiers planning process various Town Planning Scheme have been put in Development plans for land management within the city and also on the periphery areas. Some other planning efforts like a green belt around the city to control the sprawl, also proposing growth centers in the area which can be seen for future development. All these decisions have helped Ahmedabad to control unplanned development and have remained compact as compared to different cities. Despite all these efforts the city has sprawled so much and it will keep sprawling. It would be interesting to find out the gap which occurred and laid to these kinds of sprawls. Also, the time horizon of the development plan for Ahmedabad is comparatively less (10 year’s perspective plan) as compared to other cities, so the implementation process is more efficient. Also, the plans keep revising when some need felt in accordance with some upcoming development. After identifying Ahmedabad as a case to study the details of the statutory plans in reference to the sprawl taking place in the city, it is very necessary to find out the reasons for that sprawl occurred in which time period. Even with the implementation of such appropriate zoning and strong development control regulations to achieve a compact city, why the city is still sprawling? What is the need of the city, which direction it wants to grow, which is not seen by the statutory plans? To achieve this research conducts an analysis to study the series of statutory plans implemented, with respective sprawl areas, and to know the gist of the planning decisions taken. Identifying the areas on the basis of parameters of Sprawl within the context of the ULB area and the Development Plan proposed, with the existing built-up in the city. Mapping for this purpose is done using Google satellite imagery for existing built-up pattern and Development Plan 2011 for boundaries and marked zoned areas. The inferences are based on the influence on the people, in terms of their quality of life also in terms of planning processes in relation to managing the sprawl.
