A Grounded Theory Approach for The Assessment of Urban Development Policies in Indian Cities

Urbanization in India has led to the development of new urban centres and an increase in the number of million-plus cities. The planning principles keep on evolving with time. In India, these principles are implemented through development plans. This study examines the extent to which Indian urban planning policies address contemporary urban planning principles in the perspective of rapidly evolving global urban policies. Development plans of 13 million-plus state capital cities across India have been analysed following grounded theory. The study reveals that Indian cities are not completely embracing global contemporary urban planning principles in their development plans, and the provision of these principles also differs among cities. The study proposes suggestive planning measures which might be incorporated in the urban planning process to address the challenges arising out of complexities of urbanization. The study explores how development plans endorse and implement particular urban development strategies and more generally, contributes to enforcement of contemporary urban planning principles. The goal of the study is to establish a link between contemporary urban development principles articulated through the development plans.