Town Planning and Master Plans

What to remember

• Town planning is the orderly arrangement of land use, roads, services and open space so a town grows in a healthy, safe, efficient and equitable way; the master plan is its main long-term document.
• Planning follows the sequence survey, analysis, plan, implementation and review, and uses tools such as zoning, development control rules, floor space index, layouts and land pooling.
• In Andhra Pradesh, development authorities and the Town and Country Planning department prepare and enforce plans under state laws, and the 74th Amendment adds planning committees.

1. Meaning, aims and scope

Town planning is both a science and an art of guiding the physical growth of a settlement. Aims:

• Healthy living: light, air, sanitation, clean water.
• Safety and order: separation of conflicting uses, fire and disaster safety.
• Economy: efficient movement and low cost of services.
• Beauty and identity: parks, heritage, good design.
• Equity: housing and services for all income groups.

Patrick Geddes put the method as "survey before plan": survey, analysis, plan.

2. Historical ideas

3. Stages of planning and types of plans

Steps: (1) reconnaissance and base map; (2) surveys of population, economy, land use, housing, traffic, utilities, environment; (3) analysis and projection of population and demand; (4) setting goals and alternatives; (5) draft plan and public consultation; (6) approval by government; (7) implementation; (8) monitoring and review.

A master plan has the following parts: base map, existing land use, proposed land use, transport plan, infrastructure plan, housing, environment and heritage, zoning regulations and phasing.

4. Land use and zoning

Land use categories commonly used: residential, commercial, industrial, public and semi-public, recreational and open space, transport and communication, agriculture and water bodies. Zoning divides the town into zones, and each zone has permitted, prohibited and conditional uses. Benefits: separates incompatible uses (an industry next to houses), controls density and protects green areas. Types: use zoning, density zoning, height zoning. A green belt is a ring of open land to check urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is unplanned, low-density spread of a town into its fringe.

Land use pattern example: if a city has 3,000 hectares and 40% is residential, the residential area is 3,000 × 40 ÷ 100 = 1,200 hectares.

5. Development control and building rules

Worked example: a plot of 400 sq m, FSI 1.5, can have 400 × 1.5 = 600 sq m of floor area. If three floors are built equally, each has 200 sq m, so ground coverage is 200 ÷ 400 = 50%.

Layout approval: a developer's subdivision of land must give roads, open space and sites for public use, as prescribed by rules. Building permission is needed before construction, and the occupancy certificate follows completion. Unauthorised construction may be regularised only under government rules or demolished.

6. Road hierarchy and transport

Other elements: ring roads and bypasses reduce through traffic, footpaths and cycle tracks, public transport corridors, and parking policy. Mixed land use near transit helps reduce travel. Transit-oriented development increases density near transport nodes.

7. Tools for implementation

• Land pooling: owners give land for roads and public use and get back a smaller developed plot; used for the Amaravati capital region.
• Transfer of Development Rights (TDR): owner of land reserved for public use gets a certificate of extra built space that can be used elsewhere.
• Town planning scheme: area plan where land is readjusted among owners.
• Acquisition: government buys land for public purposes.
• Heritage and environment regulation for lakes, hills and coasts.

Planning standards: Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines of the central government give norms for services and open space.

8. Laws, authorities and AP context

• The Andhra Pradesh Town Planning Act, 1920 and later laws provide for planning schemes.
• The Andhra Pradesh (Urban Areas) Development Act, 1975 created urban development authorities.
• The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Act of 2014 governs the capital region around Amaravati. Later state laws reshaped authorities, so check the latest.
• The Directorate of Town and Country Planning prepares master plans and advises on layouts. Development authorities (such as those for Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada regions) prepare and enforce plans.
• The 74th Amendment requires a District Planning Committee (Article 243ZD) and a Metropolitan Planning Committee (Article 243ZE) for metropolitan areas of 10 lakh or more population.
• Ward secretariats help in grievance redress, property tax and building plan information at ward level.

Urban missions: Smart Cities Mission (area-based and pan-city), AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and housing for all.

9. Population projection for planning

Arithmetic increase: Pn = P0 + n·x where x is average decadal increase. Example: 80,000 and 1,00,000 in two successive census years give x = 20,000, so after one more decade P = 1,20,000.

Geometric increase: Pn = P0 (1 + r)^n. Example: 1,00,000 with 10% growth per decade gives 1,21,000 after 2 decades.

Demand: houses needed = projected households minus existing good houses. School seats and water demand are projected from population.

10. Public participation and review

A plan works only if people accept it. Draft plans are published, objections and suggestions are invited, and hearings are held before approval. Ward-level staff explain the proposals, receive local feedback and help resident groups. After approval the plan is reviewed at regular intervals, because population, transport and economy change. Land use changes are allowed only through a legal process with public notice. Enforcement means checking unauthorised construction, encroachment on roads and water bodies, and misuse of land. Good planning also considers disaster risk: building on flood plains and tank beds is avoided, drains are kept open, and safe evacuation routes are planned. Heritage structures, lakes and green areas are protected through special rules.

Exam traps

• Master plan is long term (about 20 years); annual plan is one year.
• FSI is total floor area ÷ plot area; ground coverage is ground floor area ÷ plot area.
• Garden city (Howard) differs from neighbourhood unit (Perry).
• District Planning Committee is Article 243ZD; Metropolitan Planning Committee is 243ZE.
• Land pooling returns a developed plot to the owner; TDR gives extra floor area elsewhere.
• Zoning separates uses; green belt checks sprawl.
• Arterial roads carry through traffic; local streets give access.
• Perspective plan gives the vision; the detailed layout gives plots.

One-liners

• Geddes said "survey before plan".
• Howard proposed the garden city.
• Perry proposed the neighbourhood unit.
• Chandigarh was planned by Le Corbusier.
• A master plan shows land use zones and the road network.
• FSI is also called FAR.
• Setbacks give light, air and access.
• A green belt checks urban sprawl.
• TDR compensates owners of reserved land.
• Land pooling was used for the Amaravati capital region.
• The 74th Amendment provides for planning committees.
• URDPFI guidelines give urban planning standards.

Practice questions

1. The idea of the garden city was proposed by

   1. Patrick Geddes
   2. Le Corbusier
   3. Clarence Perry
   4. Ebenezer Howard
   Answer

   D. Ebenezer Howard

   Howard proposed garden cities in 1898.

2. The neighbourhood unit concept is associated with

   1. Patrick Geddes
   2. Clarence Perry
   3. Soria y Mata
   4. Ebenezer Howard
   Answer

   B. Clarence Perry

   Perry proposed it in 1929.

3. Chandigarh was planned by

   1. Clarence Perry
   2. Ebenezer Howard
   3. Le Corbusier
   4. Patrick Geddes
   Answer

   C. Le Corbusier

   Le Corbusier planned Chandigarh with sectors and a road hierarchy.

4. The planning approach 'survey before plan' is associated with

   1. Patrick Geddes
   2. Ebenezer Howard
   3. Le Corbusier
   4. Clarence Perry
   Answer

   A. Patrick Geddes

   Geddes stressed survey, analysis and plan.

5. The first garden city built in England was

   1. Chandigarh
   2. Letchworth
   3. Radburn
   4. Jaipur
   Answer

   B. Letchworth

   Letchworth was the first garden city.

6. A garden city is surrounded by a

   1. ring of factories
   2. highway only
   3. slum belt
   4. green belt
   Answer

   D. green belt

   The agricultural belt checks sprawl.

7. The Radburn layout is known for

   1. separating pedestrians and vehicles
   2. a linear city along a railway
   3. a grid of equal squares
   4. tall buildings only
   Answer

   A. separating pedestrians and vehicles

   Radburn separated pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

8. A master plan is a

   1. building permit
   2. one-year budget
   3. long-term document of land use and infrastructure
   4. census report
   Answer

   C. long-term document of land use and infrastructure

   A master plan covers about 20 years.

9. Dividing a town into zones with permitted uses is called

   1. surveying
   2. zoning
   3. sprawl
   4. land pooling
   Answer

   B. zoning

   Zoning controls land use.

10. Unplanned, low-density spread of a town into its fringe is

    1. land pooling
    2. TDR
    3. urban sprawl
    4. zoning
    Answer

    C. urban sprawl

    Sprawl is unplanned fringe growth.

11. Floor Space Index is the ratio of

    1. ground floor area to plot area
    2. built height to plot width
    3. plot area to road width
    4. total floor area to plot area
    Answer

    D. total floor area to plot area

    FSI = total floor area ÷ plot area.

12. The open distance left between a building and the plot boundary is the

    1. coverage
    2. right of way
    3. plinth
    4. setback
    Answer

    D. setback

    Setbacks provide light, air and access.

13. Roads that carry heavy through traffic across a city are

    1. arterial roads
    2. service lanes
    3. collector streets
    4. local streets
    Answer

    A. arterial roads

    Arterial roads carry the main traffic.

14. Roads that give direct access to plots at low speed are

    1. arterial roads
    2. local streets
    3. expressways
    4. ring roads
    Answer

    B. local streets

    Local streets give access.

15. In land pooling, owners

    1. pay tax in kind
    2. sell all land to the government at once
    3. give land for roads and public use and get back a developed plot
    4. lose all rights
    Answer

    C. give land for roads and public use and get back a developed plot

    Owners receive a reconstituted developed plot.

16. Transfer of Development Rights compensates the owner of land reserved for public use with

    1. a cash prize only
    2. a larger agricultural plot
    3. extra built space that can be used elsewhere
    4. exemption from all taxes
    Answer

    C. extra built space that can be used elsewhere

    TDR certificates give transferable floor area.

17. A District Planning Committee is provided under Article

    1. 243ZE
    2. 243ZD
    3. 243S
    4. 243P
    Answer

    B. 243ZD

    Article 243ZD provides for the DPC.

18. A Metropolitan Planning Committee is provided under Article

    1. 243ZD
    2. 243Q
    3. 243T
    4. 243ZE
    Answer

    D. 243ZE

    Article 243ZE covers metropolitan areas.

19. The central guidelines for preparing urban and regional plans are known as

    1. URDPFI guidelines
    2. Census manual
    3. Smart Card rules
    4. GST norms
    Answer

    A. URDPFI guidelines

    URDPFI means Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation.

20. The Andhra Pradesh capital region around Amaravati is governed by the

    1. APSEB
    2. APCRDA
    3. APSRTC
    4. APPSC
    Answer

    B. APCRDA

    The Capital Region Development Authority governs it.

21. Which comes first in the planning sequence?

    1. Surveys and base map
    2. Implementation
    3. Monitoring
    4. Building occupancy
    Answer

    A. Surveys and base map

    Planning begins with survey and mapping.

22. Land use categories typically include residential, commercial, industrial and

    1. only agricultural
    2. none of the zones
    3. only transport
    4. public and semi-public use
    Answer

    D. public and semi-public use

    Public and semi-public is a standard category.

23. Which of the following is a master plan component?

    1. Voter list
    2. Bank passbook
    3. Land use map and zoning regulations
    4. Census enumeration block register
    Answer

    C. Land use map and zoning regulations

    Master plans contain land use maps and regulations.

24. A 300 sq m plot has a 150 sq m ground floor. The ground coverage is

    1. 50%
    2. 25%
    3. 75%
    4. 40%
    Answer

    A. 50%

    150 ÷ 300 × 100 = 50%.

25. A plot of 400 sq m with FSI 1.5 permits total floor area of

    1. 267 sq m
    2. 600 sq m
    3. 1,500 sq m
    4. 400 sq m
    Answer

    B. 600 sq m

    400 × 1.5 = 600.

26. Total floor area of 900 sq m is built on a 300 sq m plot. The FSI is

    1. 1.0
    2. 2.0
    3. 3.0
    4. 0.33
    Answer

    C. 3.0

    900 ÷ 300 = 3.

27. 5,000 persons live on 25 hectares. The density is

    1. 20 persons per hectare
    2. 125 persons per hectare
    3. 2,000 persons per hectare
    4. 200 persons per hectare
    Answer

    D. 200 persons per hectare

    5,000 ÷ 25 = 200.

28. A city covers 3,000 hectares and 40% is residential. The residential area is

    1. 750 hectares
    2. 1,200 hectares
    3. 120 hectares
    4. 2,000 hectares
    Answer

    B. 1,200 hectares

    3,000 × 40 ÷ 100 = 1,200.

29. A plot of 500 sq m with FSI 2 has three equal floors. The area of each floor is

    1. 500 sq m
    2. 1,000 sq m
    3. 167 sq m
    4. 333 sq m (approx.)
    Answer

    D. 333 sq m (approx.)

    500 × 2 = 1,000 sq m total; ÷ 3 ≈ 333 sq m.

30. A 1,000 sq m plot has a ground coverage of 40%. The ground floor area is

    1. 400 sq m
    2. 250 sq m
    3. 40 sq m
    4. 600 sq m
    Answer

    A. 400 sq m

    1,000 × 40 ÷ 100 = 400.

31. Populations in two successive census years are 80,000 and 1,00,000. By the arithmetic method the next census population is

    1. 1,10,000
    2. 1,25,000
    3. 1,20,000
    4. 1,00,000
    Answer

    C. 1,20,000

    The increase is 20,000, so 1,00,000 + 20,000.

32. A town of 1,00,000 grows at 10% per decade. By the geometric method, after 2 decades it is

    1. 1,20,000
    2. 1,21,000
    3. 1,11,000
    4. 1,10,000
    Answer

    B. 1,21,000

    1,00,000 × 1.1 × 1.1 = 1,21,000.

33. A layout of 20 hectares has 40% in roads and open space. The area for plots is

    1. 16 hectares
    2. 8 hectares
    3. 12 hectares
    4. 14 hectares
    Answer

    C. 12 hectares

    Plots take 60%, so 20 × 0.6 = 12.

34. A neighbourhood has 800 households with 5 persons each on 40 hectares. The density is

    1. 100 persons per hectare
    2. 200 persons per hectare
    3. 50 persons per hectare
    4. 20 persons per hectare
    Answer

    A. 100 persons per hectare

    800 × 5 = 4,000 persons; 4,000 ÷ 40 = 100.

35. Statements: 1. FSI is total floor area divided by plot area. 2. Ground coverage is total floor area on all floors divided by plot area. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Ground coverage uses only the ground floor footprint.

36. Statements: 1. Zoning separates incompatible land uses. 2. A green belt is meant to check urban sprawl. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

37. Statements: 1. Ebenezer Howard proposed the neighbourhood unit. 2. Clarence Perry proposed the garden city. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    The two names are reversed.

38. Statements: 1. District Planning Committees are provided by the 74th Amendment. 2. Metropolitan Planning Committees are for areas of 10 lakh or more population. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both follow Articles 243ZD and 243ZE.

39. Statements: 1. Land pooling was used for the Amaravati capital region. 2. Land pooling means the government pays no compensation of any kind. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Owners get back developed plots in land pooling.

40. Statements: 1. A perspective plan gives a long-term vision. 2. An annual plan covers about 20 years. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    An annual plan covers one year.

41. Match: (a) Howard, (b) Perry, (c) Geddes, (d) Le Corbusier with (i) Chandigarh, (ii) survey before plan, (iii) garden city, (iv) neighbourhood unit.

    1. a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii
    2. a-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-i
    3. a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i
    4. a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-i
    Answer

    D. a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-i

    Howard-garden city, Perry-neighbourhood unit, Geddes-survey, Le Corbusier-Chandigarh.

42. Order the road types from highest to lowest traffic function.

    1. Collector, arterial, local, sub-arterial
    2. Arterial, sub-arterial, collector, local
    3. Sub-arterial, local, arterial, collector
    4. Local, collector, sub-arterial, arterial
    Answer

    B. Arterial, sub-arterial, collector, local

    Arterial roads carry the most through traffic; local streets give access.

43. Which tool lets owners of land reserved for a public purpose receive transferable extra floor area?

    1. Green belt
    2. Zoning
    3. Setback rule
    4. Transfer of Development Rights
    Answer

    D. Transfer of Development Rights

    TDR gives such compensation.

44. Which of these is the main purpose of the building permission process?

    1. to register voters
    2. to ensure construction follows the plan and building rules
    3. to collect census data
    4. to give free land
    Answer

    B. to ensure construction follows the plan and building rules

    Permission checks compliance with development control rules.

45. A plot of 200 sq m with FSI 2.5 allows total floor area of

    1. 250 sq m
    2. 80 sq m
    3. 450 sq m
    4. 500 sq m
    Answer

    D. 500 sq m

    200 × 2.5 = 500.