UDRI’s Spatial Planning Index

A National Benchmark for Spatial Planning Excellence.

The Spatial Planning Index (SPI) is a flagship research initiative of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) that evaluates the effectiveness of spatial planning systems across India. Using a comprehensive assessment framework, the SPI examines legislative and policy frameworks, institutional structures, planning capacity, GIS and data management, monitoring mechanisms, and citizen engagement. By benchmarking planning systems rather than ranking cities, the Index identifies critical gaps, highlights good practices, and supports evidence-based policy reform. Implemented at national and state levels, the SPI provides governments, practitioners, and researchers with actionable insights to strengthen planning institutions and promote more coordinated, accountable, and sustainable urban development.

UDRI’s Spatial Planning Index

India's cities are growing at an unprecedented pace. Managing this growth requires more than preparing master plans. It requires strong institutions, effective legislation, skilled planning professionals, reliable data systems, and meaningful citizen participation. While several reforms have been proposed to strengthen urban planning, there has been limited understanding of how spatial planning systems actually function across different cities and states.

To address this gap, the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) developed the Spatial Planning Index (SPI). As a first of its kind assessment framework, the SPI provides a comprehensive and evidence-based evaluation of spatial planning systems across India. Rather than ranking cities, it benchmarks the effectiveness, coherence, and implementation capacity of planning systems while identifying opportunities for institutional and policy reform.

Why the Spatial Planning Index Matters?

Spatial planning is often associated only with land use zoning and development plans. In reality, it is a much broader process that guides how cities grow by integrating transportation, housing, environmental management, infrastructure, economic development, and public spaces across multiple scales.

Although every state follows its own planning legislation, there is considerable variation in planning practices, institutional arrangements, and implementation mechanisms. This makes it difficult to compare planning systems, understand their effectiveness, or identify areas that require improvement.

The Spatial Planning Index was created to provide a common framework for evaluating these diverse systems. Grounded in the principles of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, it examines how planning is carried out from the regional level to the precinct level and provides actionable insights for strengthening planning systems across the country.

A Comprehensive Framework for Assessment

The SPI evaluates spatial planning through five interconnected themes that together capture the strength of a planning system.

The framework assesses:

Together, these dimensions provide a holistic understanding of how planning systems operate in practice and where improvements are required to build stronger, more accountable institutions.

A Flagship Initiative of UDRI

The Spatial Planning Index is one of UDRI's flagship research initiatives and reflects the organisation's commitment to advancing evidence based urban planning in India.

The framework has been developed through extensive primary and secondary research, including the review of planning legislations, policy documents, notified spatial plans, government guidelines, and institutional structures. These findings are complemented by consultations with planning authorities, government officials, practitioners, and domain experts to ensure that the assessment reflects planning realities on the ground.

Tracking Spatial Planning Across India

Since its launch, the Spatial Planning Index has expanded steadily in both scale and scope.

Spatial Planning Index India 2024

The inaugural edition assessed 25 cities across 23 states and 2 Union Territories, creating the first national benchmark for evaluating spatial planning systems in India. Using a framework comprising five themes, fifteen sub themes, and forty-five indicators, the study established an evidence base for understanding planning performance across diverse governance contexts.

The report was launched at the National Urban Convention in the presence of eminent experts including D. Thara, Anshul Mishra, K. T. Ravindran, Saswat Bandyopadhyay, and Jagan Shah.

Spatial Planning Index Uttar Pradesh 2025

Building on the national framework, UDRI undertook a state specific assessment covering 20 cities across Uttar Pradesh. The study provided a detailed understanding of the state's planning framework and offered recommendations to strengthen planning institutions and governance mechanisms.

Spatial Planning Index Maharashtra 2026

The upcoming edition will significantly expand the scale of the initiative by covering 75 cities across Maharashtra. This will be the largest Spatial Planning Index undertaken to date and will provide valuable insights into planning systems across metropolitan cities, municipal corporations, and emerging urban centres.

Supporting Better Planning, Not Better Rankings

The objective of the Spatial Planning Index is not to identify the best performing cities. Instead, it is designed as a practical tool that enables governments and planning authorities to understand where reforms are needed.

The findings help identify opportunities to strengthen legislation, improve institutional capacity, enhance GIS and data management systems, promote citizen participation, and encourage collaboration between planning agencies. By highlighting both good practices and existing gaps, the SPI supports more informed and accountable decision making across all levels of government.

Looking Ahead

Urban planning is a continuous process, and measuring progress requires consistent evaluation over time. The Spatial Planning Index has therefore been conceived as a recurring exercise that will be conducted every five years. This long-term approach will allow governments, researchers, and practitioners to track improvements, evaluate the impact of policy reforms, and monitor the evolution of spatial planning systems across India.

As Indian cities continue to grow and evolve, the Spatial Planning Index provides an evidence-based foundation for strengthening planning institutions, improving governance, and creating more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures.