By Sidhant Shekhar Jha
Mumbai, June 6, 2025: As Indian cities continue to expand under the pressure of population growth and real estate development, the lack of adequate civic infrastructure—particularly in roads, drainage, and urban mobility—is becoming increasingly apparent. From waterlogged streets to poorly connected developments, the gap between architectural design and urban planning is being felt acutely. Speaking at a recent gathering in Mumbai, leading architects argued that town planners must play a more proactive role in ensuring that infrastructure forms the foundation of city development—not an afterthought.
According to the 2023 State of India’s Environment Report, over 70% of urban areas in the country still lack efficient drainage systems, while a significant portion of urban roads suffer from congestion and poor maintenance due to disconnected planning frameworks. With real estate moving rapidly—both vertically in high-rises and horizontally across peri-urban zones—there is an urgent need for structured, integrated planning that considers long-term civic needs.
Ar. Rupali Gupte, founder of Copperpod Architecture Paths, noted that while architects work extensively on design and user-centric spaces, the larger civic framework is where the disconnect begins. “Planning has to go beyond land use approvals. It needs to integrate road hierarchies, public transit systems, ecological networks, and stormwater management,” she said. Gupte added that architects typically design within their given plots, but what connects those plots—streets, mobility corridors, drainage—is largely left to under-resourced planning bodies. “That layer has been weak, and it shows. Without coordinated planning, no amount of good architecture can resolve the issues on ground.”
Echoing her view, Ar. Amita Gore, partner at PGAG Architects, stressed that critical infrastructure must be embedded at the earliest stages of any urban development. “Roads, stormwater drains, and civic services are not just engineering items to be handled post-design—they are the skeleton on which cities breathe and grow,” she said. Gore added that town planners need to assert their role more actively. “Too often, we see beautifully designed buildings sitting on plots that have no proper access roads or water management systems. It defeats the very idea of integrated urbanism.”
Globally, cities like Singapore, Copenhagen, and Barcelona offer instructive examples of how town planning and infrastructure go hand-in-hand. Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority works in tandem with departments across housing, transport, and water, ensuring no project moves forward in isolation. Copenhagen has adopted blue-green infrastructure—integrating water management with parks and greenways—while Barcelona’s ‘superblocks’ redesign street grids to optimise walkability, drainage, and air quality.
India, on the other hand, has struggled to harmonise its building boom with basic civic services. While initiatives like the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT have made strides in select cities, many urban areas still lack spatial and infrastructural cohesion. According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India would need to invest more than USD 840 billion in urban infrastructure by 2036, making long-term planning essential rather than merely a policy objective.
Both Gupte and Gore agree that the solution lies in strengthening institutional coordination and empowering planning departments. Architects and developers must work alongside planners from the outset, not after approvals have been granted or infrastructure has failed. “We need less of siloed roles and more of collaborative urbanism,” Gupte observed. “That’s the only way to bridge the gap between architecture and infrastructure.”
With rising climate challenges, expanding populations, and evolving transportation demands, Indian cities face unprecedented pressures. It has become essential to empower town planners with greater authority and involvement, recognising that robust roads, effective drainage, and reliable infrastructure must form the foundation of urban development—not an afterthought. Only then can cities become truly resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.
