{"id":61242,"date":"2025-07-05T08:42:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T03:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanacres.in\/?p=61242"},"modified":"2025-07-05T08:42:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T03:12:19","slug":"delhi-experts-push-for-urban-planners-in-highways-crossing-city-and-town-zones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/?p=61242","title":{"rendered":"Delhi Experts Push for Urban Planners in Highways Crossing City and Town Zones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Highway development across urban corridors demands more than just engineering expertise, argued planners and officials at a conference on \u201cCrash Safety and Physical Planning\u201d in Delhi today. They stressed that urban and transport planners must play a pivotal role in designing and executing highway projects where fast arterials intersect densely populated areas, citing concerns over safety, sustainability, and holistic urban growth.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Director of the School of Planning and Architecture, speaking at the event, highlighted a recurring issue: highway engineers often lack the training or inclination to rigorously analyse detailed project reports (DPRs). \u201cWe found that many National Highways Authority of India personnel struggle to engage deeply with DPRs. Some pass this responsibility to external consultants or treat it as a formality,\u201d said the expert. This shortfall, they noted, can lead to designs that prioritise speed and throughput over urban viability and road safety. The crux of the concern lies in the elevated risk of fatal crashes on highways traversing urban zones\u2014where motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and local traffic intersect. Data presented at the conference showed that casualty rates are disproportionately higher in areas where highways bisect city neighbourhoods, underscoring the need for integrated planning that accounts for mixed road usage.<\/h4>\n

In response, the School of Planning and Architecture and IIT\u2013Delhi offered proactive solutions. Both institutions have proposed to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways the initiation of pilot projects to co\u2011evaluate DPRs prepared by NHAI and other agencies. They have also urged the ministry to establish a Centre of Excellence focused on crash investigation and data-driven design\u2014an innovation aimed at fostering safer, smarter road planning. In attendance was the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, who called for a paradigm shift. \u201cWe need to move from a reactive, construction\u2011only mindset to proactive, integrated planning,\u201d the minister emphasised. \u201cRoad projects must become multi\u2011sectoral tools that simultaneously address safety, last\u2011mile connectivity, land acquisition, urban congestion, and cost optimisation.\u201d<\/h4>\n

This perspective aligns with broader urban development priorities. India\u2019s cities are expanding rapidly, and highways are increasingly cutting through established residential and commercial areas. Without intentional design, these roads can fracture communities, hinder walkability, escalate pollution, and undermine public transport networks. Transport planners at the conference highlighted the potential of context-sensitive solutions: integrating cycle tracks, pedestrian crossings, bus bays, and noise buffers. \u201cA highway is more than a conduit for vehicles,\u201d one expert remarked. \u201cIt must live up to its role as part of a city\u2019s lifeblood, supporting economic activity and protecting residents.\u201d<\/h4>\n

They also warned against siloed decision\u2011making. Highway engineers, they said, often adhere to national road standards that emphasise geometry, capacity, and speed, overlooking the realities on the ground. Without input from urban planners and traffic modellers, projects risk being overly rigid, disconnected from local needs, and potentially dangerous. Urban planning advocates recommended a \u2018safety\u2011first\u2019 DPR audit, carried out prior to or alongside tender processes. Such a review would flag issues like missing footbridges, inadequate lighting, or plans that cut off informal local networks. IIT\u2011Delhi and SPA have both offered to assist in developing and testing such audit tools, modelling a more collaborative governance model between technical agencies and local planning bodies.<\/h4>\n

Another key area discussed was data. Crash and traffic flow patterns, collected over time, can guide design choices\u2014such as where to include raised medians, truncated left\u2011turns, or public transit integration. \u201cTimely intervention depends on accurate data,\u201d noted a senior scientist from a leading transport think\u2011tank. \u201cWithout planners at the table, highways become inherited hazards.\u201dLand acquisition and compensation were also identified as pain points. Rapid highway expansion has often displaced households, micro\u2011enterprises, and small businesses. Calling it \u201ca social as much as an engineering challenge,\u201d urban experts advocated for participatory resettlement plans, ensuring displaced communities continue to access jobs, schools, and amenities.<\/h4>\n

City governments, they maintained, must be formally included in DPR reviews. In several pilot programmes in other states, municipal authorities successfully integrated urban mobility visions\u2014such as bus rapid transit, last\u2011mile feeder buses, and car\u2011free zones\u2014within highway corridors, delivering multi\u2011modal, climate\u2011friendly infrastructure. The minister expressed openness to the proposals, urging agencies to pilot integrated DPR review committees with urban planners, safety auditors, ecologists, and community representatives. A working group will now be formed under the ministry to map out next steps, including potential revisions to the standard operating procedures for national and state highways.<\/h4>\n

The interventions proposed may have a ripple effect beyond safety outcomes. By embedding sustainable and equitable design at the DPR stage, highway projects can contribute to India\u2019s national goals\u2014reducing emissions, enabling walkable neighbourhoods, and ensuring that expanding transport networks do not undercut public health or access. Leading urbanists stressed that the challenge is not only technical but also institutional. Incentivising collaboration, refining procurement frameworks to reward inclusive design, and building capacity within highways agencies will be critical. As one planner put it, \u201cWe must rebuild the culture of highway development from \u2018build fast\u2019 to \u2018build smart and fair\u2019.\u201d<\/h4>\n

How India implements this new roadmap may define the future of its urban corridors. With highways set to crisscross hundreds of towns in the coming decade, ensuring they are safe, sustainable, and serviced by communities\u2014not just asphalt\u2014will determine whether cities remain cohesive or fragmented by speed. The conference closed with a consensus that the time has come to integrate urban and transport expertise in highway projects. The decision by Delhi officials to act on this call could reshape the trajectory of infrastructure governance nationwide, making roads not only faster\u2014but safer, greener, and more equitable.<\/h4>\n

Also Read : Maharashtra Transporters Suspend Strike After Government Promises to Meet Demands<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Delhi Experts Push for Urban Planners in Highways Crossing City and Town Zones<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Highway development across urban corridors demands more than just engineering expertise, argued planners and officials at a conference on \u201cCrash Safety and Physical Planning\u201d in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146,147,148],"tags":[79900,79901,31110,1989,10545,204,16047,205],"class_list":["post-61242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-news","category-urban-news","tag-delhi-highway-projects","tag-dpr-audit","tag-equitable-mobility","tag-highway-safety","tag-road-infrastructure-india","tag-sustainable-cities","tag-transport-integration","tag-urban-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livzzy.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}