Measuring Compact Urban Form: A Case of Nagpur City, India

Rajashree Kotharkar, Pankaj Bahadure and Neha Sarda
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Rajashree Kotharkar: Department of Architecture and Planning, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur 440010, India
Pankaj Bahadure: Department of Architecture and Planning, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur 440010, India
Neha Sarda: Architect-Planner, Nagpur 440010, India

Sustainability, 2014, vol. 6, issue 7, 1-27

Abstract: The compact city concept is adopted in city planning policies of many developed countries for the following benefits: efficient use of land while curtailing sprawl, reduction in transport network and reliance on mass transport, a socially interactive environment with vibrancy of activities, economic viability, etc. However, it is still debated whether the cities in developing countries like India, which are already dense, will really benefit from the compact city form. Measuring urban form and compactness of these cities becomes more important for understanding the spatial urban structure to intervene accordingly for sustainable urban development. This paper explores various parameters and dimensions of measurement of compactness. Urban form characteristics and their indicators are derived for the study of Nagpur city, India. This study is an attempt to measure the urban form to derive the benefits of compactness. The study indicates that Nagpur city, inherently has a compact form, but may disperse in near future; and there is a need to implement policies to retain its compact character to achieve sustainable urban development.

Keywords: compact cities; urban form; planning Indian cities; measuring urban compactness; sustainable urban development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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