The 74th National Town and Country Planners Conference concluded with a strong call for a transition towards regional, transit-oriented and technology-enabled planning to address India’s rapidly evolving urban and economic challenges. Experts emphasised the role of metropolitan and city-region planning in enabling high productivity, inclusive growth and long-term resilience, drawing parallels with global city regions such as London, Singapore and Tokyo.

Participants noted that metropolitan regions can drive higher productivity growth when supported by robust institutional frameworks and long-term economic planning. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region was cited as an example where a shift in planning strategy and institutional approach is underway, with preparations for a city-region economic plan aligned to local, national and international priorities.

The conference highlighted initiatives undertaken by the Government of Gujarat for Sanand, Kalol, Savli, Hirasar and Bardoli, which are expected to ease urban pressure on nearby major cities in the near future. Delegates stressed that regional planning should be a core instrument in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, enabling integrated development of urban and rural settlements.

Megacity-region planning was identified as a key tool for defining settlement hierarchies, infrastructure networks, transport systems and service delivery. Existing land-use frameworks such as Rural Rapid Development Formulation (RRDF) planning and cluster development under the Rurban Mission were cited as useful references for metropolitan regional planning.

There was broad consensus on the role of artificial intelligence in city and regional planning, with delegates noting the need to strengthen data availability, integration and analytics. A phased approach was recommended, beginning with data integration and progressing towards modelling, scenario simulation, predictive analytics and policy-aligned decision-support systems.

The conference also called for a rethink in planning for large-scale events, urging planners to view such occasions as opportunities for long-term infrastructure creation, employment generation and institutional strengthening, rather than short-term projects. Participants emphasised moving away from static master plans towards a “living city” approach within a city-region economic planning framework, supported by more effective governance and participatory planning mechanisms.