The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to develop at least one smart-design road in each village merged with the civic body, drawing on the redevelopment of Aundh DP Road. The project received national recognition after a case study was published in the September 2026 issue of Indian Highways, the technical journal of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC).

The Aundh project was developed as a pilot under the Smart Cities Mission in 2017. Its case study was prepared by project consultant Vikas Thakar, project architect and urban designer Prasanna Desai, and PMC city engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar, and documents the transformation of a conventional urban road into an inclusive street.

Pawaskar said the civic body intended to replicate the model across the merged villages, with at least one such road planned in every village. He said the Aundh stretch had avoided major traffic and congestion problems, while its design followed consultations with stakeholders and addressed initial criticism from local residents and shopkeepers.

The project includes continuous footpaths, raised pedestrian crossings, universal accessibility, organised parking, cycling infrastructure and provisions for underground utilities. The design provides a more balanced distribution of road space among pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, while the redevelopment retained all 140 existing trees along the stretch.

The case study records negligible maintenance requirements and no major waterlogging incidents. It identifies better material specifications, rigorous supervision, quality control, contractor capacity building, utility coordination and improved workmanship as lessons for future projects. Local groups welcomed the proposed replication but also called for action against illegal vendors, completion of missing links and wider adherence to IRC standards. The IRC develops technical standards, specifications and guidelines used by road agencies, local bodies, consultants and the construction industry.