About Urban & Regional Planning

The Department of Urban & Regional Planning offers M.Tech (Planning) and B.Tech (Planning) courses, where the students acquire skills required to work in various government, semi-government institutions and private consultancies. .

Relevance of the course:

Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, and infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks. Urban planning deals with physical layout of human settlements. The primary concern is the public welfare, which includes considerations of efficiency, sanitation, protection and use of the environment, as well as effects on social and economic activities.

Urban planning is considered an interdisciplinary field that includes social, engineering and design sciences. It is also referred to as urban and regional planning, regional planning, town planning, city planning, rural planning, urban development etc across the world depending on the thrust areas within the course.

Urban planning guides orderly development in urban, suburban and rural areas. Although predominantly concerned with the planning of settlements and communities, urban planning is also responsible for the planning and development of water use and resources, rural and agricultural land, parks and conserving areas of natural environmental significance. Practitioners of urban planning are concerned with research and analysis, strategic thinking, architecture, urban design, public consultation, policy recommendations, implementation and management. Enforcement methodologies include governmental zoning, planning permissions, and building codes, as well as private easements and restrictive covenants. .

Urban planners work with the cognate fields of architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and public administration to achieve strategic, policy and sustainability goals. Early urban planners were often members of these cognate fields. Today urban planning is a separate, independent professional discipline. The discipline is the broader category that includes different sub-fields such as land-use planning, zoning, economic development, environmental planning, and transportation planning.

Scope of the course:

Planners can bring constructive changes with the help of proper planning. A planned city is a well-prepared city, planners can prepare today for the future problems by anticipating the future. Planners are ready to manage risks and see opportunities from a vantage point by staying ahead of challenges.

Planners make informed decisions which address short term issues and also take the long term view of the problem at hand. Lack of progress in cities that don’t plan for their future is evident in abundance in all the cities around us. Urban economy is positively affected by efficient Urban Planning. For local leaders who prioritize job opportunities and investments, suitable urban form is very important. Some key concerns for urban dwellers are accessibility, employment opportunities, affordable housing and safety. Urban planning has a strong correlation with all these aspects of the urban form. Planners are crucial in delivering a good quality of life with the right policies on public space, land use, density, the layout of services and infrastructure. Cities can build lasting relationships with a collectively held plan. Engaging all the possible contributions towards urbanization is essential for the planners who are capable of watching opportunity in urbanization.

Relevance of the course:

Some of the skills acquired by graduates are preparation of report which will help them in working on Detailed Projects Reports (DPRs), Request for Proposals (RFPs), Expression of Interest (EOI) conducting various types of surveys such as House Hold Surveys, Traffic and Transportation Surveys, Slum Surveys, Informal Sector Surveys and analysis using Excel and MIS, Preparation of Maps, Thematic Maps, Landuse Maps and Base Maps using GIS and CAD.

With a rapidly urbanizing Indian population and formation of new cities everyday, there is a growing need for qualified planning professionals. Additionally, ambitious government projects such as Swachh Bharat, Smart Cities Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojama (PMAY), AMRUT and 2 BHK housing for poor, Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya etc. in Telengana State need intricate planning by well qualified and trained professionals in order to become successful.

Further studies :

The Post Graduate Programs which can be undertaken by the Under Graduate students include Masters in Urban & Regional Planning, Infrastructure Planning, Transportation Planning, Housing in Planning, Environmental Planning, Remote Sensing, Spatial Information Technology, Landscape Architecture, Energy Management, Urban Policy etc. These are being offered across India in various Schools of Planning & Architecture, IITs, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, TERI

Employment potential:

The various government, semi-government institutions and private consultancies which offer training and positions to the students are Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Urban local bodies at District levels, Directorate of Town & Country Planning (DTCP), Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES), MarriChenna Reddy institute of Human Resource Development (MCHRD), Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI), National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA), REAL Estate Developers & Private Consultancies such as ( RV Consultants, ENY, ILFS, Delloite etc.), GMR Group, AparnaConstrucitons& Estates PvtLTd, My Home ConstrucitonsPvt Ltd, Siddharth Consultants, N.S.S. Associates, MEPMA-T.S, BITDS (Bharati Integrated Rural Development Society), DIMTS.