Unified Urban Planning in India: Challenges & Reforms | UPSC 2027
India's rapidly expanding urban regions face a fundamental governance challenge: housing, public transport, drainage, land use and municipal services are often planned by separate institutions with limited coordination. A November 2026 current-affairs headline highlighted the need for a unified urbanisation plan. This article examines how fragmented planning creates distant affordable housing, longer commutes, infrastructure gaps, urban flooding and unequal access to essential services. It explains the constitutional framework of the 74th Amendment, the Twelfth Schedule, District and Metropolitan Planning Committees, urban local body financing, transit-oriented development and climate-resilient infrastructure. Designed for UPSC 2027, it includes conceptual notes, policy analysis, Prelims MCQs, Mains practice questions and a model answer.
