Regional planning promotes the core idea of developing human settlements and regions in a balanced, integrated, resource sensitive and participatory manner. The philosophy of the programme is to develop specialization in planning for regions. The course is oriented predominantly towards the future. The programme aims to ensure economically, socially and environmentally sustainable regions. Special Economic Zones, corridor development, resettlement and rehabilitation, rural development and eco-sensitive region are only a few significant examples, central to concerns of regional planning. The Seventy-Third and Seventy-Fourth Constitutional Amendment Acts in India have ensured the efficiency of plan making process for different scales of regions by giving impetus to bottom-up planning. It also calls for a change in the role of regional planners to plan both rural and urban areas in an integrated manner.
Regional planning course is a unique course taught only at SPA New Delhi to fulfil the agenda for region-based planning for nation building. The Regional Planning course is spread over four semesters. The first semester is an integrated semester. This is an inter-disciplinary semester where the basics of urban, regional, housing, transport, environment planning are taught to the students. Second semester introduces the students to fundamentals of regional planning. The subjects taught are Planning for Region, District Planning and Rural Development, Regional Infrastructure, Land Management, Advanced GIS, Climate Change and its Impact and Poverty. The studio exercise involves preparation of Block and Village Development Plan using participatory and bottom-up approaches. The third semester introduces the students to the complexities of regional plan making by covering subjects of Environment and Development, Project Planning, Institutional Analysis and Governance, Legal Issues in Planning, Resettlement and Rehabilitation and Spatial Data Infrastructure. The studio for third semester involves planning for a large size region such as a metropolitan region, a district, etc.
The programme is designed to equip students in skills of regional analysis, preparation of regional plans at various spatial scales, action oriented research, formulation of policies as well as evaluation of plans. To expose our students to global expertise in the field, Department of Regional Planning has continually endeavoured to network with national and International Institutions.
Master of Planning (Regional Planning)
Two Year Programme
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.)
Full-Time Programme 2-5 Years
Part-Time Programme 3-7 Years
Faculty
Many of our alumni are pursuing higher education from educational institutes in India and abroad. Mr. Akshay Ajith and Ms. Shraddha Pandit are pursuing Ph. D at IIT Roorkee. Ms. Sadhana Manthapuri is pursuing Ph.D. from Virginia Tech., School of Public and International Affairs. Mr. Amartya Deb has pursued Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield U.K.
The alumni of regional planning programme are well distributed over the government sector, industry, think tanks and academics. More than 40 percent of the alumni are employed in the government sector, either in the Town and Country Planning Department or Development Authorities and Housing Boards such as the Delhi Development Authority, Uttar Pradesh Housing Board or infrastructure/transport-based organisations such as National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), or working under certain government schemes or missions such as the Smart City Mission, PM Gati Shakti, etc. Many of the alumni are also working in several think tanks such as the NITI Aayog, NIUA. The percentage of alumni working in the private sector is also high at around 35-40 percent and they are working in companies such as, Ernst and Young, Fortress, Tractebel Engineering, IPE Global Limited, Innpact Solutions, KPMG, HBSS, LEA Associates South Asia Pvt Ltd, REPL, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and Stantec Pune. Around 15 percent of our department’s alumni are working in the field of academics as faculty or research scholars with institutes such as, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Amity School of Architecture and Planning, Amity University, DIT University Dehradun and Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. Some of our alumni are also doing freelancing and have their own architecture and planning firms. Few of the students have also opted for pursuing doctoral research at SPA Delhi, IIT, etc.
The department boasts of great achievement as far as placements are concerned. Prof. Dr. Ashok Kumar is Head, Department of Planning at School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. Many of our alumni are placed with the various state government departments and have reached the apex positions of Chief Town Planners. Mr. K. K. Joadder retired as Chief Planner at Town and Country Planning Organisation. Our alumni are well placed in several international organisations as well. Mr. Tapas Paul is the Lead Environment Specialist with the world bank. Ms. Anuradha Yagya is Senior Consultant (Social and Gender Development) with LEA Associates, Asian Development Bank, and is also Visiting Faculty (Masters in Public Policy), Department of Professional Studies, Christ University Bangalore. Dr. Sandeep K. Raut and Mr. Monis Khan are TCP with Town and Country Planning Organisation, Delhi. Ms. Meenakshi Tyagi is General Manager, Urban Infrastructure Division with Tractabel Engineering Private Limited. Ms. Sakshi Godara is Senior Manager with IPE Global. Dr. Piyali Bandyopadhyay is Scientist at Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi. Ms. Diki Wanchuk Bhutia is Associate Town Planner with Government of Sikkim. Mr. Sayan Sarkar is Manager with Ernst and Young, Gurgaon. Ms. Deepika Jha is Senior Consultant with Indian Institute of Human Settlement. Mr. Govind Kumar is GIS professional with NHAI Limited. Mr. Sidhwin Hegde is working with the National Capital Region Transport Corporation. Ms. Kamakshi Thapa, Ms. Shirin Mangla, Ms. Vaishali, Ms. Jahanvi, Mr. Mohit Singh, Mr. Sachin Choudhary, Mr. Meet Fatewar, Ms. Sindhuja Garimella and Ms. Shalvi Sharma have recently joined as Assistant Town Planner with the governments of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand. Mr. Aman Singh Rajput is Senior Manager with IPE Global. Ms. Sravya Ratna Chilakapatti is the State Urban WASH Consultant with the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Our alumni are also enterprising enough to run their own businesses and start-ups. Mr. Mithun is the co-founder and CTO of Innpact Solutions, Delhi. Mr. Rahul Hans is the founder of Rahul Hans and Associates, Jammu. Mr. Aqueel Mansoori is the founder of M. A. Consultants, Bhopal.
The alumni are an asset for the department. They have always been helpful of the department’s efforts in getting the fresh graduates being placed in their organisations. They also support in the internship activities of the department and in grooming the fresh pass-outs in their organisations.
The following events or special lectures have been organized in the department in the current academic event: