GIS For Governance in Town Planning and Land Management

Abstract

For an adequately planned urbanization of a city like Gandhinagar, it is essential to identify potential sites for affordable housing, commercial hub, and recreational centers based on some specific urban development criteria. The criteria have been decided based on neighborhood concepts in urban planning. We measure each criterion according to the importance, and then a certain weight of each criterion is created. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) are the standard techniques used for the site suitability analysis at a macro level. For this purpose, toposheet and satellite data are used to produce different thematic layers in ArcGIS software. GIS technology plays a vital role in the micro-level analysis or spatial planning of sectors such as Gandhinagar Municipality. Python script incorporated in ArcGIS has been used for developing a semi automated system for spatial land management and a built-up area calculator. The built-up area calculator will help in identifying unauthorized construction. This research can assist the policymakers, planning officials, bring transparency across different stakeholder groups to better understand the land parcels catering to the current developmental need and future urban growth.