Evaluating the planning of social infrastructures in Ahmedabad, India

This paper describes how simple analytical GIS techniques can be used to support the planning of social infrastructure in Ahmedabad city, India. The planning context in Ahmedabad consists of a micro and a macro level. The social infrastructure is planned for in the context of Town Planning Schemes (TPS) which are micro level land use/land allocation plans for relatively small, mostly peri-urban, areas. At the macro level, the urban development of Ahmedabad is guided by a Development Plan. The problem addressed in this paper arises from the fact that each TPS is planned for on an individual, one by one, basis even if different TPS areas are spatially adjoining. The potential outcome of this way of working is that the spatial distribution of social infrastructure may not be efficient or equitable. The approach developed in this paper evaluates the performance of existing social infrastructure in terms of spatial equity and efficiency and provides suggestions for improvement for a cluster of three adjoining TPS. In doing so it illustrates how GIS-based analytical techniques can be usefully applied in support of more strategic spatial planning of social infrastructure.