Urban design in India has undergone a significant shift over the past two decades, responding to rapid urbanisation, climate change, social equity, and cultural continuity. Sensitive and context-responsive urban design goes beyond aesthetics and infrastructure—it addresses ecology, heritage, community aspirations, and the lived experience. This paper weaves case studies of effective urban design initiatives throughout India to see how sensitivity in design, towards place, people, and ecology, is realised as concrete urban interventions. These interventions incorporate participatory planning, adaptive reuse, ecological renewal, and inclusivity and serve as model examples of humane and sustainable urbanism.

Cities are the hubs of human experience. Indian cities developed organically over centuries, rich in socio-cultural and ecological layers. Post-independence planning paradigms largely ignored this richness for more modernist visions. Today, that tide is changing. Urban design responsive to local culture, context, and community is slowly transforming Indian cities.

This paper examines successful Indian urban design projects along two interlinked perspectives: context sensitivity and responsiveness to socio-environmental conditions. These case studies demonstrate how considerate interventions, no matter how small or grand, can create resilient, inclusive, and culturally relevant urban spaces.

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Sabarmati Riverfront Development, Ahmedabad_©HCP, n.d. https://hcp.co.in/
  1. Rethinking Riverfronts: Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad

Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project (SRFD), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is a prime example of large-scale urban renewal with ecological and civic purposes. The project was undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and implemented by the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd. The goal was to reclaim land, enhance environmental quality, and provide greater public access to the river (Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd., n.d.).

What makes the project outstanding is its balance between urban design and engineering. Embankments were built to avert flooding, but promenades, parks, and cultural areas were added to reanimate the edges of the river. The project combines sewage treatment, sustainable landscaping, and public facilities—translating a previously neglected area into a civic icon.

However, the displacement of the slum dwellers and loss of the fluctuation of the river are issues of criticism. This reminds us of the fact that sensitivity should also be directed at the urban poor, whose relationship with the river was functional and intimate. 

Key Takeaway: Large-scale infrastructure can be socially and ecologically transformative when planned with inclusive public access and environmental regeneration in mind.

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The Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Mumbai_©Bhasin Ruhi,2017 https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-150-yr-old-heritage-in-concrete-jungle/

2. Reviving Streetscapes: Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Mumbai

In contrast to Ahmedabad’s scale, Mumbai’s Dadabhai Naoroji (DN) Road Heritage Streetscape Project demonstrates how micro-interventions can catalyse macro change. Led by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Heritage Conservation Society in collaboration with local stakeholders, the project revitalised a historic commercial avenue through careful urban design and heritage conservation (Kala Ghoda Association, 2005).

By reinstating street furniture, signage, and lighting in sync with the architectural style of colonial-era buildings, the project respected Mumbai’s urban memory while modernising infrastructure. What made this initiative sensitive was the community-based approach: local shopkeepers, residents, and heritage bodies collaborated throughout.

Key Takeaway: Conservation-led urban design fosters civic pride and urban continuity when anchored in local identity and stakeholder engagement.

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Bengaluru lake enters the record books for ‘largest floating island’ post rejuvenation_©Soumya Chatterjee, & Soumya Chatterjee https://www.thenewsminute.com/karnataka/bengaluru-lake-enters-record-books-largest-floating-island-post-rejuvenation-92680  (2021, May 28).

3. Healing Waters: Sheelavanth Akere Lake, Bengaluru

India’s lakes are ecological treasures, too often victims of urban abandonment. The restoration of Sheelavanth Akere Lake in Whitefield, Bengaluru, is a people-led urban ecological intervention (Rao, 2025). Led by citizens such as those in Whitefield Rising, the initiative involved desilting, planting trees, and wetland restoration, transforming the lake into a dynamic biodiversity hub and social amenity.

In contrast to formalised city parks, this development arose from community determination rather than government planning. It evokes how ecologically sensitive urbanism is possible through civil society and how small lakes, restored, provide microclimate control, flood protection, and social interaction.

Key Takeaway: Ecological urbanism works best when communities are stewards of natural capital.

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Birkha Bawari, a 21st-century step-well_©Birkha Bawari | a. Mridul Architect, n.d. https://www.amridul-architect.com/birkha-bawari

4. Reinterpreting Tradition: Birkha Bawari Stepwell, Jodhpur

Jodhpur’s Birkha Bawari, an example of neo-traditional urban planning, was built inside a residential township by architect Anu Mridul. The stepwell reinstates the ancient water harvesting technique and serves as a public space (Mridul, n.d.).

Drawing its inspiration from the historic stepwells of the region, Birkha Bawari is not just a nostalgic exercise; it serves as a rainwater harvesting system and a thermal comfort mechanism. Locally available stone, traditional masonry practices, and layering of space are used in the design to bring together ecology, culture, and functionality. 

Takeaway: Adaptive reuse of vernacular knowledge in current urban design closes the gap between past and future, function and beauty.

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‘ Brand Bengaluru’ initiative by developing a network of Urban Village Squares project, India, 2025_© https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/brand-bengaluru-urban-village-square-initiative-expanded-across-city/articleshow/121398326.cms

5. People First: Village Squares, Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s Urban Village Squares project, part of the ‘Brand Bengaluru’ initiative, is redefining congested intersections and neighbourhood alcoves into people squares (Shivani, 2025). These are walkable, safe, shaded, and equipped with street furniture. Although physically unpretentious, they are socially dynamic.

Each neighbourhood’s character is honoured through designs that are developed through local consensus-building. This participatory approach can be scaled up in dense Indian cities, where public space is typically residual.

Key Takeaway: Urban interventions don’t require grandiosity; they require relevance. Sensitivity is in scale, process, and place-based design.

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Plan for footpaths, pedestrian crossings under mobility plan_©Ghulghule, 2025

6. Inclusivity and Mobility: Nagpur’s Footpath Initiative

Nagpur’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan highlights how transport infrastructure can be made inclusive and urban dignity-friendly. The city embarked on an initiative for bettering footpaths, pedestrian crossings, and tactile paving in ₹147 crore under the Smart Cities Mission (Mankar, 2025).

Placing people ahead of cars, the project seeks to establish pedestrian-friendly, shaded, and uninterrupted walking experiences, particularly for children, senior citizens, and disabled users. Design features such as porous pavements, indigenous tree canopies, and traffic calming devices reflect the human-centeredness of the project.

Key Takeaway: Inclusive mobility is not merely access—it’s designing for the varied needs of people in public space.

7. Slum Urbanism: Dharavi Redevelopment Plan

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project in Mumbai, being one of the world’s biggest urban renewal projects, continues to be controversial. Nevertheless, new design proposals have emphasised micro-block planning, street connectivity at 125-meter intervals, and maintaining the social networks of informal clusters (Menon, 2025).

As the project is underway, its design model represents a turn towards phased redevelopment over wholesale demolition. Walkability, mixed-use zoning, and phasing are precursors to humane and inclusive densification.

Main Point: Redevelopment must acknowledge the urban smarts within informal settlements, designing with—not against—prior socio-spatial ecologies.

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From Slum to Skyline: The Implications of Adani’s Dharavi Redevelopment Plan_©Hamid, 2024

8. Building Responsibly: Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi

India’s first government building to be net-zero energy is the Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, which represents architectural responsibility (MoEFCC, n.d.). It was designed by CPWD under the principles of green building and incorporates passive cooling, solar power, rainwater harvesting, and smart lighting.

Beyond an icon of efficiency, it is a performative urban hub, shrinking its size while acting as a civic icon. As cities face climate crises, these buildings show how resource sensitivity is important in public architecture.

Key Takeaway: Institutional buildings can set the pace, combining technology with environmental values in urban planning.

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Indira Paryavaran Bhawan becomes India’s first net-zero energy building_©Chandel, 2014

9. Reflection: Threads that Connect

In all scales, geographies, and typologies, the case studies have common threads:

  • Contextual Intelligence: Every project is a response to its ecological, cultural, or morphological context—be it a lake, street, or heritage core.
  • Community Engagement: Engaging users in form-making ensures both relevance and resilience.
  • Pluralistic Design: There is no one “Indian” urbanism. Sensitivity recognises differences of class, caste, use, and history.
  • Sustainability: Environmental stewardship is built into, not added to, design strategies.
  • Process over Product: The design journey, the negotiation process, and the iteration are as vital as the destination. 

Indian urban design is changing—not only towards efficiency or aesthetics, but towards responsiveness and accountability. With cities struggling with inequity, climate emergency, and erosion of identity, these case studies capture a hopeful shift: from masterplans to microcosms, from destruction to conversation, and from consumption to care.

Sensitive design in cities is about listening to the earth, to its past, and to people who inhabit it. These schemes, in their ways, do exactly that.

References:

Kala Ghoda Association. (2005). DN Road heritage streetscape project: Conservation through participation. Mumbai: KGA.

Mankar, S. (2025, May 27). City unveils ₹147 crore plan for footpaths, pedestrian crossings under mobility plan. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/city-unveils-rs147-cr-plan-for-footpaths-pedestrian-crossings-under-mobility-plan/articleshow/121421528.cms

Menon, S. (2025, May 26). Dharavi redevelopment: Streets to be wide, interconnected every 125m. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/dharavi-redevpt-streets-to-be-wide-interconnected-every-125m/articleshow/121397730.cms

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. (n.d.). Indira Paryavaran Bhawan: India’s first net-zero energy building. Government of India. https://moef.gov.in

Mridul, A. (n.d.). Birkha Bawari, Jodhpur. Retrieved from https://www.architectureplusdesign.in

Rao, S. (2025, May 21). Whitefield Lake in Bengaluru undergoes major restoration to combat pollution & encroachment. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/whitefield-lake-in-bengaluru-undergoes-major-restoration-to-combat-pollution-encroachment/articleshow/121299475.cms

Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd. (n.d.). Sabarmati Riverfront: Project overview. Retrieved from https://www.sabarmatiriverfront.com/projectoverview.php

Shivani, A. (2025, May 26). Brand Bengaluru: Urban Village Square initiative expanded across the city. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/brand-bengaluru-urban-village-square-initiative-expanded-across-city/articleshow/121398326.cms

HCP. (n.d.). https://hcp.co.in/urbanism/38

 Bhasin Ruhi ,2017;Mumbai: 150-yr-old heritage in concrete jungle.the Indian express  https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-150-yr-old-heritage-in-concrete-jungle/

Soumya Chatterjee, & Soumya Chatterjee. (2021, May 28). Bengaluru Lake enters the record books for ‘largest floating island’ post rejuvenation. The News Minute. https://www.thenewsminute.com/karnataka/bengaluru-lake-enters-record-books-largest-floating-island-post-rejuvenation-92680

Birkha Bawari | A. Mridul Architect. (n.d.). A. Mridul Architect. https://www.amridul-architect.com/birkha-bawari

India, T. O. (2025, May 25). Brand Bengaluru: Urban Village Square initiative expanded across the city. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/brand-bengaluru-urban-village-square-initiative-expanded-across-city/articleshow/121398326.cms

Ghulghule, V. (2025, May 26). City unveils Rs147 CR plan for footpaths, pedestrian crossings under mobility Plan. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/city-unveils-rs147-cr-plan-for-footpaths-pedestrian-crossings-under-mobility-plan/articleshow/121421528.cms

Hamid, I. (2024, October 18). From Slum To Skyline: The Implications Of Adani’s Dharavi Redevelopment Plan. Feminism in India. https://feminisminindia.com/2024/10/18/from-slum-to-skyline-the-implications-of-adanis-dharavi-redevelopment-plan/

Chandel, S. (2014, March 14). Indira Paryavaran Bhawan becomes India’s first net-zero energy building. Planet Custodian. https://www.planetcustodian.com/indira-paryavaran-bhawan-becomes-indias-first-zero-net-energy-building/2542/

Author

I am Navajyothi Mahenderkar Subhedar, a PhD candidate in Urban Design at SPA Bhopal with a rich background of 17 years in the industry. I hold an M.Arch. in Urban Design from CEPT University and a B.Arch from SPA, JNTU Hyderabad. Currently serving as an Associate Professor at SVVV Indore, my professional passion lies in the dynamic interplay of architecture, urban design, and environmental design. My primary focus is on crafting vibrant and effective mixed-use public spaces such as parks, plazas, and streetscapes, with a deep-seated dedication to community revitalization and making a tangible difference in people's lives. My research pursuits encompass the realms of urban ecology, contemporary Asian urbanism, and the conservation of both built and natural resources. In my role as an educator, I actively teach and coordinate urban design and planning studios, embracing an interdisciplinary approach to inspire future designers and planners. In my ongoing exploration of knowledge, I am driven by a commitment to simplicity and a desire for freedom of expression while conscientiously considering the various components of space.