URDPFI Guidelines 2015: settlement classes, plan types, densities and land use

How does URDPFI classify urban settlements?

The classification is based on Census 2011, state master plan experience and emerging agglomerations (Table 1.2).

The guidelines note that local authority names vary by state, and that an urban centre with fewer than 5,000 people can be given statutory status as a Statutory Town. They also describe small towns as the “transitional towns” of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, where a Nagar Panchayat is formed for an area moving from rural to urban.

Which plans make up the planning system, and for how long?

Table 1.3 sets out the recommended planning system, with statutory and non-statutory plans.

The table’s own note says consultations suggested extending the 20-year plan period to 30 years, but the general consensus favoured 20 years, with a review at a gap of 5 years.

What densities does URDPFI suggest?

Table 5.1 gives gross population densities, in persons per hectare of developed area only.

These are suggestive. The guidelines say density norms should rest on a carrying capacity analysis (space per person, access to facilities, piped water per capita, mobility and safety), and should be modified for compact and transit-oriented development.

What land use structure does URDPFI suggest?

Table 5.2 gives the share of developed area for each land use, by settlement size. The remainder is agriculture, water bodies and special areas.

The guidelines add that it is desirable to fix the shares for the essential uses (residential, transportation and recreational), while the other uses stay flexible. The same chapter gives separate land use structures for hill towns, industrial towns, heritage, religious and tourism cities, and port cities.

How does URDPFI show up in GATE AR?

At least seven GATE AR questions from 2022 to 2025 name the URDPFI Guidelines in the question text. They include matching settlement types to URDPFI population ranges (2023) and the URDPFI density range for small towns in hill areas (2023). For the full teaching and practice, use the course lessons on settlement classification and urban morphology and planning process and legislation. For the exam plan, see the GATE AR last 60 days plan.

Where the figures come from

• URDPFI Guidelines, Volume I, January 2015, Town and Country Planning Organisation, Ministry of Urban Development (PDF): Table 1.2, Table 1.3, Table 5.1 and Table 5.2.
• TCPO page for the URDPFI Guidelines

This page is a summary, not a copy. State planning laws and the later guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs may differ. Check the official document before you use a figure in a plan.