Ahmedabad, India, Feb 6: After a gap of 13 years, Ahmedabad is set to host the National Town & Country Planners Conference from February 6 to 8, bringing together over 500 town planners, policymakers, academicians, and urban development experts from across India to deliberate on the future of regional and urban planning.

Organised by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI) with support from the Gujarat Government’s Urban Development Department, the three-day conference will be held on the theme “Proactive Regional Planning and Development to Usher Viksit Bharat.” The event will spotlight emerging perspectives on high-speed rail (bullet train) integration, along with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and GIS-based tools in urban and regional planning.

K. Srinivas, Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, will attend as the Chief Guest at the inaugural session. Ahmedabad Mayor Pratibha Jain and former Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Keshav Verma will be the Guests of Honour.

The conference comes at a critical juncture for India’s urban transformation, as the country’s urban population is projected to reach 600 million by 2031, accounting for nearly 40% of the total population, with 68 cities expected to cross the 10-lakh population mark. These trends underscore the urgency for balanced, sustainable, and forward-looking regional planning frameworks.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Kapoor, President, ITPI, said,

“As India advances towards its goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, proactive regional planning is essential to manage the pressures of rapid urbanisation and infrastructure expansion. This conference will serve as a national platform to exchange ideas, learn from successful planning models, and evolve strategies for inclusive and balanced regional development.”

N.K. Patel, Patron and Past President, ITPI, highlighted that the conference will place special emphasis on spatial planning for balanced growth, climate-resilient infrastructure, economic corridor and industrial cluster development, urban-rural continuum management, and institutional mechanisms for effective regional governance, including Metropolitan Planning Committees, Regional Plan Authorities, and inter-state coordination for river basins and economic regions.

R.J. Rawal, Chairman of the Gujarat Regional Chapter of ITPI, presented an overview of ITPI and outlined the objectives and structure of the National Conference.

Key sub-themes of the conference include inclusive infrastructure planning for global events such as the Commonwealth Games proposed to be hosted in Ahmedabad in 2030, AI-driven planning applications, and 100 years of town planning schemes in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad’s metropolitan region will serve as a living case study, with focused discussions on landmark developments such as Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), GIFT City, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), Metro Rail connectivity, major industrial and automobile hubs including Sanand and Becharaji, the Government of Gujarat’s newly announced satellite town policy, and emerging opportunities in integrated regional development.

Deliberations will address policy frameworks, governance models, and implementation strategies to manage rapid urbanisation while ensuring equitable growth. Sessions will also explore planning support for major economic corridors such as DMIC and Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), strengthening urban-rural linkages through initiatives like AMRUT 2.0, and building climate-resilient infrastructure systems.

With a presence across 26 states and a professional base of over 10,000 town planners, ITPI continues to play a pivotal role in shaping India’s town and country planning discourse. Adani Cement is the preferred brand partner for the conference.