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About DOPAR

Urban Planning programmes at Sushant University started in 2013. These were aimed to meet the growing demand for urban planners in India. The ongoing transformation from a primarily rural to majorly urban society will require strategic investments of funds and technology enabled by the efficient deployment of skills. The rate of urbanisation in India varies from national to regional level and sub-regional level. While Census 2011 has identified 7,935 urban settlements, nearly 24 percent of the urban population lives in 9 cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Surat). This shows the spatial imbalance in urbanization.

The Government of India’s approach to urban development has evolved during the last two decades. Today, India has one of the unique urban sector missions covering a wide range of issues such as cleanliness (Swachh Bharat), housing (PMAY), livelihood (National Urban Livelihood Mission), health (National Urban Health Mission), heritage (HRIDAY), basic infrastructure (AMRUT), energy (solar cities), technology-driven (Smart Cities) and rural-urban (RuRBAN Mission). Deployment of technology and generation of spatial big data has presented a new opportunity for urban India. This offers immense potential for participation of various stakeholders and citizens themselves in the process of place-making. The recent UNESCO report has noted that by 2031 India would require approximately 300,000 planners whereas the current strength is approximately 5,000.

The future of urban planning is getting more technology-driven and behaviourally informed. Since India is preparing to harness the benefits of Fourth Industrial Revolution, Automation and Robotics, Internet of Things, Hyperloop, Personal Rapid Transits and Drone Technology, planning is becoming more spatial. Urban Planning education at the DoPD has been designed to prepare prospective students to address these issues. The School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, UK has come forward to engage with DoPD to develop the curricula as well as teaching system to match international standards

History

An undergraduate course in Urban and Regional Planning was initiated at Sushant University in 2013. Numerous students across the country had enrolled for the course, which was developed based on the principles of heritage, sustainability, critical thinking, art, and aesthetics; the pedagogy of the course focused on 'Hands on learning'. The first batch of students passed out of the university with flying colors and went ahead to pursue careers in various public and private planning organisations in the country.

The post-graduate programme in Urban Planning was later initiated in 2017, followed by the introduction of post-graduate courses in Transport Planning and Policy and Governance.

The Department of Planning transitioned to the School of Planning and Development in 2018 and in 2022 it has again emerged as Department of Planning and Development, with School of Art and Architecture with a vision of bigger perspective. The department has, since then, been instrumental in laying the foundation of planning education in the Gurgugram region for nearly a decade now. The postgraduate course in Urban Planning is recognized by the Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI).

Since its inception, the department has engaged with the local community, city planning agencies, NGOs, and industry experts, for various studio projects and course curriculum. .

The Department has had both national and international outreach for academic and research partnerships with reputed institutions like Queens University Belfast, University of Lincoln, University of Otago, New Zealand, University of Nottingham, IGBC and CSE to name a few.

Vision

The Department has been set up with a vision to establish an ecosystem of quality teaching and research, capable of constantly producing globally competitive knowledge and skills.

The intent of the Department is to create a sustainable built and natural environment that enriches communities through leadership, entrepreneurial creativity, application of geospatial technologies integration, social responsibility, and sustainable planning and policy.

The vision, an ongoing process, shall be attained by way of educating students to become leaders in Planning. We intend to achieve the mission by teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in planning that link theory with practice by emphasizing critical thinking and creative communication, hands-on learning, and community engagement. Our endeavor is to impart relevant knowledge and skills along with values and ethics.