Center For Urban Planning and Policy

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The Center for Urban Planning and Policy (CUPP) undertakes research and analysis to help improve processes and regulatory frameworks for urban land development. It further translates this research into relevant and applicable policy prescriptions towards addressing challenges such as increasing land supply, improving affordability, securing land for public purposes, and establishing clear land rights.

Land and real estate markets play an important role in shaping cities. Urban land is a critical resource to establish efficient and functional markets. Absences of well-functioning markets pose a series of challenges like conflicts, speculation, and affordability gaps. The functioning of these markets is dependent upon land-related policies that manage externalities, create public goods, extract land value gains and provide equitable access to land for the poor. Thus, it is important to systematically study these policies, as well as understand their impact on land and real estate markets. At CUPP, our aim is to advance practice-oriented research in urban land policy that supports economic development and sustainable and equitable urbanisation.

CUPP engages with governments through advisory work and capacity building. It has developed considerable training material in the domains of urban land planning and regulations, housing, and governance, and has also carried out significant inter-state comparative studies on land pooling and readjustment mechanisms, revenue codes and built-form regulations.

Leadership

Avanish Pendharkar

Center Head and Principal Researcher

Avanish is the Center Head and Principal Researcher of CUPP. An urban planning and development professional with over 20 years of experience on a variety of project types for public and private sector clients. He has worked on large-scale master plans and infrastructure development, urban design, urban redevelopment, regional plans, policy studies, and provided subject matter expertise on large programme management mandates.

His work with marquee planning and design firms like Glatting Jackson, HOK and CH2M Hill comprises of international projects like Atlanta’s first ever Transportation Vision Plan, the New Campus additions to the King Saud University in Riyadh, TOD projects like the North Corridor Commuter Rail for City of Charlotte, NC, USA, Rockhill to Charlotte transit study, NC USA, and projects within the City of Atlanta’s Livable Cities Initiative program, amongst others.

In India since 2010, Avanish has advised the DMICDC on their plans for new industrial cities in Dholera SIR and DNGIR. He has also worked on the plan implementation of the 40 sq.km Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Township at Aurangabad in India besides policy and advisory services for various development plans and master planning for new towns and neighborhoods.

He has a Masters Degree in City & Regional Planning from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, USA, a Masters Degree with specialization in Urban Design from SPA, New Delhi, and a B.Arch from Mumbai. Avanish is Certified Planner (AICP), a member of the American Planning Association, and a registered architect in India. He is a recipient of the Charles Brown Fellowship in 2003 at Georgia Tech, and is an alumnus of the prestigious J.N.Tata Endowment fellowship from 2002.

Amit Gotecha

Deputy Center Head

Amit is an urban planner with over 10 years of experience in spatial and research-based urban planning projects. The spatial planning projects include the preparation of Development Plans, Master Plans and Town Planning Schemes for Special Investment Regions and Urban Areas across India. Amit has worked on spatial planning projects which include waterfront based urban design and street design projects, and preparation of development control regulations for urban areas. He has also worked on research-based projects which include a review of housing policies of Gujarat, preparation of Plan of Action for Housing for All, and Manuals for the Preparation of Development Plans, Town Planning Schemes and Local Area Plans for the state of Gujarat. He has also been a key member of the team in providing technical support for preparation of Land Pooling Policy for the state of Bihar.

Amit is passionate about teaching. He regularly teaches advanced courses in the Master’s of Urban Planning program at CEPT University, primarily dealing with the Development Plan studio, Urban Expansion and Regeneration Studio and in guiding thesis projects. He holds a Master’s degree in Planning from CEPT University, Ahmedabad and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Indubhai Parekh School of Architecture, Rajkot.

CUPP Team