Guidelines for City Growth Pattern Assessment for Urban Planning

🏙️ Assignment Overview

Title: City Growth Pattern Assessment
Due Date: 6 November 2025
Length: ~20 pages (5,000–7,000 words)
References: Minimum 20 (APA 7th edition)
Methods Required:

  1. Document Analysis
  2. Google Earth Historical Imagery Analysis

Objective:
To evaluate how your city has grown spatially, functionally, and demographically over time—identifying key patterns, drivers, and consequences of urban growth.

📘 1. Selecting Your Study Area

  • Choose your city or urban agglomeration—preferably one you know well or can easily research (e.g., Delhi, Bhopal, Dehradun, Jaipur, etc.).
  • Define administrative boundaries (Municipal Corporation or Development Authority).
  • Note its population and area at different census years (e.g., 1991, 2001, 2011, 2021 projections).
  • Mention relevance or unique aspects (e.g., TOD initiatives, water bodies, industrial zones, or heritage areas).

🗂️ 2. Research Framework

Structure your study around urban growth pattern dimensions such as:

  • Spatial expansion (built-up area increase, direction of spread)
  • Population growth and density changes
  • Land use transformation
  • Transport infrastructure development
  • Environmental change (green cover, water bodies, encroachments)
  • Policy and planning influences (master plans, zoning policies)

🧭 3. Methodology

3.1 Document Analysis

A. Purpose

To interpret and extract information from existing policy, planning, and secondary data sources that reveal urban growth dynamics.

B. Sources

Collect official and academic documents such as:

  • Master Plans / Development Plans
  • City Development Plans (CDPs) under JNNURM or AMRUT
  • Census of India (1991, 2001, 2011, 2021 projection)
  • Urban Local Body (ULB) reports
  • Land records, zoning maps, and notifications
  • Peer-reviewed journal articles
  • Reports from NIUA, TCPO, MoHUA, NITI Aayog, and World Bank

C. Procedure

  1. Collect Documents: Download PDFs from government or institutional websites.
  2. Read and Code Themes: Identify recurring themes such as urban sprawl, infrastructure, and land-use change.
  3. Extract Data: Tabulate information such as population growth, land use zoning, and policy measures.
  4. Synthesize Findings: Connect document evidence with observed spatial changes.

D. Expected Outputs

  • Timeline of policy interventions and major city expansion phases
  • Tables summarizing land use distribution by decade
  • Summary of planning priorities and deviations observed

3.2 Google Earth Historical Imagery Analysis

A. Purpose

To visually and spatially assess changes in the city’s built-up area, green cover, and infrastructure using satellite imagery.

B. Tools

  • Google Earth Pro (Desktop version)
  • Google Earth Engine (optional for advanced users)
  • QGIS (optional for overlay and measurement)

C. Procedure

  1. Open Google Earth Pro → Locate your city.
  2. Activate Historical Imagery Tool → View satellite images from different years (e.g., 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2025).
  3. Identify Built-up Expansion:
    • Use polygon tool to delineate built-up area at each time point.
    • Note direction and pattern of expansion (radial, ribbon, clustered, leapfrog).
  4. Capture Screenshots/Exports:
    • Take georeferenced snapshots for each decade.
    • Annotate major features: highways, metro lines, industrial areas, and water bodies.
  5. Overlay and Compare:
    • Compare built-up growth visually.
    • Calculate area change (using polygon measurement tool).
  6. Interpretation:
    • Correlate observed changes with events (e.g., policy introduction, infrastructure development, economic growth).

D. Expected Outputs

  • 6–8 maps or image sets (2000–2025) showing city growth
  • Quantitative table of land cover change (sq. km or % change)
  • Graph showing built-up area vs population over time

🧩 4. Suggested Structure for the 20-Page Write-Up

SectionSuggested Length (Pages)Content Guidelines
1. Introduction1–2Define study objectives, significance, and research questions.
2. Literature Review3–4Summarize theories of urban growth (e.g., concentric, sector, multiple nuclei), review previous studies on similar cities.
3. Study Area Description1–2Describe location, demography, economy, planning jurisdiction, etc.
4. Methodology2–3Explain document analysis and Google Earth historical imagery methods in detail (steps, tools, data sources).
5. Results – Spatial Analysis4–5Present imagery analysis results, maps, tables, charts. Describe growth patterns decade-wise.
6. Results – Policy/Document Analysis2–3Discuss findings from master plans and policy documents. Link with spatial trends.
7. Discussion2–3Interpret results: causes and impacts of growth, effectiveness of planning policies.
8. Conclusions & Recommendations1–2Summarize insights and suggest planning interventions for sustainable growth.
9. References1–2APA 7th format, minimum 20 high-quality sources.

📊 5. Data and Visualization Tips

  • Maps: Create comparative maps for 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025.
  • Graphs: Show population growth, land use change, or density gradients.
  • Tables: Summarize built-up area change, policy interventions, or infrastructure expansion.
  • Images: Label Google Earth snapshots clearly (with year, direction, key features).

🧾 6. Referencing Guidelines (APA 7)

In-text citation examples:

  • (Census of India, 2011)
  • (Town & Country Planning Organization [TCPO], 2020)
  • (Jain & Khisty, 2013)

Reference list examples:

  • Census of India. (2011). Primary Census Abstract for Urban Agglomerations. Government of India.
  • Jain, A. K. (2013). Urban Transport: Planning and Management. APH Publishing.
  • Town & Country Planning Organization. (2020). Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines. MoHUA.
  • Google Earth Pro. (2025). Historical Imagery for Bhopal [Satellite Data]. Google LLC.
  • UN-Habitat. (2020). World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization. United Nations.

Use citation management software (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote) to maintain APA 7 consistency.

🧠 7. Writing and Formatting Guidelines

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
  • Spacing: 1.5 or double
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides
  • Figures and Tables: Numbered and titled (e.g., Figure 3: Built-up Growth 2000–2020)
  • Page Numbers: Bottom right corner
  • Sections: Numbered logically (1.0, 1.1, etc.)
  • Appendices: Include additional maps or raw data if needed

🔍 8. Quality and Evaluation Criteria

ParameterWeightage (%)What to Focus On
Clarity of Objective & Scope10Defined problem, justification of study area
Use of Document Analysis20Integration of planning documents and policies
Use of Google Earth Analysis25Clear maps, data accuracy, interpretation
Data Integration & Discussion20Linking spatial and policy findings
Writing Quality & APA Referencing15Academic tone, citations, reference quality
Presentation (Formatting & Visuals)10Professional layout, map clarity

🧩 9. Suggested Reference Categories

To reach 20+ sources, include a mix of:

  • Official data sources – Census of India, MoHUA, TCPO, NITI Aayog
  • Books on urban planning – Kadiyali, Hutchinson, Papacostas, Jain
  • Peer-reviewed journal articles – Environment and Urbanization ASIA, Cities, Habitat International
  • Reports – UN-Habitat, World Bank, NIUA
  • Spatial data sources – Google Earth, NASA Earth Data

🕓 10. Suggested Timeline

DateTask
Oct 12–18, 2025Select city and collect all planning documents
Oct 19–24, 2025Conduct Google Earth imagery analysis (2000–2025)
Oct 25–30, 2025Write Methodology and Results sections
Oct 31–Nov 3, 2025Write Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion
Nov 4, 2025Finalize formatting, APA references, proofread
Nov 5–6, 2025Prepare submission (PDF and MS word file + cover page + checklist)