ABSTRACT

Urban planning is one of the main applications of GIS. Urban planners use GIS both as a
spatial database and as an analysis and modelling tool. The applications of GIS vary
according to the different stages, levels, sectors, and functions of urban planning. With
the increase in user-friendliness and functions of GIS software and the marked
decrease in the prices of GIS hardware, GIS is an operational and affordable
information system for planning. It is increasingly becoming an important component of
planning support systems. Recent advances in the integration of GIS with planning
models, visualisation, and the Internet will make GIS more useful to urban planning.
The main constraints in the use of GIS in urban planning today are not technical issues,
but the availability of data, organisational change, and staffing.
INTRODUCTION

Maps have been used for centuries to represent the terrestrial environment, illustrate
natural and human processes, locate features, measure distances, support navigation,
exploration, and communicate information in both public and private sectors. More
importantly, maps help us understand the relationships between real-world objects,
their spatial interactions, and the patterns that guide planning and development.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) form a crucial part of spatial information systems
by processing, managing, and generating spatial data through cartographic,
photogrammetric, and statistical products. GIS outputs, which primarily contain spatial
information, are created by integrating multi-thematic datasets to produce
comprehensive representations of the real world, commonly in mapping and imaging
formats.

Today, GIS is indispensable in almost every field of study and human activity. Maps,
aerial photographs, and satellite images have become essential analytical tools in
academic research and professional practice. More than sixty disciplines—including
geography, geology, archaeology, agriculture, journalism, biology, economics,
engineering, political science, computer science, urban planning, and environmental
sciences—have incorporated GIS into their curricula and research due to its wide
applicability.

As global and regional development accelerates, the demand for natural resources such
as land, water, and vegetation continues to increase, often leading to their irrational or
informal exploitation. Effective management of these limited resources is therefore
essential. GIS plays a central role in identifying the location, distribution, and condition
of resources, understanding their relationships with surrounding features, and enabling
continuous monitoring and retrieval of spatial information whenever required.

In urban planning, the use of GIS helps planners achieve orderly development of
settlements, infrastructure, and services. It supports informed decision-making by
providing accurate spatial data, analytical tools, and models needed for sustainable and
efficient urban growth.
GIS as an archive and inventory system

In all contents of GIS terminology , what is important is the term geo - information. In fact
the term geo - information is used simultaneously with the use of automated procedures
for the development of information systems for data with spatial context. In this context
becomes more important the necessity not only for geo-information production, but also
for archiving of the data. From here ran the database concept . Based on functions of
Database System, a GIS operates and analyzes the data , but initially registers and
archives them.

During urban planning and territorial designs, GIS provides archiving of voluminous and
multi - thematic data closely associated with the geographical reference in the service of
specific applications.

Database System in GIS, initially has archive functions that should be constantly
maintained, so that data could be safe and durable so they could be used at any period
of need. A major influence in building of the database in urban planning, have the maps
of real estate assessment which provides a variety of data and a comprehensive
database on the location of the property, their ownership, prices, proximity of the
property with social facilities, material of construction, number of floors, covering with
infrastructure, risk factors etc.

GIS organizes thematic spatial data through various Database formats, like Excel,
Access, SQL, ORACLE etc. , which labeled in GIS as Geo - database which are important
in urban planning. In database management system there are three types of data: the
location of objects (defined through reference coordinate system), the attributes
associated with them (attributes of objects) and relationships that arise through spatial
reference and features of one or several objects with other objects .
GIS as a monitoring and management system
• Monitoring, management and periodic maintenance of social and physical
infrastructure in urban centers and beyond; (map 1)

• Implementation of integrated analyzes for full coverage of the community with public
infrastructure, compilation of alternatives for a sustainable distribution of social and
economic facilities in order to increase the accessibility of community in these services;

• Preparation prognosis plans of management of infrastructure according the needs of

• Decision-making, management and solution in time of conflict situations in the territory

• Monitoring, diagnosis of the territory , especially in spaces with the lack of public
infrastructure , in spaces inclined for potential territorial developments, in exclusion
space development, in urban spaces planned for reclamation and environmental
regeneration etc.
GIS use archive database for compilation of queryes (question and answer) that serves
for spatial analysis such as: What are the least populated areas within 70 km radius
distance from the town , or what are the areas with the highest consumption in the
seaside resort; which are health centers located 500 m from the residential center. (map
2)

Map 2: Current and planned health infrastructure in the town of Durres (Buffer-Arc GIS
9.0 methodology) . Cooperative product with Urban Planning Office (Municipality of
Durres) in the function of Lamp Project on the long-term planning in urban spaces and
territory regulation, January, 2007

The goal of GIS is that any specific data out of general database could serve for one
primary purpose, to develop a unique geographical analysis. GIS is a powerful tool for the
implementation of integrated analysis and trend analysis. GIS is given emphasis in his
analytical skills , or in its application to solve specific issues in various fields , but also in
scientific research applications. Such applications come to the users from the simples
formats to integrated formats for achievement of specific purposes In this context,
Geographic Information Systems are characterized by : ability of using voluminous data,
and with specific purpose in service to analysis process. In this case, often the data
collected are stored and archived for a specific purpose, and used for analysis within a
project with specific content. great analytical bbilities , mainly in statistical and modeling
applications.

The purpose of the analytical system in GIS is building a clear understanding on relations
between spatial position and geographical phenomenon. Its functionality related to
urban modeling enables: - zoning of urban space, based on the function and territorial
linkages , infrastructure linkages, environmental linkages, etc.

- classification of urban space, based on the type of strategies to be followed today and
in the future (emergency intervention strategies, assessment strategies , protection and
regeneration strategies, etc).

- building a functional structural scenario, determining the exact size of the buildings and
facilities services in the future, as well as defining the environmental and infrastructure
connecting structures, etc.
Applications of GIS in Regional Planning Case
Study of Taluka Mawal, Pune

STUDY AREA

The study area is located in the Mawal taluka of Pune District, Maharashtra. The taluka
covers 1131.35 sq. km and includes 187 villages, forming part of the Pune Metropolitan
Region. Mawal has strong regional connectivity through NH-4 and the Mumbai–Pune
Expressway. A major portion of the taluka falls within the Western Ghats, a globally
recognized biodiversity hotspot.

As part of one of India’s largest metropolitan areas, the region is experiencing rapid
growth, exceeding the state’s average urbanization rate. The area displays a mixed
urban–rural character, with two developed towns surrounded by rural settlements.
Continuous expansion of urban boundaries has increased pressure on land and natural
resources. Observations indicate that development in many parts of the taluka has been
spontaneous and largely uncontrolled.
ANALYSIS

In the past few years, a significant amount of research has been conducted for finding
the suitability of a site for various purposes. Various techniques can be employed in the
process. In this study, ArcGIS software was used to analyze different thematic layers for
finding suitable areas. For each scenario, we assigned different growth factors - weights
to the criterion. For example we favored grid cells (land parcels) near transit and existing
settlements i.e. existing highway corridors and current settlements which would be
beneficial if developed as a part of the regional plan, and we assigned negative growth
factor i.e. low weight to the grid cells (land parcels) near to the protected forest areas and
water resources. The two scenarios are not inherently good or bad. Each has its
advantages and disadvantages. These scenarios can guide the decision makers when
confronted by actual events. Detail parametres used for scenario 2 has been given in
Figure 3.

In this case study, two scenarios were visualized for Taluka Mawal with the assignment
of slightly different weights to the parameters involved. As in this case, GIS could help
urban planners to visualize alternative scenarios to compare outcomes. Scenario
Planning thus could become a part of the great endeavor of the regional planning process.
Based on the suitability analysis the region could be divided into zones from low
suitability to highest suitability. These suitability regions can help the decision makers in
demarcating various development zones while preparing the regional plans.
CONCLUSION

It is not an easy task to predict a single future for a region this vast and complex.
Predicting a single future would also limit the ability of different government authorities
to contrast and compare the costs of different policy choices for the region. Thus, various
scenarios would be appropriate if built with a diverse set of underlying assumptions for
planning a region of this size. Many other parameters can be involved in suitability
analysis in addition to the parameters mentioned above. If the land suitable for
development is delineated before suggesting any changes at the regional level, the
regional planning process will become more efficient. In this kind of process, it could be
made confident that all the necessary factors are taken into consideration by the
involvement of various government authorities, and the conflicts that would arise later in
the process could be reduced significantly. Evolving appropriate measures to conduct
site suitability analysis could be thought of as a prerequisite to undertaking zone
demarcation in the regional planning process.

The Decision Support System mentioned in the study will be utilizing ArcGIS framework
which facilitates collaboration among parties of different expertise, experiences, and
interests. Using the web-based DSS, government authorities responsible for the planning
of a region collaboratively will be able to visualize the current state of environments as
well as impacts of urbanization presented with various scenarios. This DSS will empower
the government to move forward to make resilient policies, plans, and design decisions
for the region. If successful, the DSS can probably be adapted for other metropolitan
regions in a similar situation. Unlike the earlier planners, the planners today have access
to more data, more analytic tools, and more mapping platforms than ever before. Thus,
various authorities should employ these tools and methods to make the process of urban
and regional planning more efficient.
REFERENCES

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[5] Government of Maharashtra, District Census Handbook – Pune (Census of India

[6] Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Regional Plan for Pune
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[7] Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), Land Use and Land
Cover Mapping for Maharashtra State. Nagpur: MRSAC, 2015.

[8] National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), NH-4 and Mumbai–Pune Expressway
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[10] ESRI, GIS for Urban and Regional Planning. Redlands, CA, USA: ESRI Press, 2018.

[11] A. G. O. Yeh, “Urban planning and GIS,” in International Encyclopedia of Human

[12] UNESCO, Western Ghats: World Heritage Sites Listing. UNESCO World Heritage
Centre, 2012.