A research team from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has developed an advanced predictive model to assess land cover changes in India’s Round-1 Smart Cities using Cellular Automata (CA) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The study- published in Discover Cities- has examined urban expansion in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, and Surat over the past two decades, offering forecasts of growth patterns through 2031. It also highlighted the rapid pace of urbanisation and underscored the critical need for data-driven planning to guide sustainable growth.
The director of IIT Roorkee, Prof Kamal Kishore Pant stressed the significance of the research, stating that sustainable urban planning was vital for India’s rapidly expanding cities.
