NCRTC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Center of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (SPA-Delhi), to strengthen planning and implementation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones across all Namo Bharat corridors in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Shalabh Goel, Managing Director, NCRTC, and Prof. Dr. V.K. Paul, Director, SPA Delhi. This collaboration brings together NCRTC’s vision of balanced growth & sustainable regional mobility and SPA- Delhi’s academic and technical expertise in urban planning and design to promote integrated land use and transport planning along Namo Bharat corridors.
The partnership aims to ensure that areas around corridors and stations develop in a planned, sustainable, and commuter-friendly manner. TOD is a policy framework that promotes high-density, compact, mixed-use development around transit hubs. It fosters pedestrian-friendly, vibrant and inclusive communities by integrating land use and transport planning. The approach enhances public transport accessibility, reduces reliance on private vehicles and creates walkable, liveable urban spaces.
For Namo Bharat commuters and residents living along the corridors, such planning will translate into more than just faster travel, it will shape the everyday experience of journeys and the neighbourhoods they live and move through. Well-planned TOD zones can enable safer pedestrian access to stations, better last-mile connectivity, accessible public spaces, and essential services located closer to transit hubs. As homes, workplaces, and social spaces develop around reliable public transport, daily travel becomes more predictable and less stressful, helping people save time and improving overall quality of life.
Through this initiative, NCRTC and SPA Delhi will work towards improving land use efficiency, supporting evidence-based public investments, and enabling mechanisms such as land value capture to enhance the financial sustainability of infrastructure projects. The collaboration aligns with the broader strategy of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to promote TOD along mass transit corridors.
A six-point coordination framework has been defined to guide planning; including identification of TOD corridors, notification of influence zones, preparation of local area plans, land and asset inventorization, visualization of development possibilities, and policy support measures. As a designated Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design under the MoHUA initiative, SPA Delhi will also act as a knowledge partner to NCRTC.
The institute will provide academic, technical, and strategic support through surveys, spatial analysis, stakeholder consultations, and preparation of planning and policy recommendations. All activities under the MoU will be taken up as per project requirements and in coordination with state governments and concerned authorities.
As additional Namo Bharat corridors are sanctioned, the scope of collaboration would be expanded accordingly. Namo Bharat, India’s first high-speed, high-frequency regional transit system, connects major metropolitan areas in the National Capital Region. Integrating this semi-high-speed corridor with Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones yields significant benefits.
The first Namo Bharat corridor between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut is one of the first mass rapid transit systems in India to incorporate provisions for implementation of TOD and VCF right from the DPR stage of the project. The other two priority Namo Bharat corridors of Phase 1, i.e. Delhi-Gurugram-Bawal and Delhi-Panipat-Karnal are expected to be approved soon for implementation.
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