About Department
About Department
Embedded Files
The overriding goal of environmental planning is to balance human needs with the environment's dynamic properties. The pace of growth witnessed in the past few decades has caused collateral damage to our environment. Environmental problems persist due to poor environmental planning and management. Therefore, development that does not threaten the environment is the global agenda these days.
This approach requires well-qualified professionals who can plan and manage not only upcoming development projects in an environmentally friendly way but also shape the existing built environment to improve the quality of life. The course content of this programme would enable students to understand the practicality and suitability of the proposed interventions for mitigating environmental concerns.
The course builds a comprehensive understanding of environmental planning and management through subjects such as Environmental Economics, EIA and Environmental Monitoring, policies and legislation, resilient and green infrastructure, and natural resource management, etc. Spanning four semesters, it integrates theory with live case studies, emphasizing practical, sustainable solutions. The programme culminates in a thesis and is supported by advanced GIS labs, research projects, workshops, and knowledge exchange initiatives.
About the Programme
About the Programme
Master of Planning (Environmental Planning)
1. Vision
1. Vision
Knowledge Development and Brokering for Environmental Education and Governance to Enrich Spatial Planning.
2. The Programme
2. The Programme
The Master of Environmental Planning Degree programme is offered for a duration of two years and consisting of four academic semesters at School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal.
3. Preamble
3. Preamble
Given the growing importance of environmental planning and the consequent demand for environmental planners, the course is designed so as to equip the students with necessary knowledge and skills. The course endeavor to develop an understanding of various aspects of environmental planning and management by introducing an array of subjects, namely, environmental economics, environmental monitoring, environmental policies and legislation, environmental impact assessment, natural resource management, biodiversity, climate changes, etc. With the first semester building a foundation, the curriculum is spread across four semesters with each having a studio exercise. The program is supported by well-equipped GIS and computer labs for carrying out spatial and non-spatial analyses. The students also join research projects, workshops, competitions and other knowledge exchange programmes to enlarge their domain of experience and learning.
The inter-disciplinary approach is employed, and subjects are distributed based on domains of knowledge, skill and application each semester. The subjects offered in this curriculum are broadly from the field of Environmental planning, sciences and law. They are offered as three categories across four semesters as i) Compulsory Core subjects, ii) Specialization subjects and iii) Common Electives subjects.
i. Compulsory Core subjects, cover the common and necessary areas of all the environmental streams and approaches. Their credits must be earned by all the students to obtain the degree.
ii. Specialization subjects: The specialization group will allow the learner to explore the subjectivity as the subjects help students to gain knowledge about the specific environmental aspects in early semesters.
iii. Common Elective subjects, are the ones, where students have the option to choose any two/three/four subjects from the pool offered covering a wide area of interest and contemporary needs. Common elective subjects are flexible in nature and offers a bridge between the emerging needs and learner’s own limitations. Experts will be regularly invited to offer new common elective subjects as per availability under the scope of ‘Open Subjects’.
Students' Works
Studio Site Visits
Climate-Resilient Spatial Development Plan: Gram Panchayat Perspectives from Madhya Pradesh - 2035
Climate-Resilient Spatial Development Plan: Gram Panchayat Perspectives from Madhya Pradesh - 2035
The Climate Resilient Development Studio was a semester-long immersive exercise aimed at preparing the Climate Resilient Spatial Development Plan (CRSDP–2035) for flood- and water-stress–prone districts of Alirajpur District and Chhatarpur District. These regions face recurring droughts, erratic rainfall, seasonal flooding, and groundwater depletion, significantly affecting rural livelihoods and ecological balance.
The studio covered 13 Gram Panchayats, including Machhaliya, Fata, Soliya, Kakrana, Jhandana, Gulwat, and Sakarja in Alirajpur District and Barkoha, Lugasi, Pahdgaon, Panotha, Sahaniya, and Churwari Gram Panchayats in Chhatarpur District. Each student was assigned one Gram Panchayat and undertook detailed primary surveys to examine ground realities through household questionnaires, transect walks, participatory mapping, stakeholder consultations, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). These engagements ensured that every village development plan was grounded in community perspectives, with special attention to women, children, and vulnerable groups.
The technical framework integrated GIS-based Land Use Land Cover (LULC) mapping using Sentinel imagery, NDVI and NDWI analysis, DEM-based slope and watershed delineation, groundwater trend assessment, settlement hierarchy analysis using the centrality index, and Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA).
Based on village-specific challenges, tailored proposals were developed using a ridge-to-valley planning approach. Interventions included decentralized water harvesting structures, groundwater recharge systems, greywater management, climate-resilient agriculture, agroforestry, and infrastructure gap mapping with scheme convergence. The plans also explored eco-tourism potential, forest-based livelihoods, and value addition to local resources to diversify income streams and strengthen long-term climate-resilient rural economies.
Climate and Water Centric Development Plan for Rewa City – 2050
Climate and Water Centric Development Plan for Rewa City – 2050
The Climate and Water–Centric Development Plan (CWCDP–2050) for Rewa City was undertaken as studio exercise integrating field-based inquiry, spatial analysis, and implementation-oriented planning. The work involved extensive primary surveys, ward-level ground truthing (Wards 4, 15, 39, and 42), stakeholder consultations with municipal authorities, the Mayor, the Maharaja of Rewa, and UNICEF representatives, and detailed mapping of hydrological systems, water bodies, green cover, drainage networks, flood lines, wastewater infrastructure, and solid waste management systems. Through hydrological, ecological, and infrastructure assessments, critical urban challenges such as recurrent flooding, river and lake encroachments, declining blue - green assets, sewage discharge, and infrastructure gaps were systematically identified.
The studio culminated in the formulation of integrated city-level and ward-level strategies, including riparian buffer development, lake restoration frameworks, decentralized wastewater treatment through Phytorid systems, and inclusive neighbourhood park models. Select interventions were further developed to DPR - level detail, incorporating feasibility considerations and cost–benefit perspectives. The exercise strengthened analytical rigor, interdisciplinary integration, and the ability to translate climate resilience and water-sensitive planning principles into actionable urban strategies.
Workshops, Training Programmes & Expert Lectures
A two-day workshop titled ‘Blue-Green Nature Based Solutions for Climate-Resilient Rewa’ conducted on April 8–9, 2025. The event was organized with the support of UNICEF and GIZ India, aiming to explore the potential of Blue-Green Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in enhancing climate resilience in Rewa District, Madhya Pradesh.
The one - day workshop on “Climate and Water Resilient Development” conducted on October 14, 2025. The event was organized with the support of UNICEF and in collaboration with NIUA highlighting concepts like River-Centric Urban Development, Risk Assessment in Climate and Water Resilient Development & Innovative Approaches for Urban Resilience
On October 9, 2025, a delegation from UNICEF India and UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, led by Mr.Paulos Workneh (Chief of WASH & CCES), visited School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal for an academic interaction, where students presented their work on Rewa covering a review of fieldwork, key issues and detailed analyses of water bodies, green cover, water supply systems, flood levels, and related urban challenges.
On August 4, 2025 students presented the work carried out in Rewa at the district level, providing an overview of the analyses, findings, and planning insights developed during the earlier phase of the studio exercise. Later, on August 8, 2025, students presented their findings to the officials of the Municipal Corporation, highlighting the key issues identified across Rewa city to acquire constructive feedback on observations and analyses presented.
A training program was conducted in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) from 17–21 March 2025, where students gained hands-on experience in surface water sampling techniques, use of field and laboratory instruments, proper sample preservation methods, and analysis of key water quality parameters such as BOD, COD, turbidity, and pH.
An expert lecture on 9 October 2025 was conducted as part of the curriculum for the elective course “Natural Resource Management,” wherein Dr. Anita Varghese, Director, Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, shared her extensive experience on biodiversity conservation and community-based natural resource management strategies.
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