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Microtown Rurbanism - An alternate urban strategy for India's developmental needs

Microtown Rurbanism proposes an alternative urban strategy for India’s rapid urbanization by decentralizing growth and fostering networks of micro townships. Inspired by Bangalore’s IT-driven development, the project envisions small-scale, high-density settlements in migration-prone regions like Uttar Pradesh. These micro towns are proposed to serve as seeds for organic urban growth, building local capacity through live-work housing, commercial hubs, and skill development centers - addressing one of India’s key developmental challenges. By providing flexibility, and enabling economic mobility and incremental housing expansion, they create a framework for long-term community resilience and sustained regional growth.

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Work Title Microtown Rurbanism - An alternate urban strategy for India's developmental needs
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Subham Malpani
License CC BY 4.0 (Attribution)
Work Type Capstone Project
Acknowledgments
  1. DK Osseo Asare
Publication Date May 4, 2023
Deposited May 04, 2023

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Version 1
published

  • Created

    May 04, 2023 19:55 by szm6474

  • Updated

    May 04, 2023 19:55 by [unknown user]

  • Updated Acknowledgments Show Changes

    May 04, 2023 19:55 by szm6474

    Acknowledgments
    • DK Osseo Asare
  • Added Creator Subham Malpani

    May 04, 2023 19:55 by szm6474

  • Added Capstone book.pdf

    May 04, 2023 19:56 by szm6474

  • Updated License Show Changes

    May 04, 2023 19:56 by szm6474

    License
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/
  • Published

    May 04, 2023 19:56 by szm6474

  • Updated

    April 04, 2024 10:22 by [unknown user]

Version 2
published

  • Created

    May 26, 2023 16:03 by szm6474

  • Updated License Show Changes

    May 26, 2023 16:05 by szm6474

    License
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Published

    May 26, 2023 16:05 by szm6474

  • Updated Description Show Changes

    May 30, 2023 14:15 by avs5190

    Description
    • Microtown Rurbanism - An alternate urban strategy for India's developmental needs
    • My thesis was looking at rapid urbanization. The scaled map shows how massive populations in South Asia, China, and African countries are projected to move into cities. In India alone, 400 million people are set to move into cities in the next 30 years. A lot of this urbanization is informal urbanization.
    • I looked at migration patterns within India. Some of the poorer states like UP and Bihar send out both circular and permanent migrants, mostly to megacities like Mumbai, where more than half the population lives in slums.
    • As a potential strategy, I drew inspiration from Bangalore’s growth as a city. While growth in other megacities in India slowed down, growth in Bangalore picked up thanks to the city capitalizing on the IT Boom. Bangalore’s population growth picked up during the IT boom, thanks to outsourced work from the US. The question I gave myself was, what the US did to Bangalore, could urban India do that for rural India, which was also the headline of an article in this newspaper
    • The pandemic showed us even bigger possibilities for remote work and outsourcing. I looked at how the WFH revolution could inform urbanism and housing. With this image, I am proposing a micro township model as an alternative to India’s megacity model.
    • An important precedent for such urbanism was the settlement typology of the Kibbutz in Israel. Kibbutz were settlements created by persecuted Jews fleeing from Europe, and they settled the lands in this urban typology. At its peak, 40% of the population of Israel lived in either Kibbutz or Moshav, another variation of the Kibbutz, speaks for its success. Their reasons however were different, they needed a model to settle this foreign land and also looked for a sense of community.
    • I was looking at the state of UP, the state that sends out the most migrants. I chose my site in a district that has relatively higher levels of education. Within this district, I looked for a site close to a major highway with access to water. This demography analysis shows how the education rates in the nearby villages are upwards of 70%.
    • This visual survey from google street view shows the rural architectural typology around. A lot of brick, wood, bamboo, clay tiles, straw, etc. are used.
    • Just to mention the climate data. The temperature ranges are comparable to Pheonix Arizona, but its wet heat, the annual rainfall is comparable to that of State College, but UP gets all that rainfall in mostly 3 months of monsoon
    • This was my program study for my micro town, and factors like the household size of the migrants move in, the type of work they go for, and how many move for work vs how many for education, are
    • listed here, and these determine the program and areas of my micro town. Something important to note here is that only 15% of migrants move for work that could be outsourced, but if the surrounding villages have education rates of aroun d 80%, I am proposing a skill development center as an important part of my micro town, where they can upskill and do more productive work. Meanwhile, the micro town provides opportunities for all kinds of work.
    • Coming to my site analysis, my site has connectivity to a major road and a river in the south. I located the commercial activities of the micro town facing the road, to attract business and development. The mixed-use live-work housing is adjacent to these commercial activities, and the farm areas are next to the river. The low area on the site, shown here in this flood map, presents an opportunity for rainwater harvesting and also creating a microclimate, so this area is proposed as a pond. The roads are laid out going either with the contour or against the contour, to assist with surface runoff.
    • This is the developed urban plan. I’m using a simple grid system so that it is replicable as a model elsewhere. The density I am achieving in this micro town is 24,000 people per sq mile, which is much higher than a rural center and much lower than Mumbai in general or some of the informal settlements these migrants would otherwise move into.
    • The housing is the building block of this micro town. The ground floor is a flexible shareable and rentable space for various types of businesses. It has a basic FOH and BOH space for various businesses, and the ground floor’s flexibility is demonstrated in this urban tissue plan. The upper stories are incremental in nature, and a family could buy a house with just 2 floors, and build the rest themselves. In a city, they would have to buy or rent a house that is expensive because of land prices and get a loan when their family expands, and the loans again are expensive. These are the various roles of the family members I’ve kept in mind while designing the housing. The wall sections demonstrate materials I have used to create the rurban identity in the street. The bamboo framing for a light roof helps with incrementality and creates a double roof system as a passive design measure.
    • This is a street plan and a neighborhood plan. There is a hierarchy of streets and vehicular roads in the neighborhood which helps with density, and also aids in having commerce and activity in the street. Any member of the family could be using the ground floor whereas other members could be helping in the same place or working elsewhere in the micro town. The clustering concept was to create these collective courtyards which are owned by the micro town, and the courtyards help with the wet areas of the house, the toilets, utility, and laundry have access to sun and light.
  • Updated

    April 04, 2024 10:22 by [unknown user]

Version 3
published

  • Created

    May 30, 2023 15:38 by szm6474

  • Updated Description Show Changes

    May 30, 2023 15:40 by szm6474

    Description
    • My thesis was looking at rapid urbanization. The scaled map shows how massive populations in South Asia, China, and African countries are projected to move into cities. In India alone, 400 million people are set to move into cities in the next 30 years. A lot of this urbanization is informal urbanization.
    • This thesis was looking at rapid urbanization. The scaled map shows how massive populations in South Asia, China, and African countries are projected to move into cities. In India alone, 400 million people are set to move into cities in the next 30 years. A lot of this urbanization is informal urbanization.
    • I looked at migration patterns within India. Some of the poorer states like UP and Bihar send out both circular and permanent migrants, mostly to megacities like Mumbai, where more than half the population lives in slums.
    • As a potential strategy, I drew inspiration from Bangalore’s growth as a city. While growth in other megacities in India slowed down, growth in Bangalore picked up thanks to the city capitalizing on the IT Boom. Bangalore’s population growth picked up during the IT boom, thanks to outsourced work from the US. The question I gave myself was, what the US did to Bangalore, could urban India do that for rural India, which was also the headline of an article in this newspaper
    • The pandemic showed us even bigger possibilities for remote work and outsourcing. I looked at how the WFH revolution could inform urbanism and housing. With this image, I am proposing a micro township model as an alternative to India’s megacity model.
    • An important precedent for such urbanism was the settlement typology of the Kibbutz in Israel. Kibbutz were settlements created by persecuted Jews fleeing from Europe, and they settled the lands in this urban typology. At its peak, 40% of the population of Israel lived in either Kibbutz or Moshav, another variation of the Kibbutz, speaks for its success. Their reasons however were different, they needed a model to settle this foreign land and also looked for a sense of community.
    • I was looking at the state of UP, the state that sends out the most migrants. I chose my site in a district that has relatively higher levels of education. Within this district, I looked for a site close to a major highway with access to water. This demography analysis shows how the education rates in the nearby villages are upwards of 70%.
    • This visual survey from google street view shows the rural architectural typology around. A lot of brick, wood, bamboo, clay tiles, straw, etc. are used.
    • The visual survey from google street view shows the rural architectural typology around. A lot of brick, wood, bamboo, clay tiles, straw, etc. are used.
    • Just to mention the climate data. The temperature ranges are comparable to Pheonix Arizona, but its wet heat, the annual rainfall is comparable to that of State College, but UP gets all that rainfall in mostly 3 months of monsoon
    • This was my program study for my micro town, and factors like the household size of the migrants move in, the type of work they go for, and how many move for work vs how many for education, are
    • listed here, and these determine the program and areas of my micro town. Something important to note here is that only 15% of migrants move for work that could be outsourced, but if the surrounding villages have education rates of aroun d 80%, I am proposing a skill development center as an important part of my micro town, where they can upskill and do more productive work. Meanwhile, the micro town provides opportunities for all kinds of work.
    • The program study of my micro town factored in migrational statistics like the household size of the migrants moving in, the type of work they go for, and how many move for work vs how many for education. Something important to note here is that only 15% of migrants move for work that could be outsourced, but if the surrounding villages have education rates of around 80%, I am proposing a skill development center as an important part of my micro town, where they can upskill and do more productive work. Meanwhile, the micro town provides opportunities for all kinds of work.
    • Coming to my site analysis, my site has connectivity to a major road and a river in the south. I located the commercial activities of the micro town facing the road, to attract business and development. The mixed-use live-work housing is adjacent to these commercial activities, and the farm areas are next to the river. The low area on the site, shown here in this flood map, presents an opportunity for rainwater harvesting and also creating a microclimate, so this area is proposed as a pond. The roads are laid out going either with the contour or against the contour, to assist with surface runoff.
    • This is the developed urban plan. I’m using a simple grid system so that it is replicable as a model elsewhere. The density I am achieving in this micro town is 24,000 people per sq mile, which is much higher than a rural center and much lower than Mumbai in general or some of the informal settlements these migrants would otherwise move into.
    • In the developed (R)urban plan, I’m using a simple grid system to replicate it as a model elsewhere. The density I am achieving in this micro town is 24,000 people per sq mile, which is much higher than a rural center and much lower than Mumbai in general or some of the informal settlements these migrants would otherwise move into.
    • The housing is the building block of this micro town. The ground floor is a flexible shareable and rentable space for various types of businesses. It has a basic FOH and BOH space for various businesses, and the ground floor’s flexibility is demonstrated in this urban tissue plan. The upper stories are incremental in nature, and a family could buy a house with just 2 floors, and build the rest themselves. In a city, they would have to buy or rent a house that is expensive because of land prices and get a loan when their family expands, and the loans again are expensive. These are the various roles of the family members I’ve kept in mind while designing the housing. The wall sections demonstrate materials I have used to create the rurban identity in the street. The bamboo framing for a light roof helps with incrementality and creates a double roof system as a passive design measure.
    • This is a street plan and a neighborhood plan. There is a hierarchy of streets and vehicular roads in the neighborhood which helps with density, and also aids in having commerce and activity in the street. Any member of the family could be using the ground floor whereas other members could be helping in the same place or working elsewhere in the micro town. The clustering concept was to create these collective courtyards which are owned by the micro town, and the courtyards help with the wet areas of the house, the toilets, utility, and laundry have access to sun and light.
    • There is a hierarchy of streets and vehicular roads in the neighborhood which helps with density, and also aids in having commerce and activity in the street. Any member of the family could be using the ground floor whereas other members could be helping in the same place or working elsewhere in the micro town. The clustering concept was to create these collective courtyards which are owned by the micro town, and the courtyards help with the wet areas of the house, the toilets, utility, and laundry have access to sun and light.
  • Published

    May 30, 2023 15:41 by szm6474

  • Updated

    April 04, 2024 10:22 by [unknown user]

Version 4
published

  • Created

    March 26, 2025 11:19 by avs5190

  • Updated Description Show Changes

    March 26, 2025 11:20 by avs5190

    Description
    • This thesis was looking at rapid urbanization. The scaled map shows how massive populations in South Asia, China, and African countries are projected to move into cities. In India alone, 400 million people are set to move into cities in the next 30 years. A lot of this urbanization is informal urbanization.
    • I looked at migration patterns within India. Some of the poorer states like UP and Bihar send out both circular and permanent migrants, mostly to megacities like Mumbai, where more than half the population lives in slums.
    • As a potential strategy, I drew inspiration from Bangalore’s growth as a city. While growth in other megacities in India slowed down, growth in Bangalore picked up thanks to the city capitalizing on the IT Boom. Bangalore’s population growth picked up during the IT boom, thanks to outsourced work from the US. The question I gave myself was, what the US did to Bangalore, could urban India do that for rural India, which was also the headline of an article in this newspaper
    • The pandemic showed us even bigger possibilities for remote work and outsourcing. I looked at how the WFH revolution could inform urbanism and housing. With this image, I am proposing a micro township model as an alternative to India’s megacity model.
    • An important precedent for such urbanism was the settlement typology of the Kibbutz in Israel. Kibbutz were settlements created by persecuted Jews fleeing from Europe, and they settled the lands in this urban typology. At its peak, 40% of the population of Israel lived in either Kibbutz or Moshav, another variation of the Kibbutz, speaks for its success. Their reasons however were different, they needed a model to settle this foreign land and also looked for a sense of community.
    • I was looking at the state of UP, the state that sends out the most migrants. I chose my site in a district that has relatively higher levels of education. Within this district, I looked for a site close to a major highway with access to water. This demography analysis shows how the education rates in the nearby villages are upwards of 70%.
    • The visual survey from google street view shows the rural architectural typology around. A lot of brick, wood, bamboo, clay tiles, straw, etc. are used.
    • Just to mention the climate data. The temperature ranges are comparable to Pheonix Arizona, but its wet heat, the annual rainfall is comparable to that of State College, but UP gets all that rainfall in mostly 3 months of monsoon
    • The program study of my micro town factored in migrational statistics like the household size of the migrants moving in, the type of work they go for, and how many move for work vs how many for education. Something important to note here is that only 15% of migrants move for work that could be outsourced, but if the surrounding villages have education rates of around 80%, I am proposing a skill development center as an important part of my micro town, where they can upskill and do more productive work. Meanwhile, the micro town provides opportunities for all kinds of work.
    • Coming to my site analysis, my site has connectivity to a major road and a river in the south. I located the commercial activities of the micro town facing the road, to attract business and development. The mixed-use live-work housing is adjacent to these commercial activities, and the farm areas are next to the river. The low area on the site, shown here in this flood map, presents an opportunity for rainwater harvesting and also creating a microclimate, so this area is proposed as a pond. The roads are laid out going either with the contour or against the contour, to assist with surface runoff.
    • In the developed (R)urban plan, I’m using a simple grid system to replicate it as a model elsewhere. The density I am achieving in this micro town is 24,000 people per sq mile, which is much higher than a rural center and much lower than Mumbai in general or some of the informal settlements these migrants would otherwise move into.
    • The housing is the building block of this micro town. The ground floor is a flexible shareable and rentable space for various types of businesses. It has a basic FOH and BOH space for various businesses, and the ground floor’s flexibility is demonstrated in this urban tissue plan. The upper stories are incremental in nature, and a family could buy a house with just 2 floors, and build the rest themselves. In a city, they would have to buy or rent a house that is expensive because of land prices and get a loan when their family expands, and the loans again are expensive. These are the various roles of the family members I’ve kept in mind while designing the housing. The wall sections demonstrate materials I have used to create the rurban identity in the street. The bamboo framing for a light roof helps with incrementality and creates a double roof system as a passive design measure.
    • There is a hierarchy of streets and vehicular roads in the neighborhood which helps with density, and also aids in having commerce and activity in the street. Any member of the family could be using the ground floor whereas other members could be helping in the same place or working elsewhere in the micro town. The clustering concept was to create these collective courtyards which are owned by the micro town, and the courtyards help with the wet areas of the house, the toilets, utility, and laundry have access to sun and light.
    • Microtown Rurbanism proposes an alternative urban strategy for India’s
    • rapid urbanization by decentralizing growth and fostering networks of micro townships. Inspired by Bangalore’s IT-driven development, the project envisions small-scale, high-density settlements in migration-prone regions like Uttar Pradesh. These micro towns are proposed to serve as seeds for organic urban growth, building local capacity through live-work housing, commercial hubs, and skill development centers - addressing one of India’s key developmental challenges. By providing flexibility, and enabling economic mobility and incremental housing expansion, they create a framework for long-term community resilience and sustained regional growth.
  • Published

    March 26, 2025 11:20 by avs5190

  • Updated

    March 26, 2025 22:03 by [unknown user]