As cities across India grapple with rapid urbanisation, climate challenges, and rising infrastructure demands, Ahmedabad’s integrated approach offers a compelling model for sustainable urban development. In an exclusive conversation with Dr. Asawari Savant & Elma Fatina of Elets News Network (ENN), Shri Banchhanidhi Pani, IAS, Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, and MD, Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL), shares transformative initiatives, including the Sabarmati Riverfront and data-driven governance. Ahmedabad is demonstrating how innovation, resilience, and citizen-centric planning can shape the future of urban India.
The Sabarmati Riverfront has evolved from an urban rejuvenation project into a catalyst for economic activity, tourism, public spaces, and climate resilience. What are the next frontiers of development for the riverfront, and how do you envision its role in shaping Ahmedabad’s future?
The Sabarmati Riverfront has successfully transformed Ahmedabad’s relationship with its river by creating a vibrant public realm, enhancing environmental quality, and generating significant socio-economic value. The next phase of development focuses on expanding this vision beyond a waterfront destination into a comprehensive urban growth corridor.
Phase I established 11.25 kilometres of continuous promenades on both banks, reclaimed over 200 hectares of land, and created a network of parks, event spaces, cultural venues, and public amenities. Building on this success, Phase II is extending development from Vasna Barrage to Indira Bridge, introducing stepped green promenades, enhanced road connectivity, children’s play areas, food plazas, amphitheatres, and additional recreational spaces.
Looking ahead, our priorities include strengthening the riverfront as a centre for culture, tourism, sports, and business. Planned developments such as an international convention and exhibition centre, hospitality infrastructure, upgraded public spaces, and a feasibility study for water-based mobility solutions will reinforce Ahmedabad’s position as a global urban destination.
Equally important is our commitment to ecological stewardship. We are expanding biodiversity zones, increasing native tree cover through urban forestry initiatives, enhancing river-edge resilience, and integrating climate-responsive design into all future developments.
Our long-term vision is to position the Sabarmati Riverfront as a model of sustainable urban regeneration, one that seamlessly integrates economic development, environmental restoration, public accessibility, and cultural identity. It will continue to shape Ahmedabad’s evolution as a liveable, resilient, and globally competitive city.
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Ahmedabad is among India’s fastest-growing metropolitan regions, with increasing emphasis on transit-oriented development, integrated mobility, and sustainable urban infrastructure. How is the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation aligning its long-term planning strategy with these evolving urban priorities?
Ahmedabad’s growth strategy is centred on creating a connected, inclusive, and sustainable metropolitan ecosystem. Our approach integrates land use planning with mobility infrastructure through transit-oriented development principles. We are strengthening multimodal connectivity by aligning urban development with the Metro network, the Janmarg BRTS system, major arterial roads, pedestrian infrastructure, and cycling corridors.
The Sabarmati Riverfront itself serves as a critical mobility spine, improving north-south connectivity while integrating wide footpaths, dedicated cycle tracks, and enhanced access routes that connect surrounding neighbourhoods. Technology is playing a central role in our planning processes. We are increasingly leveraging digital platforms, data analytics, and smart infrastructure to optimise traffic management, improve service delivery, and enable evidence-based decision-making.
Our recent initiatives include AI-enabled parking management systems, smart traffic solutions, digital governance platforms, and investments in climate-resilient infrastructure. Significant allocations in the 2026-27 budget focus on elevated corridors, railway overbridges, road widening projects, and sustainable urban infrastructure. The objective is not simply to build more infrastructure, but to create an integrated urban ecosystem that prioritises accessibility, sustainability, and quality of life while preparing Ahmedabad for future growth and global opportunities.
The city has emerged as a leader in leveraging technology for municipal governance. Could you share how data-driven decision-making, digital platforms, and smart city initiatives are improving service delivery and enhancing the quality of life for citizens?
Ahmedabad’s approach to smart governance is centred on using technology not as an end in itself, but as a tool to deliver more efficient, transparent, and citizen-centric services. Under the Smart City framework, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has developed a robust digital ecosystem that integrates data, infrastructure, and public services. The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) enables real-time monitoring and coordinated management of key urban functions, including traffic operations, public safety, solid waste management, emergency response, and environmental conditions. Data-driven decision-making is helping the city optimise resource allocation, improve service delivery, and respond more effectively to citizens’ needs. Advanced analytics and digital dashboards support evidence-based planning, while GIS-based mapping tools enhance infrastructure management and urban planning.
AMC has significantly expanded its digital service platforms, enabling citizens to access a wide range of municipal services online, including property tax payments, grievance redressal, birth and death certificates, building permissions, trade licences, and utility-related services. This has improved convenience, reduced processing times, and enhanced transparency. The city is also adopting emerging technologies such as AI-enabled parking management systems, intelligent traffic management solutions, smart surveillance networks, and sensor-based monitoring to improve urban mobility and operational efficiency.
At the Sabarmati Riverfront, technology-driven systems support crowd management, security, maintenance, and event coordination, ensuring a safe and seamless experience for millions of visitors annually. Our vision is to build a connected and responsive urban ecosystem where technology empowers better governance, improves quality of life, and creates a more inclusive and resilient city for all citizens.
As climate change intensifies, cities are rethinking urban resilience. What measures are being undertaken by AMC and SRFDCL to strengthen water management, expand green infrastructure, and create more climate-resilient public spaces?
Climate resilience is a central pillar of Ahmedabad’s long-term urban development strategy. Recognising the increasing risks posed by extreme weather events, heat stress, water scarcity, and urban flooding, AMC and SRFDCL are integrating sustainability and resilience into every stage of planning and infrastructure development.
The Sabarmati Riverfront project itself was conceived as a comprehensive urban renewal initiative that combines flood management, environmental improvement, and public space creation. The riverfront’s retaining walls and embankments have enhanced flood protection, while interceptor sewer systems prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river, contributing significantly to improved water quality. The ongoing expansion of the riverfront under Phase II incorporates climate-responsive design principles, including extensive green corridors, native landscaping, shaded pedestrian spaces, and enhanced biodiversity zones that support urban cooling and ecological restoration. AMC is also undertaking large-scale urban greening initiatives through the development of parks, urban forests, Miyawaki plantations, lake rejuvenation projects, and green mobility corridors. These interventions help mitigate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and strengthen ecological resilience.
Water management remains a key priority. The city is investing in stormwater infrastructure, waterbody restoration, rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment and reuse, and integrated water resource management systems to improve long-term water security. Public spaces are increasingly being designed as multifunctional assets that support recreation, environmental sustainability, and disaster resilience. By integrating green infrastructure with urban development, Ahmedabad is creating a healthier, more liveable, and climate-resilient future.
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The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference highlights the importance of regional collaboration and balanced urban development. How can Ahmedabad’s experience in urban regeneration and public infrastructure planning serve as a model for emerging cities across Central Gujarat?
Ahmedabad’s transformation demonstrates that urban regeneration is most successful when it combines long-term vision, institutional innovation, financial sustainability, and citizen-centric planning. The Sabarmati Riverfront is a powerful example of how integrated planning can simultaneously address environmental challenges, improve public infrastructure, generate economic value, and enhance quality of life. The project illustrates how cities can reclaim underutilised spaces, strengthen environmental resilience, and create vibrant public assets that benefit all sections of society.
One of the key lessons from Ahmedabad’s experience is the importance of adopting a holistic approach that aligns land use planning, mobility, environmental management, and economic development. Equally important is the use of innovative financing mechanisms, such as land value capture, which can help cities develop high-quality infrastructure while ensuring long-term financial viability. Ahmedabad’s experience also highlights the value of dedicated institutional frameworks, including special purpose vehicles such as SRFDCL, which enable focused implementation, efficient coordination, and accelerated project delivery. For emerging cities across Central Gujarat, this model can be adapted to local contexts in areas such as waterfront development, public space enhancement, integrated mobility, waste management, and digital governance.
Through platforms like the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, cities can exchange best practices, foster regional partnerships, and create collaborative solutions that promote balanced, sustainable, and inclusive urban growth across the region.
With Central Gujarat witnessing rapid industrial and urban expansion, what opportunities do you see for public-private partnerships in areas such as urban mobility, waterfront development, waste management, and smart city solutions through platforms like the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference?
As Central Gujarat continues to emerge as a major industrial and economic hub, public-private partnerships will play a critical role in accelerating the development of future-ready urban infrastructure. The scale and complexity of urban challenges require collaborative models that leverage the strengths of both the public and private sectors. Government institutions provide strategic vision, policy support, and regulatory frameworks, while private partners contribute innovation, technology, operational expertise, and investment.
Significant opportunities exist across urban mobility, including multimodal transit systems, intelligent transport solutions, electric vehicle infrastructure, smart parking, and integrated mobility platforms.
Waterfront development presents another promising area for collaboration. Projects related to tourism infrastructure, hospitality, cultural destinations, recreational amenities, event spaces, and water-based transport services can create new economic opportunities while enhancing urban liveability.
In the area of waste management, partnerships can drive innovation in waste segregation, recycling, waste-to-energy solutions, circular economy initiatives, and resource recovery systems.
Smart city solutions offer immense potential through digital governance platforms, AI-enabled urban management systems, IoT-based monitoring, data analytics, environmental sensing, and integrated command and control technologies.
The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference provides an ideal platform to bring together governments, industry leaders, technology providers, investors, and urban experts to identify opportunities, share successful models, and develop scalable partnerships that support sustainable growth across Central Gujarat.