The city layout of Dholera was designed by an international planning firm called Halcrow, which later became part of CH2M Hill, along with guidance from the Gujarat government and DMIC authorities. It was not designed by one single person, but by a team of global urban planners and engineers working together.
Here is a simple breakdown so you understand clearly.
1. Main planning consultant
• The master planning work was done by Halcrow Group Limited, a UK based infrastructure consulting firm.
• Halcrow later became part of CH2M Hill, which is now under Jacobs Engineering Group.
• They were appointed as the master planning consultant for the Dholera Special Investment Region.
• Their job was to design the overall city structure from zero because this is a greenfield city.
When I first read the planning report years ago, I was surprised. It was not a small local architect. It was a global infrastructure company that has worked on airports, highways and smart cities worldwide.
2. Under which authority
• The project comes under Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority.
• It is also part of the larger Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.
• The Special Purpose Vehicle managing development is Dholera Industrial City Development Limited.
These government bodies gave direction. But the physical layout design and planning models were created by the consultant team.
3. What exactly they designed
• Road grid pattern
• Industrial zones
• Residential sectors
• Commercial business districts
• Underground utility corridors
• Water management and drainage system
• Smart ICT infrastructure plan
One thing I personally found impressive was the underground utility tunnel concept. Instead of digging roads again and again, they planned common utility ducts from the beginning. That shows long term thinking.
4. Planning concept
• The city follows a grid based structure.
• It is divided into town planning schemes.
• Activation Area was designed first so development can start in phases.
• Transit oriented planning was included from early stages.
The layout is very structured. Almost like drawing boxes on paper and organizing everything inside those boxes.
Some people think Dholera just randomly grew. That is not true. It was carefully mapped before any road was built.
5. Why international planners were hired
• This was India’s first major greenfield industrial smart city under DMIC.
• Government wanted global standards.
• Infrastructure scale is very large.
• Investment target is in billions of dollars.
From a real estate perspective, hiring Halcrow gave the project credibility. Investors feel more confident when international planners are involved.
I have studied many township projects across Gujarat. Most are designed by local consultants. Dholera is different because it was planned like a global industrial city, not just a housing colony.
Still, design on paper and execution on ground are two different things. Layout looks world class. Implementation takes time.
