AHMEDABAD: The city has effectively utilized transferable development rights (TDR) for initiatives ranging from slum redevelopment to heritage restoration, positioning itself as one of India’s most vibrant TDR markets. By 2025, Ahmedabad is set to absorb 95% of its total TDR — Rs 2,561 crore out of Rs 2,778 crore.
TDR allows the transfer and sale of unused development potential from one property to another. This information was shared during a conference on ‘Global Best Practices in City Densification through Innovative Planning Tools and Techniques’ by Cept University professor and member of the Gujarat Housing and Labour Welfare Board, Sejal Patel, along with researcher Anushka Chokshi, on Saturday.
N K Patel, national president of ITPI, highlighted the urgent need for compact urban development in India, noting limited land availability. He explained, “India has less than 1 acre of land per citizen, while China has 2.5 times more. Urban land is even scarcer, with over 50 Indian cities having populations exceeding 1 million.”
The city’s standout achievement has been its In-situ Slum Redevelopment Policy of 2013. Of the TDR issued worth Rs 1,525 crore, utilization has reached Rs 1,761 crore, enabling 33 projects across 7.2 hectares and providing homes for 23,704 families. Professor Patel stated, “Approximately 72% of Ahmedabad’s TDR demand is in west Ahmedabad, especially in residential zones R1, R2, and R3, where developers often purchase TDR after reaching the chargeable floor space index (FSI).”
Alongside TDR-led projects, Ahmedabad has seen 178 private housing redevelopment projects, valued at Rs 3,509 crore, resulting in 10,909 new housing units over 35.2 hectares. “However, these projects face delays due to disagreements among residents, protracted approvals, and the absence of standardized processes,” the research noted. TDR has also facilitated heritage restoration, having issued Rs 17 crore worth of rights, with Rs 16 crore absorbed to help repair and restore 74 heritage houses, according to Sejal Patel.
“For India to evolve into a $10 trillion economy, dynamic and efficient cities are essential,” said CEPT University president Barjor Mehta, citing Ahmedabad’s experience as a potential model for other cities.
Looking ahead, Sejal Patel and Anushka Chokshi indicated that Ahmedabad has only tapped into a small portion of its overall TDR potential. The city can absorb TDR amounting to Rs 17,045 crore across 25 sq km, yet ongoing projects only account for Rs 2,236 crore (13%). The remaining 87% could be unlocked via innovative approaches like ‘Green TDR’ and inter-city transfers with Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot. These strategies could attract Rs 2.46 lakh crore in private investment over 6,644 hectares of underused land, Sejal explained.
