Chennai: Chennai’s third master plan was developed by integrating more than 25 studies focusing on economic development, urban housing, transportation, environmental sustainability, and technology, said AIIMS additional director Anshul Mishra, who was earlier CMDA member- secretary.At the inauguration of the first international conference, Tamil Nadu Land Use 2025, organised by state planning commission, Mishra said the master plans should go beyond mere land use. They must integrate an economic plan, map industrial clusters and labour catchments. The plan must accommodate transit-oriented development for jobs and housing along metro, road, and suburban corridors to reduce travel time and carbon emissions, he said.The blue-green assets should be identified and mapped in the master plan. “It is not urbanisation that leads to environmental degradation. It is the lack of proper planning in urbanisation and urban sprawl that harms it,” he said.He said the commute time in Chennai Metropolitan Area, with a population of 1.15 crore, has increased by 12% since 2019, while the public transport share remains less than 30%.

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Citing how integrated development along the bus rapid transit system in Ahmedabad and metro corridors in Pune reduced the per-capita energy demand by 22% and reduced CHG emissions by 26%, he said the floor space index (FSI) for industries should be rationalised to increase output per hectare and reduce urban sprawl.State industries minister T R B Rajaa, who inaugurated the two-day conference, said that govt aims to make the state a research and development hub of the country in a bigger way.