Participatory Urban Design for Informal Settlement Upgradation

A Case of Veer Chand Patel Marg near Patna Junction

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_4How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Informal settlements; Participatory urban design; Inclusive design; Community-led development; Incremental upgrading; Public space; Patna Junction

Abstract

Informal settlements located near major transport corridors reflect the coexistence of socio-economic dependence and spatial marginalization within rapidly urbanizing cities. This study investigates a participatory urban design process undertaken at Veer Chand Patel Marg, adjacent to Patna Junction, India, within the framework of inclusive design and community-led urban development. The research examines how participatory approaches can facilitate the incremental upgrading of an informal settlement without displacement while strengthening social infrastructure, public spaces, and community participation. A qualitative, practice-based methodology was adopted, incorporating site observations, behavioural mapping, photographic documentation, land-use analysis, and structured interactions with residents, children, street vendors, NGO volunteers from Rise Up Community Foundation, and workers from neighbouring institutional premises. Comparative insights from internationally recognized participatory upgrading initiatives informed the contextual interpretation of findings while acknowledging the distinct socio-political conditions of Patna. The study identifies critical challenges, including inadequate sanitation, poor drainage, insufficient lighting, seasonal flooding, limited educational infrastructure, and the absence of safe recreational spaces for children. Participatory engagement enabled residents to identify locally relevant priorities, resulting in design proposals comprising multifunctional shade structures, modular seating and learning platforms, child-friendly play spaces, improved drainage, waste-derived paving materials, and adaptable public spaces for education and community activities. The findings demonstrate that small-scale, community-driven design interventions can substantially enhance everyday living conditions, strengthen social cohesion, and encourage collective stewardship of shared spaces. However, participatory design alone cannot address structural issues such as insecure land tenure, institutional fragmentation, and inadequate public investment. The study concludes that context-responsive, incremental urban design strategies provide a practical pathway for promoting inclusive, resilient, and socially sustainable development in transport-edge informal settlements while recognising local communities as active contributors to urban transformation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Prakriti Sahu
AU  - Madhumita Roy
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/24
TI  - Participatory Urban Design for Informal Settlement Upgradation
BT  - Proceedings of the International Seminar on Designing the Future (ISDF 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 57
EP  - 93
SN  - 3091-4442
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_4
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_4
ID  - Sahu2026
ER  -