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MPPSC Assistant Town Planner study materials
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MPPSC Assistant Town Planner practice questions

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Question 1Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Under the Madhya Pradesh Bhumi Vikas Rules, the layout plan of a residential colony submitted for sanction must show the land proposed to be reserved for a neighbourhood-level public facility. Which of the following is normally computed as a percentage of the gross layout area for this purpose?

  1. The area reserved for parks, playgrounds and open spaces Correct answer.
  2. The area under the utility and drainage corridors
  3. The area under internal roads and footpaths
  4. The area under commercial and retail plots

Explanation

Colony layout rules in Madhya Pradesh require a fixed share of the gross layout area to be reserved as organised open space, parks and playgrounds, commonly around 10 per cent, so that every sanctioned colony contains usable recreation land. Roads, commercial plots and utility corridors are separate heads of the layout and are governed by their own width and area norms rather than by the open-space reservation.

Question 2Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city is preparing its statutory development plan and wishes to designate a zone where only low-intensity residential use with a maximum ground coverage of 40 per cent is permitted. This zoning instrument, which fixes use and built-form controls for each parcel, is best described as:

  1. Environmental impact assessment
  2. Land acquisition notification
  3. Development control regulations Correct answer.
  4. Urban land ceiling return

Explanation

Development control regulations translate the broad proposals of a development plan into parcel-level permissions by prescribing permitted uses, maximum coverage, floor area ratio and setbacks. They are the operative zoning instrument that a local authority enforces while granting building permission.

Question 3Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In the hierarchy of urban plans used in Indian practice, which plan is prepared for a metropolitan region to guide the coordinated development of several local bodies and is typically mandated under state town planning law?

  1. Zonal plan for one block
  2. Layout plan for a single colony
  3. Perspective plan for the ward
  4. Regional or metropolitan development plan Correct answer.

Explanation

A regional or metropolitan development plan covers a multi-jurisdictional area and coordinates land use, transport and infrastructure across the constituent local bodies. Ward perspective plans, colony layouts and zonal plans operate at much smaller scales within a single local authority.

Question 4Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is calculating the density of a residential neighbourhood. Which measure expresses the number of dwelling units per unit of net residential land, excluding roads and open spaces?

  1. Ground coverage
  2. Net residential density Correct answer.
  3. Gross residential density
  4. Floor area ratio

Explanation

Net residential density counts dwelling units against only the land actually used for residential plots, excluding roads, open spaces and non-residential uses. Gross residential density, by contrast, uses the entire neighbourhood area including all these components.

Question 5Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A municipal corporation wants to prepare a plan showing existing land use, infrastructure networks and proposed land-use zones on a map at city scale. The most appropriate drawing scale for such a development plan map is:

  1. 1:50 to 1:200
  2. 1:5,000 to 1:25,000 Correct answer.
  3. 1:1,00,000 to 1:5,00,000
  4. 1:500 to 1:1,000

Explanation

City-scale development plan maps are conventionally drawn between about 1:5,000 and 1:25,000, which allows land-use zones and major networks to be legible while covering the whole urban area. Very large scales suit individual buildings or layouts, while very small scales suit regional or national mapping.

Question 6Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In transport planning, the four-stage model is used to forecast travel demand. Which stage immediately follows trip distribution in the conventional sequence?

  1. Modal split Correct answer.
  2. Trip assignment
  3. Trip generation
  4. Land-use projection

Explanation

The conventional four-stage sequence runs trip generation, trip distribution, modal split and trip assignment. Modal split allocates the distributed person trips among available modes before they are loaded onto the network in assignment.

Question 7Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A town planner is assessing whether a proposed township site lies in a flood-prone area. Which of the following is the most direct authoritative source for delineating the flood line on the layout drawing?

  1. The building permission register of the municipality
  2. The ward-wise population census tables
  3. The flood plain map and drainage data of the state water resources authority Correct answer.
  4. The property tax assessment register of the local body

Explanation

Flood lines are delineated from hydrological and drainage data maintained by the water resources authority, which publishes flood plain maps and high flood level records. Census tables, tax registers and building permission registers contain no hydrological information.

Question 8Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'mixed land use' as promoted in Indian urban planning reform?

  1. Restricting each parcel to a single permitted use
  2. Reserving land exclusively for industrial development
  3. Converting all residential areas into commercial zones
  4. Permitting residential and non-residential activities to coexist in a designated area, subject to prescribed limits Correct answer.

Explanation

Mixed land use allows compatible residential, commercial and other activities to coexist within an area under defined limits, which shortens trips and supports local economic activity. It is not a wholesale conversion of residential land to commercial use, nor a single-use restriction.

Question 9Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A developer proposes a group housing scheme on a plot of 10,000 square metres. If the permissible floor area ratio is 2.0 and the maximum ground coverage is 30 per cent, what is the maximum permissible total built-up floor area and the maximum ground floor footprint respectively?

  1. 20,000 sq m and 3,000 sq m Correct answer.
  2. 20,000 sq m and 2,000 sq m
  3. 10,000 sq m and 2,000 sq m
  4. 30,000 sq m and 3,000 sq m

Explanation

Total permissible floor area equals plot area multiplied by the floor area ratio, giving 10,000 x 2.0 = 20,000 square metres. The maximum footprint is the plot area multiplied by the ground coverage, giving 10,000 x 0.30 = 3,000 square metres, so the scheme may rise to about seven storeys within these limits.

Question 10Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city of 8,00,000 population generates 1.2 trips per person per day. If 45 per cent of these trips are made by public transport, how many public transport trips are generated daily?

  1. 3,60,000
  2. 4,32,000 Correct answer.
  3. 5,40,000
  4. 2,40,000

Explanation

Total daily trips equal 8,00,000 x 1.2 = 9,60,000. Public transport trips are 45 per cent of this total, that is 9,60,000 x 0.45 = 4,32,000 trips per day.

Question 11Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is preparing a zonal plan for an already built-up area where the development plan proposes a change of use from industrial to residential. Which instrument is most appropriate to give effect to this change at the parcel level?

  1. An environmental clearance for the existing industries
  2. A land acquisition award under the urgency clause
  3. Modification of the development plan followed by revised zoning and development control regulations Correct answer.
  4. A fresh regional plan for the metropolitan area

Explanation

A change of use proposed in the development plan must be carried through by modifying the plan and then revising the zoning and development control regulations that apply to the parcels. Only after the regulations are amended can building permissions for residential use be granted lawfully.

Question 12Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In the preparation of a master plan, the survey of existing land use classifies land into broad categories. Which of the following sets is the most appropriate standard classification?

  1. Freehold, leasehold, government and trust land
  2. Low income, middle income, high income and slum households
  3. Residential, commercial, industrial, public and semi-public, recreational, transport and water bodies Correct answer.
  4. Kachha, pucca, semi-pucca and dilapidated structures

Explanation

Land-use surveys classify land by the activity it supports, such as residential, commercial, industrial, public and semi-public, recreational, transport and water bodies. Tenure, structural condition and income categories are separate surveys and do not describe land use.

Question 13Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A site of 2 hectares is to be developed as a neighbourhood park. The planning norms require 1.5 square metres of organised open space per person. Approximately what population can this park serve at the norm?

  1. About 3,000 persons
  2. About 13,300 persons Correct answer.
  3. About 1,33,000 persons
  4. About 30,000 persons

Explanation

Two hectares equal 20,000 square metres. Dividing by the norm of 1.5 square metres per person gives about 13,333 persons, so the park can serve roughly 13,300 persons.

Question 14Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following is the primary purpose of preparing a City Development Plan under the urban reform framework in India?

  1. To set out a city's vision, strategy and investment programme for urban infrastructure and services Correct answer.
  2. To notify the acquisition of land for a ring road
  3. To sanction individual building plans within each ward
  4. To record the annual property tax demand of the local body

Explanation

A City Development Plan articulates a city's vision and strategy and links it to a prioritised investment programme for infrastructure and services, which is the basis for accessing urban reform-linked funds. It is a strategic and financial document rather than an operational register.

Question 15Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A local authority wishes to use land value capture to fund a new metro corridor. Which of the following instruments is designed specifically to recover a share of the land value increase that accrues to owners because of the public investment?

  1. Octroi duty
  2. Betterment levy Correct answer.
  3. Property tax on rental value
  4. Stamp duty on sale deeds

Explanation

A betterment levy recovers part of the increase in land value that arises from a public improvement such as a new road or metro, and is therefore a land value capture instrument. Stamp duty is a transaction tax, property tax is an annual tax on holdings, and octroi was an entry tax on goods.

Question 16Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is assessing the walkability of a proposed neighbourhood. Which combination of design features most directly supports pedestrian movement?

  1. Large gated blocks with a single entry gate
  2. Surface parking occupying the entire street frontage
  3. Connected street network with footpaths, safe crossings and active ground-floor frontage Correct answer.
  4. Wide arterial roads with grade separators at every junction

Explanation

Walkability is supported by a fine, connected street network with continuous footpaths, safe crossings and active frontage that puts destinations within walking distance. Grade separators, gated superblocks and frontage parking all lengthen pedestrian routes and deter walking.

Question 17Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In the context of Indian urban planning, what does the term 'urban agglomeration' denote in the census?

  1. A continuous urban spread comprising a town and its outgrowths, or two or more adjoining towns Correct answer.
  2. A metropolitan planning committee area notified by the state
  3. A single municipal area with a population above one lakh
  4. A group of villages with a common panchayat

Explanation

The census defines an urban agglomeration as a continuous urban spread consisting of a statutory town and its outgrowths, or two or more physically contiguous towns together with their outgrowths. It is a demographic unit defined by contiguity and urban character, not a single municipal boundary.

Question 18Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A state government wants to regularise unauthorised colonies in a city. Which approach is most consistent with sound planning practice?

  1. Demolishing all structures without any survey or resettlement plan
  2. Regularising all structures without any infrastructure or safety conditions
  3. Freezing the land use and refusing any infrastructure extension
  4. Preparing a layout-level regularisation plan with provision for roads, water supply, drainage and open space, subject to safety clearance Correct answer.

Explanation

Regularisation is sound only when it is accompanied by a layout-level plan that inserts the missing roads, services and open spaces and confirms that the site is free of safety hazards. Unconditional regularisation perpetuates deficient living conditions, while blanket demolition or a freeze ignores the residents' needs.

Question 19Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following best explains why transit-oriented development zones are drawn within a radius of about 500 to 800 metres of a mass transit station?

  1. Because building heights are legally capped beyond that radius
  2. Because that radius corresponds to a comfortable walking distance of about five to ten minutes Correct answer.
  3. Because the census defines urban areas at that distance
  4. Because land within that radius is always owned by the transit agency

Explanation

Transit-oriented development concentrates higher-density, mixed-use development within a comfortable walking catchment of a station, conventionally about 500 to 800 metres or five to ten minutes on foot. The radius reflects pedestrian accessibility, not land ownership, height caps or census definitions.

Question 20Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner must decide the alignment of a new ring road around a historic core. Which criterion is least appropriate as a primary basis for the alignment decision?

  1. Minimising displacement of dense existing settlements
  2. Maximising the length of the road through the most expensive commercial frontage Correct answer.
  3. Avoiding ecologically sensitive areas and water bodies
  4. Maintaining continuity with the existing arterial network

Explanation

Alignment decisions should be driven by minimising displacement, avoiding sensitive areas and integrating with the arterial network. Deliberately extending the road through high-value commercial frontage to increase cost or frontage is not a legitimate planning criterion and would distort the project.

Question 21Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A development plan proposes densification along a mass transit corridor. Which of the following combinations of regulatory changes would most directly enable higher density in that corridor?

  1. Increasing the floor area ratio with relaxed height limits, coupled with mandatory open-space and parking norms Correct answer.
  2. Restricting the corridor to single-family detached housing
  3. Reducing the floor area ratio and increasing minimum plot size
  4. Increasing the minimum setback and reducing the number of storeys

Explanation

Higher density is enabled by raising the floor area ratio and relaxing height limits, while safeguarding liveability through open-space and parking requirements. Reducing the floor area ratio, enlarging minimum plots, increasing setbacks or restricting to detached housing all work against densification.

Question 22Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city's water supply is to be planned for a design population of 12,00,000 at a per capita supply of 135 litres per day, with an allowance of 15 per cent for institutional and commercial demand. What is the approximate total daily requirement in million litres per day?

  1. 186 MLD Correct answer.
  2. 150 MLD
  3. 162 MLD
  4. 210 MLD

Explanation

Domestic demand is 12,00,000 x 135 = 16,20,00,000 litres, or 162 MLD. Adding the 15 per cent allowance gives 162 x 1.15 = 186.3 MLD, approximately 186 MLD.

Question 23Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In a land readjustment (plot reconstitution) scheme, owners surrender their plots to the authority, which plans and services the area and returns smaller, serviced plots in proportion to their original holdings. Which feature makes this technique attractive for fringe-area development?

  1. It avoids the need for compulsory acquisition and shares the cost of services among the benefiting owners Correct answer.
  2. It exempts the area from all development control regulations
  3. It transfers all land ownership to the state without compensation
  4. It guarantees that every owner receives a plot of the same size as before

Explanation

Land readjustment assembles land without compulsory acquisition because owners contribute their plots voluntarily or as required, and the cost of roads and services is recovered through the sale of a portion of the pooled land or through charges. Owners receive reconstituted plots that are smaller but serviced, so the technique shares the gains and costs of urbanisation.

Question 24Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is evaluating two options for meeting the peak-hour travel demand of a corridor: a bus rapid transit system and a light rail system. Which analytical approach best supports a defensible comparison?

  1. Comparing the total social cost and benefit of each mode over its life cycle, including travel time savings, operating cost, emissions and land-use impacts Correct answer.
  2. Selecting the mode preferred by the contractor
  3. Comparing only the capital cost per kilometre of each mode
  4. Selecting the mode with the highest design speed

Explanation

A defensible modal comparison rests on life-cycle cost-benefit analysis that monetises travel time savings, operating costs, emissions and land-use effects alongside capital cost. Comparing capital cost per kilometre alone, or ranking by design speed or contractor preference, ignores the wider consequences that determine value for money.

Question 25Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In the preparation of a metropolitan development plan, the planner must reconcile the plans of several local bodies. Which mechanism is most consistent with statutory practice in India for securing this coordination?

  1. Referring every land-use decision to the judiciary
  2. Constituting a metropolitan planning committee that prepares a draft metropolitan plan for the whole area Correct answer.
  3. Allowing each local body to adopt an independent plan without reference to the others
  4. Leaving coordination entirely to the private developers operating in the region

Explanation

The constitutional framework provides for a metropolitan planning committee to prepare a draft development plan for the whole metropolitan area, with representation from the constituent local bodies. This gives a statutory forum in which the plans of individual local bodies are reconciled before adoption.

Question 26Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Under the Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines, which plan is prepared at the regional level to guide the development of a cluster of towns and their surrounding rural hinterland?

  1. Regional plan Correct answer.
  2. Layout plan
  3. Perspective plan
  4. Zonal plan

Explanation

URDPFI sets out a hierarchy of plans in which the regional plan operates at the supra-city scale, coordinating settlements, infrastructure and resources across a district or metropolitan region. Zonal, layout and perspective plans all sit at the city or sub-city scale.

Question 27Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In Indian planning practice, the term 'conurbation' is used to describe which kind of settlement pattern?

  1. A single municipal town surrounded by agricultural land
  2. A census town with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants
  3. A continuous built-up area formed by the merging of several towns Correct answer.
  4. A planned industrial township developed by a state agency

Explanation

A conurbation arises when physically separate towns grow outward until their built-up areas coalesce into one continuous urban mass, often while retaining separate municipal administrations. This distinguishes it from a single town or a small census town.

Question 28Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following is the standard unit used to express residential density in an Indian development plan?

  1. Floor area ratio per plot
  2. Persons per square kilometre of district area
  3. Dwelling units per hectare Correct answer.
  4. Percentage of gross built-up area

Explanation

Residential density in development control regulations is normally expressed as dwelling units per hectare (or persons per hectare) within a defined residential zone. This allows the density to be linked directly to plot sizes and building heights.

Question 29Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city proposes to protect a large reservoir catchment from construction. Which statutory mechanism in an Indian development plan is most directly suited to freezing development in that area?

  1. Increasing the floor area ratio in the catchment
  2. Designating the area as a no-development or controlled zone in the development plan Correct answer.
  3. Reclassifying the catchment as residential land
  4. Granting additional transferable development rights to all landowners

Explanation

A development plan can mark environmentally sensitive land as a no-development, controlled or reservation zone, which legally restricts building there. The other options would intensify or permit construction in the catchment.

Question 30Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following best describes 'plot reconstitution' as a land assembly technique?

  1. Pooling fragmented plots, servicing them, and returning a smaller serviced plot to each owner Correct answer.
  2. Merging all plots into a single public park without compensation
  3. Freezing plot boundaries until a master plan is revised
  4. Compulsorily acquiring all plots and reselling them to the highest bidder

Explanation

Plot reconstitution, also called land readjustment, assembles fragmented holdings, provides infrastructure, and redistributes serviced plots to the original owners in proportion to their contribution. It avoids full acquisition and resale of the land.

Question 31Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In the four-stage transport demand model, which stage estimates the number of trips that will use a particular road or transit link between two zones?

  1. Trip assignment Correct answer.
  2. Trip distribution
  3. Trip generation
  4. Modal split

Explanation

Trip assignment loads the estimated inter-zonal flows onto specific routes or links in the network. It is the final stage, after generation, distribution and modal split have produced the demand by mode.

Question 32Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following is the principal purpose of a development control regulation (DCR) in an Indian city?

  1. To fix the annual property tax rate for each zone
  2. To determine the reservation quota for municipal jobs
  3. To regulate the use, coverage, height and setbacks of buildings on a plot Correct answer.
  4. To allocate state budget grants among local bodies

Explanation

Development control regulations translate the development plan into plot-level rules governing permissible use, ground coverage, floor area ratio, height and setbacks. Property tax, budget allocation and employment quotas are governed by other statutes.

Question 33Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planned neighbourhood is to be laid out with a grid of streets. Which of the following is the most direct benefit of a well-connected grid pattern for pedestrians?

  1. It eliminates the need for footpaths along the streets
  2. It guarantees that all streets will carry high traffic volumes
  3. It reduces the number of intersections that pedestrians must cross
  4. It increases route options and shortens walking distances between origins and destinations Correct answer.

Explanation

A connected grid offers multiple direct routes, so pedestrians can choose shorter paths between destinations. More intersections must be crossed, which is why safe crossings are needed, but route choice and distance are improved.

Question 34Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In Indian census terminology, a 'statutory town' is defined primarily by which criterion?

  1. A majority of workers employed in non-agricultural activities
  2. The presence of a municipal corporation, municipality, cantonment board or notified town area committee Correct answer.
  3. A population exceeding one lakh persons
  4. A density above 400 persons per square kilometre

Explanation

Statutory towns are those with a civic administration such as a municipal corporation, municipality, cantonment board or notified town area committee. Population, density and workforce criteria are used to define census towns instead.

Question 35Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is asked to identify the most appropriate level at which a 'special economic zone' should be integrated into the regional settlement strategy. Which consideration is most relevant?

  1. The name of the developer company
  2. Its proximity to transport corridors and labour catchments across the region Correct answer.
  3. The number of trees inside individual plots
  4. The colour scheme of its boundary wall

Explanation

At the regional scale, an economic zone is assessed by its accessibility to freight corridors, ports, airports and the labour pools of nearby settlements. Physical site details and corporate identity are not regional planning considerations.

Question 36Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A development plan for a hill town proposes building on slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Which planning response is most technically sound?

  1. Permit unrestricted construction because hill land is abundant
  2. Prohibit or severely restrict construction on steep slopes to control erosion and landslide risk Correct answer.
  3. Increase floor area ratio to compensate owners for difficult terrain
  4. Reduce setbacks to allow larger footprints on the slope

Explanation

Steep slopes are highly susceptible to erosion, slope failure and drainage problems, so development is normally prohibited or tightly controlled. Relaxing setbacks or raising floor area ratio would increase cut-and-fill and instability.

Question 37Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following instruments is most commonly used to preserve agricultural land at the urban fringe from premature conversion?

  1. Increasing the floor area ratio in the fringe
  2. Removing all restrictions on land subdivision
  3. Agricultural zoning or an urban growth boundary Correct answer.
  4. Relaxing development control in the fringe

Explanation

Agricultural zoning and urban growth boundaries direct urban expansion into designated areas and keep farmland free of premature subdivision. The other options would accelerate conversion of fringe land.

Question 38Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is preparing a plan for a city where 40 per cent of households live in informal settlements. Which approach is most consistent with sound planning practice?

  1. Ignore informal settlements in the land-use map
  2. Integrate in-situ upgrading and tenure security into the citywide plan Correct answer.
  3. Shift all informal households to sites beyond the municipal boundary
  4. Demolish the settlements without resettlement provision

Explanation

Recognising informal settlements in the plan and providing in-situ upgrading, services and tenure security reflects inclusive planning practice and avoids displacement. Demolition, omission from maps or relocation outside the boundary creates hardship and distorted land-use data.

Question 39Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan, which regulatory change best supports higher densities near a metro station?

  1. Banning mixed-use buildings within 500 metres of the station
  2. Reducing allowable floor area ratio within the influence zone
  3. Permitting higher floor area ratio with mandatory affordable housing in the influence zone Correct answer.
  4. Requiring large surface parking lots beside the station

Explanation

TOD relies on higher permissible density combined with mixed use and affordable housing so that many residents can live within walking distance of transit. Lower floor area ratio, a mixed-use ban or large surface parking would undermine ridership and walkability.

Question 40Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city's solid waste generation is projected at 0.5 kilograms per person per day for a design population of 10,00,000. What is the approximate daily waste quantity that the collection system must handle?

  1. 5,000 tonnes per day
  2. 50 tonnes per day
  3. 5 tonnes per day
  4. 500 tonnes per day Correct answer.

Explanation

Multiplying 0.5 kg per person by 10,00,000 persons gives 5,00,000 kg, which equals 500 tonnes per day. This figure then sets the requirement for collection vehicles, transfer stations and disposal capacity.

Question 41Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following best explains the role of a 'zonal plan' in the Indian planning framework?

  1. It replaces the development plan for the entire city
  2. It is a financial statement of the municipal budget
  3. It details land use and development controls for a part of the city within the framework of the development plan Correct answer.
  4. It sets national urban policy for all states

Explanation

A zonal plan elaborates the broad development plan for a specific zone, giving more detailed land-use designations and controls. It operates within, and must conform to, the parent development plan.

Question 42Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner must site a new district hospital. Which combination of criteria is most relevant for the site selection?

  1. Maximum distance from residential areas
  2. Accessibility, catchment population, and freedom from flood and noise hazards Correct answer.
  3. Lowest land price alone
  4. Proximity to an industrial effluent discharge point

Explanation

A hospital site must be reachable by emergency transport, serve a sufficient catchment population, and be safe from flooding and excessive noise. Land price alone or distance from residents would undermine service delivery.

Question 43Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In a city with severe peak-hour congestion on a radial corridor, which combination of measures best reflects travel demand management?

  1. Removing bus services from the corridor
  2. Building additional radial road capacity only
  3. Congestion pricing, park-and-ride, and staggered working hours Correct answer.
  4. Converting footpaths into parking lanes

Explanation

Travel demand management seeks to spread or reduce peak demand through pricing, modal shift incentives and flexible timing. Building capacity alone tends to induce further traffic, while removing buses or footpaths worsens conditions.

Question 44Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'land value capture' in urban infrastructure financing?

  1. Recovering part of the increase in land value created by public investment to fund that investment Correct answer.
  2. Freezing all land values at pre-project levels
  3. Subsidising private land purchases without any recovery
  4. Taxing only agricultural income in rural areas

Explanation

Land value capture recovers a share of the uplift in land value that public infrastructure such as metro lines or roads generates, and uses it to help pay for that infrastructure. It does not freeze values or tax unrelated rural income.

Question 45Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A development plan designates a site as a 'reservation' for a public purpose. Which consequence follows most directly for the landowner under typical Indian planning law?

  1. The owner must construct the public facility at personal cost
  2. The land automatically becomes private freehold with no restriction
  3. Development is restricted, and the owner may seek acquisition, compensation or transferable development rights Correct answer.
  4. The land may be developed freely for any commercial use

Explanation

A reservation freezes the designated use, and the landowner is typically entitled to acquisition with compensation or, in many states, transferable development rights. Free commercial development would defeat the reservation.

Question 46Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner compares a bus rapid transit system and a light rail system for a corridor. Which analytical approach is most appropriate for a rigorous comparison?

  1. Comparing life-cycle costs, capacity, travel time savings and land-use impacts over the appraisal period Correct answer.
  2. Choosing the mode with the longest vehicle length
  3. Comparing only the initial capital cost per kilometre
  4. Selecting the mode preferred by the vehicle manufacturer

Explanation

A sound modal comparison weighs capital and operating costs over the asset life against capacity, travel time savings, ridership and land-use effects. Capital cost alone or vehicle characteristics gives a misleading picture.

Question 47Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

In preparing a metropolitan development plan, a planner finds that several local bodies have proposed conflicting land uses along a shared river front. Which approach best resolves the conflict?

  1. Assign the riverfront entirely to the body with the largest budget
  2. Let each local body implement its own plan independently
  3. Defer all decisions until the river dries up
  4. Prepare a metropolitan-level plan that sets a common riverfront framework binding on all local plans Correct answer.

Explanation

Metropolitan planning exists precisely to reconcile inter-local conflicts over shared resources and infrastructure through a common framework that local plans must follow. Independent action or budget-based allocation would reproduce the conflict.

Question 48Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is designing a neighbourhood to reduce urban heat. Which combination of measures is most effective?

  1. Increasing paved surface and reducing tree cover
  2. Concentrating all open space in one remote location
  3. Tree canopy, permeable surfaces and light-coloured roofing Correct answer.
  4. Removing water bodies and filling them for parking

Explanation

Urban heat is reduced by shading from tree canopy, evaporative cooling from permeable surfaces and water, and high-albedo roofing that reflects solar radiation. Paving, filling water bodies and remote open space all increase heat stress.

Question 49Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A city plans to introduce a floor area ratio (FAR) bonus in exchange for public amenities. Which design of the incentive is most defensible?

  1. Applying the bonus only to plots owned by elected representatives
  2. Granting the bonus automatically to every plot regardless of amenity provision
  3. Removing all upper limits on FAR without conditions
  4. Linking a defined increase in FAR to the delivery of specified amenities such as affordable housing or public open space Correct answer.

Explanation

A defensible incentive ties a quantified FAR increase to the actual provision of defined public benefits, so the uplift in development value is exchanged for a public good. Automatic or unlimited bonuses transfer value without any return.

Question 50Town Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)

A planner is assessing the feasibility of a greenfield township on agricultural land. Which finding would most strongly argue against the proposal on sustainability grounds?

  1. The site is within the municipal water supply network's service area
  2. The site is within an existing groundwater recharge zone serving nearby villages Correct answer.
  3. The site is close to an existing highway interchange
  4. The site has gentle slopes suitable for drainage

Explanation

Building over a groundwater recharge zone would damage the water supply of surrounding villages and reduce aquifer replenishment, a strong sustainability objection. Highway access, gentle slopes and network proximity are generally favourable conditions.