By 2050, India will become more urban than rural, with the country projected to add 400 million urban residents. Telangana is a rapidly urbanizing state that will likely cross the urban-rural threshold to become majority urban within 5-10 years. Telangana faces an immediate demographic transition that India will facethree decades from now. This makes the state an ideal laboratory to test urban planning approaches, policy reforms, and design strategies that support an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban transition for India.
Urbanization is a process of transformation taking place within cities, towns, and villages as livelihoods evolve and landscapes transform. Telangana and India need well-trained practitioners and policymakers from various disciplines who will guide this transformation. Urban expansion in metropolitan areas need to be managed through strategic infrastructural, transit, and housing investments to ensure sustainable growth. Small-medium towns need new planning approaches to become inclusive sites of economic opportunity. Settlements along the urban-rural continuum must be resilient to migration, resource scarcity, and disaster risks that will be further aggravated by climate change.

The Telangana State Urban Center of Excellence (TSUCE) campus will facilitate research, incubate start- ups, and implement capacity building programs that lead to innovative, implementable, and scalable solutions to the challenges and opportunities of urbanization.
Our vision for TSUCE supports a multi-disciplinary, integrated, and hands-on curriculum with research, learning, and incubator spaces where future urban leaders can guide India’s urbanization to be “smart” in a holistic sense. The campus serves as a demonstration space for “smart” integrated urban planning with new models of affordable housing, sustainable mobility, blue-green infrastructure, responsive systems, and vibrant public spaces. The masterplan envisions five districts that replicate a livable and walkable urban neighborhood: Mixed-use Innovation District at the heart of the campus with multi-functional open spaces; Cultural District as a gateway to the campus with an iconic hotel and convention center; Ecological Preserve
as an urban ecological landscape; Residential District as a model community with multiple housing typologies, and the Infrastructure District as a laboratory for innovative and circular urban systems. These districts are connected by a highly walkable and bikeable Campus Loop that fosters exploration and collaboration. The buildings, landscape, and infrastructure systems facilitate circular flows of energy, food, waste, and water to make the campus self-sufficient.
Within the campus, six academic buildings house the following specialized departments: Ecology and Environment, Economics & Real Estate, Mobility & Transportation, Infrastructure & Services, Analytics & Data, Housing & Building Technology. Each academic building is equipped with Learning, Research, Startup, Commercial, Exchange, and Demonstration spaces to make each department multi-faceted. To foster inter- disciplinary learning and collaboration, research and training programs are instituted along cross-cutting themes like resilience, sustainability, governance, informality, inclusion, and smart cities. The campus masterplan and programming draw specialists from multiple disciplines to break out of their siloes and work collaboratively across sectors and scales. TSUCE will become an invaluable resource to help Telangana and India house all urban dwellers with dignity, make cities and towns more sustainable, and build resilience towards future challenges.

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Learning from the Landscape
1. Going with the Flow: Making room for streams and recognizing key land-water linkages is the
foundation for water-sensitive urban design. The masterplan vision recognizes the unique
topography of the site and uses hydrology analysis of understand natural streamflow. Three drainage
streams are identified and forms the blueprint for siting and infrastructural decisions.
2. A Green Armature: The steep upland terrain is largely preserved as a biodiversity reserve. The main
drainage corridor is reinforced as a Central Green Spine and extends an ecological corridor into the
heart of the campus. Secondary drainage streams are reinforced as a Residential Spine and Green
Boulevard.

Connecting Landscape and Community
3. Campus Loop Connector: The Campus Loop is the main connector between the programmed

districts of the campus and the varied landscapes. Envisioned to be a vibrant pedestrian and bike-
friendly route, the Campus Loop represents the spirt of collaboration and exchange of TSUCE.

4. Zoning for Diversity: Building upon the landscape identity and programmatic requirements, the
masterplan proposes five districts with a mixed-use innovation district at the heart of the campus.
Each district has a distinct character with dynamic land-uses and adjacencies that complement and
activate each other.

Fostering Collaboration and Exchange
5. Multi-dimensional Urban Studies: The masterplan organizes the suggested programs into six
academic buildings representing specializations that approach distinct facets of urbanization. The
campus buildings and open spaces are planned to facilitate institutional programs that engage all six
departments to work on cross-cutting issues facing urban India.
6. A Living Laboratory: The campus is designed as a living lab of urban design, landscape, and
architectural best-practices in sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience. All buildings and open
spaces are equipped with state-of-the-art learning, research, demonstration, exchange, start-up,
and commercial spaces. These spaces are arranged to produce an active, creative, and collaborative
learning environment.