Urban Policymaking for a Developing City Using a Hybridized Technique Based on SWOT, AHP, and GIS

Abstract The high rate of population growth in the 21st century is causing mass migration from rural to urban settlements. Rapid urbanization in developing countries generally follows unregulated growths, urban sprawls, and inefficiencies in city planning. With the trend of rapid growth in developing countries, it has been very difficult to maintain an environmentally sustainable and socially resilient policy framework. This study proposes an urban development policy framework for sustainable planning in developing cities by coupling geographic information system (GIS) geospatial zonal analysis with strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model. The hybridized approach incorporates critical issues such as disaster impact, slum settlements, infrastructure deficit, and noise pollution in urban planning. A case study of the city of Delhi was taken to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework in developing cities. The novelty of the study is that it proposes a highly flexible urban development plan based on the integrated GIS and SWOT-AHP methodology that is specific to the needs of developing economies and developing cities. The methodology also puts a strong emphasis on disaster prevention and response in the urban development plan. Results from the GIS–SWOT-AHP model can be used for region-based urban planning that prioritizes regions needing critical attention and directs the development of the city toward a sustainable future.