Addressing Planning and Execution Challenges: Site-Based Approaches for Urban Street Development Projects in India

Urban street development projects in India are increasingly challenged by complex planning deficiencies, fragmented execution mechanisms, and on-site management inefficiencies. This review paper synthesizes insights from twenty empirical and conceptual studies to identify, evaluate, and consolidate the major planning and execution challenges faced during urban street infrastructure development. The collective analysis reveals that inefficiencies often originate from overlapping factors such as inadequate project planning, poor coordination among stakeholders, delayed decision-making, financial constraints, and design-related ambiguities. Site-based challenges particularly concerning material management, equipment allocation, traffic diversion planning, and utility relocation—emerge as recurrent sources of delay and cost escalation. Studies on Indian contexts highlight that unclear project scopes, weak communication channels, insufficient risk assessment, and lack of integrated scheduling tools contribute significantly to time and cost overruns. Comparative findings from both Indian and international case studies underscore the universal importance of adopting structured project management frameworks, enhanced site supervision, and stakeholder collaboration mechanisms. Furthermore, the integration of digital technologies such as BIM, GIS, and remote monitoring tools has been identified as a transformative approach to improving planning accuracy, progress tracking, and coordination efficiency at the site level. The synthesis concludes that a shift from conventional top-down planning to adaptive, site-based management frameworks supported by real-time data systems and participatory decision-making can substantially improve execution reliability, sustainability, and public service continuity in urban street development projects. This review thus provides a consolidated foundation for policymakers, urban planners, and project managers to implement data-driven, site-responsive strategies that address the persistent planning and execution challenges in India’s evolving urban infrastructure landscape.