School of Architecture and Planning

As part of the Planning Studio – Development Plan (Semester II), first-year Master of Planning (M.Plan) students from the School of Architecture and Planning, NICMAR University undertook an academic field visit to Kashid–Murud and Agardanda from 17 to 23 January 2026. The study tour was accompanied by Dr. Komal Handore and Dr. Priyanka Bendigiri, who provided academic supervision and field-based guidance throughout the visit.
The field exercise involved household, transport, and tourist surveys, along with land-use ground truthing, enabling students to document socio-economic, mobility, and spatial characteristics of coastal settlements. Students also visited key government offices, including the Murud Municipal Corporation, Tehsildar Office, Panchayat Samiti Office, Gram Panchayats, and Nagar Panchayats, for secondary data collection and expert interactions related to local governance and development planning.
The University gratefully acknowledges the support of the Murud Municipal Corporation for extending cooperation and providing essential secondary data, which greatly enriched the students’ learning experience.
Through direct engagement with communities and officials, students examined issues related to coastal development, fishing-based livelihoods, tourism pressures, infrastructure gaps, and environmentally sensitive areas, strengthening their analytical, participatory, and contextual planning skills.

We, at the School of Architecture and Planning, NICMAR University, Pune, are proud to celebrate the remarkable success of our Master of Planning (Urban Planning) Batch–1(2023-2025) students—Ms. Payal More, Ms. Vaishnavi Bampalwar, and Ms. Mayuri Dangle—who secured the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes respectively  in the M. Plan Thesis category at the Thesis Awards organised by the Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF) B. G. Shirke Vidyarthi Awards 2025. The competition, launched as part of the 9th edition of the Vidyarthi Awards (2025), witnessed participation across Architecture, Civil Engineering, and M. Planning disciplines, with institutes such as COEP, MIT ADT University, and Symbiosis Skills University.
Achieving top honours in this multidisciplinary platform reflects exceptional research rigour and academic excellence.

Congratulations to our Master of Planning (Urban Planning) first-year students for securing 1st Prize at "The LAP Initiative", organized by the Department of Planning, MIT ADT University, during Persona Fest 2026 bringing home the top honors and a cash prize of Rs 10,000!
Competing against talented UG and PG teams from this region, our students showcased exceptional skill in reimagining urban spaces at the grassroots level. Their winning entry focused on the historic Kasba Peth area in Pune, where they developed a comprehensive Local Area Plan (LAP) that balanced infrastructure, sustainability, and community needs, through rigorous fieldwork, GIS mapping, and a thorough existing situation assessment - and planning proposals that addressed local urban issues with fresh, innovative approaches.
A special thank you to the faculty mentors Dr Shruti Vaishampayan, Dr Poulomee Ghosh and visiting faculty Prof. Surya Prakash who guided the team throughout this journey! We are incredibly proud of this milestone as our students continue to shape the future of our cities. 

The School of Architecture and Planning organized a one-day hands-on workshop on 13th February on “DGPS Applications in Planning and Spatial Data Collection” for Master of Planning (Urban Planning) students. The workshop was conceptualized to strengthen the practical and technical competencies of students in geospatial data acquisition and its applications in planning practice.
The workshop was organised and coordinated by Dr. Kul Vaibhav Sharma and conducted by Mr. Gourav Walunj, Director, GP Consultants, Solapur, as the resource person. The resource person, Mr. Gourav Walunj, Director of GP Consultants, Solapur, is a practicing professional with expertise in DGPS surveying, geospatial data management, and consultancy-based planning projects. His industry experience ensured that students gained exposure to current professional standards and practices.
The primary objective of the event was to provide students with real-world exposure to Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) technology, including its setup, operation, data collection methods (RTK & GSM), and post-processing techniques. The motivation behind organizing this workshop was to bridge the gap between theoretical GIS concepts taught in courses such as Software Applications in Research and Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing and their practical implementation in field conditions.
The event was conducted in a workshop format, combining classroom interaction with live demonstration and hands-on exposure to DGPS equipment. This format directly aligned with the objective of skill development and experiential learning.
The expected outcome of the event included improved understanding of high-precision surveying tools, enhanced ability to collect and process spatial data, and stronger integration of field data into planning studios and research projects.