GEOSPATIAL PERSPECTIVES ON URBAN EXPANSION OF A HERITAGE CITY: Lessons from Varanasi for Governance Challenges and Sustainable Futures in Cities of the South Asia

This book presents a geospatial analysis of Varanasi’s urban expansion from 1972–2020. It shows that growth has been largely unplanned, with rapid, unregulated land-cover change, especially in peri-urban areas. Using GIS, remote sensing, and indices such as the Annual Urban Expansion Rate, Urban Expansion Intensity Index, and Urban Expansion Differentiation Index, it quantifies and maps growth patterns. The book links historical, cultural, and colonial influences to current urban form and reveals a gap between planning frameworks and ground realities, resulting in loss of farmland and green spaces, riverfront encroachment, and rising socio-economic and environmental risks. By assessing infill, edge, and outlying growth, it exposes spatial inequality and governance shortcomings. Positioning Varanasi as a model for South Asian cities, it stresses the need for geospatial data-driven, participatory, and heritage-sensitive planning. It concludes with scenario-based strategies and policy alignment with global sustainability goals to build resilient, equitable cities.