Urban Vacant Land:
Typology and Quantitative Analysis for Planned City of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India
Dixit Swati and Sthapak Swasti
Disaster Advances; Vol. 18(7); 25-30;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/187da025030; (2025)
Abstract
This study developed a typology and conducted a quantitative analysis of urban vacant
land within the planned city of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, India. A comprehensive methodology
combining an extensive literature review, interpretation Google Earth imagery, Geographic
Information System (GIS) analysis, field measurements and observations was employed
to identify and catalogue vacant land parcels. A quantitative assessment of green
coverage within these urban vacant land parcels was performed through combination
of field measurements and image interpretations.
The identified typologies of urban vacant land were: Planned Vacant Land (4.935
km2), encompassing residual planning space and transport line buffers and Geographical
Vacant Land (1.297 km2) compromising of natural sites. Planned vacant land is recognized
as a crucial resource supporting the ecosystem functions while geographical vacant
land contributes significantly to the city’s ecological health with higher density
of trees. This typological study provides framework for planners and authorities
to strategically utilize urban vacant lands for enhancing ecosystem services and
exploring adaptive reuse strategies.
