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India Today

Changing the urban landscape School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada

SPA Vijayawada makes students ready for coming challenges. Partnering with governments and top institutes, its data-driven urban research, climate-resilient planning and studies in capacity development are shaping policy SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, VIJAYAWADA (SPAV) No. 3 (2025) up from No. 9 (2020) Established in 2008, and inspired by the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV) has grown as an institute of national importance, shaping architecture and planning professionals through world-class education, impactful research and ranked excellence. SPAV provides student-centric undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes supported by the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, ensuring that every learner is mentored, engaged and future-ready. 'This has enabled SPAV to make significant contributions to the fields of built environment, design and sustainable development,' says its director, S. Ramesh. In its diverse range of academic pro­grammes in architecture, planning, design and building engineering and management, SPAV emphasises on interdisciplinary learning and practical training, making it a destination of choice. A hallmark of SPAV academic profile is the AMRUT Centre for Urban Planning and Capacity Building (ACUPCB), established under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). It has positioned SPAV at the forefront of urban rese­arch, with an emphasis on climate-resilient planning, coastal vulnerability and capacity development. Through ACUPCB, SPAV conducts training programmes and supports municipal governance via planning tools and data infrastructure. It has hosted over nine capacity-building programmes on themes like coastal resilience, urban heat mitigation, natural resource management and environmental simulation. These programmes blend fieldwork, technical software training, stakeholder engagement and policy insights, empowering over 110 urban professionals across ministries, academia and municipalities. In addition to training, ACUPCB leads research projects across India. These address urban challenges such as low-emission zones, energy efficiency in bylaws, urban heat mitigation, flood resilience and transportation flows—providing data-backed solutions rooted in field realities. Projects are being carried out in Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kakinada, Hyderabad, Machilipatnam, Tirupati and Vijayawada. SPAV has collaborated with ins­titu­tions like IIT Roorkee, SPA New Delhi, NID Andhra Pradesh, Nat­i­onal Remote Sensing Centre ISRO, Andhra Pradesh government departments and ASSOCHAM. These collaborations span areas like capacity-building, regional planning, green infrastructure, GIS (geographic information system)-based research and policy development. SPAV also does its bit for social advancement. Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), it has adopted five villages in Krishna district—Savarigudem, Jakkulanekkalam, Kesarapalle, Ajjampudi and Buddavaram, supporting development planning and awareness drives.