Urban Green Infrastructure Planning in Jaipur, India: A GIS-Based Suitability Model for Semi-Arid Cities

Urbanization in Jaipur, India, has led to a 42% decline in green cover over the
past two decades, exacerbating urban heat, air pollution, groundwater depletion, and
reduced livability. Green Infrastructure (GI) offers a sustainable solution, but effective
implementation requires robust, data-driven strategies. This study employs geospatial
technologies—GIS, remote sensing, and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)—to
develop a suitability model for Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) planning. Using an
entropy-based weighting approach, the model integrates environmental factors, including
the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which fell by 18% between 2000 and
2020; Land Surface Temperature (LST), which increased by 1.8 ◦C; soil moisture; precipitation;
slope; and land use/land cover (LULC). Proximity to water bodies was found to be
a critical determinant of suitability, whereas land surface temperature and soil moisture
played significant roles in determining UGI feasibility. The results were validated using
NDVI trends and comparative analysis with prior studies so as to ensure accuracy and
robustness. The suitability analysis reveals that 35% of Jaipur’s urban area, particularly
peri-urban regions and river corridors, is highly suitable for UGI interventions, thereby
presenting significant opportunities for urban cooling, flood mitigation, and enhanced
ecosystem services. These findings align with India’s National Urban Policy Framework
(2018) and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, supporting climate resilience and sustainable
urban development. This geospatial approach provides a scalable methodology for
integrating green spaces into urban planning frameworks across rapidly urbanizing cities.