Cultural Infrastructure as Comparative Urban Metrics: A Scoring Framework for Indian Context Inspired by the Global Cultural Planning Models
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Culture is increasingly acknowledged as a driver of urban vitality and social well-being. Yet, Indian urban planning still lacks systematic knowledge frameworks to measure and integrate cultural infrastructure into planning processes. This research introduces an interdisciplinary Cultural Scoring Framework that synthesizes cultural metrics, planning theory, and spatial analysis to create a new evidence base for cultural planning in data-scarce cities. The main argument advanced in this study is that cultural infrastructure can be governed and planned only when it becomes measurable, comparable, and spatially interpretable through indicators that reflect local cultural realities. The scope of the research is twofold: (1) to develop a multi-dimensional evaluation framework based on internationally established models—including the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor, London’s Cultural Infrastructure Plan, UNESCO’s Culture 2030 Indicators, etc. and (2) to operationalize the framework in the context of Indian cities to reveal inter-urban and intra-urban disparities in cultural provisioning. The methodological approach follows four sequential stages: identification of culturally resonant indicators; clustering of indicators into thematic sub-indices; prioritization through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); and computation of a two-tier scoring system that yields indicator-level and aggregated cultural infrastructure scores. Applied to the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, the framework tends to uncover significant spatial differences in access to cultural resources between historic cores and peripheral urban local bodies. The contribution of this research lies in demonstrating how hybrid knowledge systems—combining cultural studies, urban analytics, and governance theory—can reshape the epistemological bases of planning. By producing a transferable and data-efficient methodology, the study positions culture as a quantifiable and governable dimension of urban development, offering a tool that other Global South cities can replicate to bridge longstanding gaps between cultural knowledge and planning practice.
Authors: Urjjasee Basak, Dr. Arjun Mukerji
Institution: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204995297