Chennai’s 20-Year Development Roadmap: CMDA's Third Masterplan To Be Released By 2025

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is currently working on preparing the vision document for the third masterplan (2026-2046) for the Chennai Metropolitan Area — covering an area of 1,189 sq km.

The comprehensive plan aims to address issues such as transport and infrastructure in order to make the city a progressive, inclusive and global city.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, is expected to release the document by December 2025, according to P K Sekar Babu, the Minister for CMDA.

The minister also added that North Chennai might be one of the focuses through the 20-year masterplan, as per a Times of India report.

The CMDA aims to proceed with the vision document through a participatory approach which will encompass a holistic, environmentally sustainable, economically vibrant and inclusive development in Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA).

It is hoped that the document will help to create a cleaner, greener, and healthier city, with a focus on smart and sustainable urban growth.

A city masterplan is a blueprint that guides the future growth and development of a city. It encompasses various elements such as land use zoning, buildings, civic infrastructure, transportation, and social settings.

The process of creating a masterplan includes analysis and proposals based on the unique characteristics of the region.

In order to ensure an inclusive planning process, the CMDA has implemented QR code boards in public locations throughout the city to gather feedback on the third masterplan and the future of Chennai.

The QR code system allows residents to scan and respond to a set of 14 questions divided into categories such as housing, quality of life, recreation, environment, economy, investment attractiveness, and their vision of the future image of the city.

Urban planning experts and residents have emphasised the importance of including diverse stakeholder perspectives and considering input from all residents and social groups.

At first, the CMDA hired a consultant to conduct public meetings in all 29 zones within the Chennai Metropolitan area, but due to insufficient participation, officials were instructed to engage with the public directly.

As a result, officials have been arranging vision survey campaigns in various public spaces.

"In the last four months, CMDA has been working on creating the vision document. Our government wants full public participation in the initiative, we want residents' views in creating the city for them. As of now, we have 17,000 responses and we expect a minimum of 50,000 responses," said Sekar Babu, as per the TOI report.

The creation of the third masterplan for Chennai will act as a substantial roadmap in enhancing the city's infrastructure and tackling critical challenges like transportation, environment, and urban growth.

In an earlier development, the state government also notified the several surrounding villages for its proposed development into new towns, as part of Chennai Metropolitan expansion plan.