Abstract

This study investigates rapid densification within Bengaluru, India, where escalating population growth outpacesthe capacity of existing infrastructure and services. Recognizing the potential for degradation in urban quality of lifedue to this widening disparity, the study introduces the Tetrad Axes Graphical (TAG) model. This novel data-drivenframework evaluates the neighbourhood’s capacity for densification by generating a visually coded representationof the neighbourhood’s urban form parameters that are necessary to maintain an acceptable quality of life. Theseparameters, while primarily physical, also reflect socio-political tensions in how density and livability are experiencedacross neighbourhoods. The parameters represent factors amenable to influence through urban planning interven-tions, particularly within the context of retrospective planning frequently encountered in rapidly expanding urbancentres such as Bengaluru. Applying the TAG model to four high-density neighbourhoods in Bengaluru demonstrateshow these indicators can inform retrospective planning and guide targeted interventions. By emphasising context-specific thresholds rather than universal density targets, the TAG model offers planners a diagnostic tool to balancegrowth pressures with equitable quality of life in the city.