India, March 12 -- Residents of a small Kerala town rejected a state-led development blueprint they feared would destroy farms, water systems and livelihoods.

Instead of going to court, the municipality spent nearly three years creating a participatory "People's Plan" with planners, volunteers and hundreds of residents.

The new master plan prioritises pedestrian mobility, climate resilience and the protection of historic water systems and urban commons.

On October 18, 2021, residents of Chittur-Thathamangalam, a small town in Kerala's Palakkad district, received something the town had never had before in its 125-year history: a Master Plan.

The Draft Master Plan 2031, prepared by the state's town planning department, outlined an ambit...