Planning for cross-border market place, Jaigaon, Phuentsholing

Abstract

Cross border trade has been a big phenomenon across the world as a key of regional development and globalization. It helps in reducing regional disparities, it brings economic prosperity, physical development and at the same time it brings opportunity to meet the global market. So it helps in improving the lifestyles of the people, and it’s a new field to study and understand urban planning in a cross-border context. The study includes an extensive study of Indo- Bhutan cross-border region along with certain other case studies. In the Indo- Bhutan case, certain issues those are being hurdle in the development process are identified and the study is an attempt to solve those issues with physical and policy planning in order to make the market place as a thriving place for capital investment and development. Border towns are especially market towns. Most of them are formed because of trade. Trade and development are corresponding to each other. Development follows the trade. So in such border towns, market places are the crucial parts. And so the case of Jaigaon and Phuentsholing is. This is where, the characteristics of a border town are quiet different then any other town because its functional center is not its physical center but it is concentrated towards the border.