A Spatio-Economic Logit Model for Aerocity and Optimizing Socio-Economic Infrastructure: A case of Navi Mumbai

  • Unique Paper ID: 207397
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 3
  • PageNo: 578-612
  • Abstract:
  • The commissioning of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) represents a paradigm shift for urban planning in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), necessitating a transition from static municipal planning to dynamic, infrastructure-led spatial structuring. Positioned near critical regional assets—including the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA)—the NMIA influence zone offers exceptional opportunities for developing an integrated Aerocity. However, conventional planning methodologies present significant limitations: first, the arbitrary use of political administrative boundaries to define the planning zone; and second, the structural inadequacy of traditional, resident-only infrastructure standards that fail to account for massive daily "floating population" surges. To address these systemic planning gaps, this research evaluates the development potential of the NMIA influence zone and formulates a strategic Aerocity development framework. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative expert and stakeholder surveys with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). To establish a scientifically justified development zone, the research introduces a Spatio-Economic Logit Model (SELM). This model replaces political boundaries with network-derived travel time probability contours, identifying the optimum, environmentally insulated planning boundary of seventy-nine square kilometers. This probability surface is calculated by standardizing travel times along the multi-modal transit network to predict airport-utilization probability. This dynamic accessibility matrix is triangulated with spatial variables representing economic land-use densities and human development indices to establish a highly resilient, non-arbitrary physical jurisdiction for the planning authority. Furthermore, to future-proof the region's social services and prevent infrastructure clogging at critical transit interfaces, this study formulates the Socio-Economic Dynamic Capacity Index (SEDCI). By using a nodal peak modifier, the index adjusts allocations for specific high-pressure nodes, such as the central business district core and transit-oriented development capillaries. The resulting index is utilized to adjust spatial footprints, utility demands, and social programming, ensuring that the physical sizing of regional healthcare, education, and public plazas matches the actual functional human load. Synthesized into an integrated spatial strategy, the resulting planning framework aligns dynamic land-use intensity with infrastructure carrying capacity. This framework channels commercial and logistics densities along high-speed transportation corridors radiating from the airport core, while preserving vulnerable low-lying mangrove wetlands as protective eco-insulation buffers. Supported by prescriptive policy instruments—including infrastructure-linked floor space index premiums, green transferable development rights, and value capture financing—this research delivers a resilient, scalable, and highly replicable roadmap for greenfield, airport-oriented growth centers in developing economies.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{207397,
        author = {Vaishnavi Kadu},
        title = {A Spatio-Economic Logit Model for Aerocity and Optimizing Socio-Economic Infrastructure: A case of Navi Mumbai},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {3},
        pages = {578-612},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=207397},
        abstract = {The commissioning of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) represents a paradigm shift for urban planning in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), necessitating a transition from static municipal planning to dynamic, infrastructure-led spatial structuring. Positioned near critical regional assets—including the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA)—the NMIA influence zone offers exceptional opportunities for developing an integrated Aerocity. However, conventional planning methodologies present significant limitations: first, the arbitrary use of political administrative boundaries to define the planning zone; and second, the structural inadequacy of traditional, resident-only infrastructure standards that fail to account for massive daily "floating population" surges. To address these systemic planning gaps, this research evaluates the development potential of the NMIA influence zone and formulates a strategic Aerocity development framework. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative expert and stakeholder surveys with Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
To establish a scientifically justified development zone, the research introduces a Spatio-Economic Logit Model (SELM). This model replaces political boundaries with network-derived travel time probability contours, identifying the optimum, environmentally insulated planning boundary of seventy-nine square kilometers. This probability surface is calculated by standardizing travel times along the multi-modal transit network to predict airport-utilization probability. This dynamic accessibility matrix is triangulated with spatial variables representing economic land-use densities and human development indices to establish a highly resilient, non-arbitrary physical jurisdiction for the planning authority.
Furthermore, to future-proof the region's social services and prevent infrastructure clogging at critical transit interfaces, this study formulates the Socio-Economic Dynamic Capacity Index (SEDCI). By using a nodal peak modifier, the index adjusts allocations for specific high-pressure nodes, such as the central business district core and transit-oriented development capillaries. The resulting index is utilized to adjust spatial footprints, utility demands, and social programming, ensuring that the physical sizing of regional healthcare, education, and public plazas matches the actual functional human load.
Synthesized into an integrated spatial strategy, the resulting planning framework aligns dynamic land-use intensity with infrastructure carrying capacity. This framework channels commercial and logistics densities along high-speed transportation corridors radiating from the airport core, while preserving vulnerable low-lying mangrove wetlands as protective eco-insulation buffers. Supported by prescriptive policy instruments—including infrastructure-linked floor space index premiums, green transferable development rights, and value capture financing—this research delivers a resilient, scalable, and highly replicable roadmap for greenfield, airport-oriented growth centers in developing economies.},
        keywords = {},
        month = {August},
        }

Cite This Article

Kadu, V. (2026). A Spatio-Economic Logit Model for Aerocity and Optimizing Socio-Economic Infrastructure: A case of Navi Mumbai. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 13(3), 578–612.

Related Articles