Health data for urban planning in India: gaps, stakeholder insights, and a framework for action

Recent research highlights the interdependence between health and urban planning, yet Indian cities continue to lack health data that is sufficiently granular, standardized, spatially linked, and usable for planning decisions. In this study, Delhi is used as an illustrative case to examine institutional and data-related barriers to integrating health considerations into urban planning. The study combines desk-based review of major Indian health datasets and reports, Right to Information (RTI) inquiries, and stakeholder consultations. This study reviews major health data sources, surveys, and platforms in India and identifies gaps related to data scale, duplication, delayed release, limited interoperability, and weak linkage between health outcomes and place-based determinants. Stakeholder consultations further reveal that planners face difficulties in accessing spatially disaggregated health data and lack standardized tools for incorporating health into planning practice, while medical professionals recognize strong associations between environmental conditions and localized health risks. The findings indicate that fragmented institutional structures, inconsistent reporting systems, and absence of centralized spatial health databases significantly limit evidence-based urban health planning in India. Based on these findings, the paper proposes an integrated health data management framework to support health responsive urban planning. This study contributes an India-specific governance and data integration framework intended to support future spatial health analysis and evidence-based planning across rapidly urbanizing cities.