ABSTRACT
Modern Western town planning is a secular, scientific and humanistic profession, which has little time or space for religious issues, worship space or faith communities (Sandercock 2006). It is weak on the social aspects of urban development, especially women's needs. It is ill-equipped and set at too high a level to deal with the planning of developing world cities including Indian cities. According to Libby Porter, in many developing countries, ‘the planning system exists as a kind of layer over the top of a landscape of social and spatial relations to which it bears little relation and certainly barely penetrates’ (Porter 2013: 289). Planning has generally been an impersonal activity which prioritises economic development rather than the needs of the poor. Entire cities have been zoned for the convenience of the business-man, worker and commuter, all predominantly male images. The needs of women have been rendered secondary or even invisible, whilst religion has simply not been a consideration in the planners’ agenda.
