How it works
Index Methodology
The City Momentum Score is a weighted composite of five dimensions, each derived from tracked project data, public records, and investment flows. Scores range from 0–100 and are updated quarterly.
Overview
What the score measures
The City Momentum Score is not a measure of a city's current quality of life, economic size, or existing infrastructure stock. It is a forward-looking measure of infrastructure velocity — how much development activity is happening right now, how well it is being executed, and how much capital is committed to near-term delivery.
A city with a score of 82 is not necessarily a better place to live today than a city with a score of 58. It is a city where the pace and quality of infrastructure development is measurably higher, which we believe is a leading indicator of economic competitiveness over a 5–10 year horizon.
The index is designed to answer a specific question: which Indian cities are building the most, executing the best, and attracting the most committed capital — right now?
Scoring
Five dimensions, weighted by impact
Transport & Mobility
30%Measures the depth and pace of mass transit, road, rail, and freight infrastructure development. Inputs include metro network length under construction or planned, suburban rail and RRTS status, ring road and highway progress, airport capacity expansion, port berth development, and multimodal logistics park (MMLP) construction under PM Gati Shakti. Cities with simultaneous multi-modal execution score highest.
Key inputs
- Metro network km (active + under construction)
- Suburban / RRTS rail corridor progress
- Ring road and national highway projects
- Airport passenger capacity expansion
- Port capacity and berth expansion
- Multimodal logistics parks (MMLP / PM Gati Shakti nodes)
- Last-mile connectivity initiatives
Industrial & Economic
25%Captures the scale and velocity of industrial investment — SEZs, IT investment regions, pharma clusters, aerospace parks, and data centre build-out. Private capital flows are weighted alongside state-led announcements to penalise cities where investment is pledged but not yet mobilised.
Key inputs
- SEZ / industrial park land allocation
- IT investment region status
- Data centre capacity (MW committed)
- Pharma / aerospace cluster development
- Private investment mobilisation rate
Urban Infrastructure
20%Covers the backbone services that determine long-term liveability: water supply augmentation, sewage treatment capacity, smart city mission execution, stormwater and drainage, and utility grid modernisation. Incomplete Smart City projects are scored on disbursement rate rather than announcement.
Key inputs
- Water supply augmentation (MLD)
- Sewage treatment plant (STP) capacity under AMRUT 2.0
- Smart City Mission disbursement rate
- Stormwater and drainage projects
- Solid waste management infrastructure
- Power distribution upgrade projects
Investment Pipeline
15%Aggregates the total known committed capital across all tracked projects, weighted by probability of execution. Projects with active land acquisition, cleared DPRs, and awarded contracts are scored higher than announcement-stage projects. Investment density (₹ per sq km) normalises for city size.
Key inputs
- Total committed project capital (₹ Cr)
- Share of projects past DPR / bid stage
- Central vs state vs private capital mix
- Investment density per sq km
- Year-on-year pipeline growth
Execution Quality
10%The hardest dimension to measure and the most predictive of actual outcomes. Tracks whether announced projects are hitting milestones, whether completion percentages are advancing on schedule, and whether land acquisition disputes are being resolved. Cities with chronic delay patterns are penalised regardless of pipeline size.
Key inputs
- On-schedule project completion rate
- Average completion % vs time elapsed
- Land acquisition dispute resolution rate
- Contractor default / suspension incidents
- Quarterly milestone hit rate
Score bands
What each range means
Multiple major projects in simultaneous execution across all dimensions. Private investment is mobilised, not just announced. Execution quality is measurably high.
Strong execution across 3–4 dimensions with clear momentum. Some gaps in pipeline or execution quality, but overall trajectory is positive.
Meaningful activity in 2–3 dimensions. Pipeline exists but execution consistency is variable. Typically one dominant project driving the score.
Early-stage or fragmented activity. Projects are largely in approval or DPR stages. Execution record is thin.
Minimal tracked activity. Projects may be announced but lack funding commitments, land clearance, or contractor appointment.
Data sources
Where the data comes from
Every project in our database is sourced from official government portals, parliamentary committee reports, stock exchange filings, or RTI responses. We do not use press releases as a primary source.
Limitations
What this index does not capture
Social infrastructure (schools, hospitals, housing) is not in scope. The index is strictly focused on hard economic infrastructure.
Environmental impact of projects is not scored. A city building highways and industrial parks may score high on momentum while having an adverse ecological footprint.
Projects below ₹50 Cr in size are generally excluded. The index captures city-shaping capital, not routine maintenance or ward-level works.
Rural and peri-urban projects outside the city boundary are excluded. Only projects within or directly serving the tracked urban agglomeration are counted.
Scores reflect publicly available information. There may be significant off-budget or state-enterprise spending that is not captured in our database.
See the Index in action
Explore all 10 cities ranked by their current momentum score.
Explore Cities →