How highway proximity and policy reforms shape industrial space across urban areas along India’s NH-48 corridor in the National Capital Region

This study examines the spatio-temporal evolution of industries along the NH-48 corridor. It focuses on a 127-kilometre stretch from Gurugram to Behror in India’s National Capital Region. The research employs exponential growth modelling and distance-decay analysis to assess the relationship between industrial concentration and highway proximity across four policy phases (pre-1991, 1991–2001, 2001–2011 and 2011–2025). Secondary data about industries, population and location are utilised for the study. The findings reveal a pronounced clustering of large-scale industries within 3 km of the highway and an exponentially declining industrial density beyond this distance. Medium-scale industries exhibit a broader distribution extending up to 7 km, indicating greater diffusion and linkage-driven expansion. A strong negative correlation is observed between industrial density and distance from NH-48. Large-scale industries show a higher decay coefficient (b = 1.57) than medium-scale industries (b = 0.68). Annual growth rates indicate spatial maturation and southward diffusion of the corridor. The results reveal that industrial clustering is driven by infrastructure accessibility and the study emphasises the need for a more balanced and multi-nodal industrial policy.