Renowned architect and experienced urban planner Edgar Ribeiro, recognized for his efforts in preserving Goa’s natural environment, died at his family home in Socorro, Goa, on Friday evening. He was 96 years old.
Ribeiro, who previously served as chief planner for the Indian government, advanced urban planning by shifting from strict land-use diagrams to a method that combined transportation, infrastructure, and land utilization. He studied architecture at the Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai and completed postgraduate studies in town and country planning at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom during the late 1950s. Following roles in a municipal district and county council under the UK’s unified development system, he joined India’s Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) in 1962.
He retired as TCPO’s chief planner in 1988 after more than 30 years, during which planning evolved from basic land-use strategies to comprehensive spatial frameworks incorporating services, transport, and land use. Early on, he was assigned to establish and manage a town and country planning department for the newly formed Union Territory of Goa, Daman, and Diu from 1964 to 1967. In the early 1970s, he contributed to a small group in the central ministry that developed urban design standards for New Delhi, the national capital area of the large metropolis.
Between 1979 and 1983, he acted as planning commissioner at the Delhi Development Authority, guiding integrated development by unifying transport, services, and land use in one framework.
In 2009, Ribeiro joined a special committee formed by the Goa government to create the state’s Regional Plan 2021. He stepped down from the group shortly after, citing dissatisfaction with the failure to adopt certain recommendations he made and the plan’s overall trajectory.
Claude Alvares, director of the environmental organization Goa Foundation, stated: ‘The Regional Plan 2021 that we follow today was largely shaped by Ribeiro. His work has been crucial in protecting Goa. He and his colleagues drafted the plan and introduced eco-sensitive zones 1 and 2, which safeguard 82 percent of Goa’s territory.’
Architect and urban planner Tahir Noronha remarked that Ribeiro dedicated decades to the fields of architecture and planning. ‘Even while working for the central government, he prioritized Goa’s needs. One of his key achievements was designating nearly 70 percent of the state as no-development areas by identifying steep slopes…and ensuring rice paddies were included in the draft Regional Plan. A significant portion of Goa’s remaining natural areas owes its existence to his initiatives,’ Noronha said. ‘Post-retirement, he kept contributing to Goa, advising on planning matters and playing a key role in designating World Heritage Sites in Old Goa.’
On Saturday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant shared his condolences. ‘I am saddened by the passing of Edgar Ribeiro, former chief town planner of India and a prominent Goan who made substantial contributions to urban planning,’ Sawant posted on X.
Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane also posted on X: ‘I am deeply saddened by the death of Edgar Ribeiro, a distinguished urban planner from Goa and former chief town planner for the Indian government. His forward-thinking efforts and impact on planning will be remembered forever.’
