The peri urban interface is a complex region in itself being transitional in nature and characterized by neglect, especially in the developing countries. Being neither urban nor completely rural, it falls beyond the purview of planners on either side, but continues to host the spill-over population from the urban vicinity, albeit without necessary infrastructural support. Land in the peri-urban interface is of vital importance as the region is impacted by a lack of clarity in land use planning and policies, while being a part of the city 's hinterland, which has its typical economic as well as ecological role in the sustenance of both the urban and rural zones. This paper attempts to discuss the key perspectives of the peri-urban interface in order to assess its planning needs. Subsequently, the paper proceeds to provide empirical evidences of two major aspects of management, namely the economic and ecological relevance from the planning perspective as the two core issues in the Indian context. An overview of existing literature on problems and issues of the peri-urban interface reveals that there is an acute lack of holistic understanding of the region as a link in the chain of transition from the urban to the rural landscape systems. The paper finds that understanding of the various nuances of the region is likely to broaden the planners ' perspective for efficient resource utilization as well as livability of these transitional areas. Another key finding is that the need to formulate at least a broad framework of plans for the land use changes of fringe areas such that absolute haphazard development does not create irreversible losses to the human-ecosystem linkages.