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Birds provide multiple benefits to the world’s ecosystems. In recent years, experts have raised the alarm about deteriorating bird populations, with some species becoming extinct and others threatened to dangerous levels. This decline in avian populations is primarily attributed to urbanisation. Concerted efforts are required to conserve birds and their habitats in cities. The Government of India, state governments, urban local bodies, non-gove

The Indo-Pacific, which holds most of the world’s mangroves, faces serious risks from natural disasters, including those related to the long-term sustainability of coastal communities and valuable ecosystems. Mangroves uphold biodiversity, support ecosystem functionality, and sustain local livelihoods; however, financing their conservation is proving to be a massive challenge. This report examines the ecosystem services provided by mangroves, i

The demand for basic needs has outpaced supply in many cities of the world. This fact is observed in the urban housing sector. High economic growth along with urbanisation has created a huge demand for housing, and according to recent estimates, there is a massive shortage of dwelling units in many urban areas of the world.

India is driving a transition to e-mobility in a bid to meet its commitments to the Paris climate agreement. Meeting the e-mobility targets will have multiple benefits, including cleaner air, improved health, and a reduced oil import bill. India’s cities will play a key role in achieving the e-mobility transition through planning and the implementation of local policies, but they must first overcome certain challenges. Assistance from the centr

Social protection is crucial in tackling extreme poverty and ensuring equitable development, thus catalysing the transition to a more stable and robust economy. About 50 percent of India’s economy hinges on its informal workers, who comprise 90 percent of the country’s total workforce. Yet, these informal workers continue to be excluded from current social-protection schemes, leaving them with no social or financial safety net and trapping th

Street vending was illegal in urban India for almost six decades until the passage of the Street Vendors Act in 2014. Despite the law having legalised the activity, however, the default policy in most cities across India is to clamp down on street hawkers. Yet street vending remains a viable source of employment for many. As the pace of urbanisation increases across India, it is only likely that a greater number of street traders will contest for

The Smart Cities Mission in India, launched in 2015, is a unique experiment undertaken with the aim of improving people’s quality of life in cities. It bypasses traditional institutional approaches and employs innovative methods to achieve its targets. This brief provides an overview of the work initiated under the mission since its inception and explores the gains so far. It documents sectoral reforms and conducts a critical appraisal of the m

India’s rising urbanisation in recent years has triggered unbridled construction activities to meet the needs of the growing populations in these cities. Not all of these constructions abide by existing laws, however, leading to adverse consequences on governance systems, the environment, people’s health, transportation services, and overall citizen well-being. In extreme cases, illegal constructions have resulted in loss of lives and propert

India is witnessing a phenomenal increase in urbanisation and it is essential that this process is studied and analysed thoroughly to provide for a better quality of life, said Mr. Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution, while formally releasing ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal, published by Observer Research Foundation in ORF Mumbai on September 20.

Skyscrapers are typically constructed to meet the housing needs arising from increased urbanisation, but they may also fulfil national ambitions to display economic might. This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of building skyscrapers to establish key learnings for India.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) must account for the possibility of interstate migration, rapid urbanisation and possible changes in the social fabric as populations react to new job opportunities.

The affordable housing challenge plagues cities across India. Although city administrations have framed various strategies to tackle the issue, weak implementation, flawed policies, and an inherent lack of capacity to find longterm solutions have allowed slums to proliferate as an alternative. This paper examines the affordable housing issue in Greater Mumbai. Since affordability is not absolute but relative to the development stage and income di

Relentless urbanisation often has a heavy environmental cost, arising from activities such as the consumption of fossil resources to fuel industrialisation and infrastructure development. The resulting surge in greenhouse gas emissions is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, which leads to frequent extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Such events pose an existential threat to human life, infrastructure, an

Women’s representation in local governance is a crucial indicator of gender inclusivity. Since 1993, the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act has reserved one-third of seats in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to women. Multiple states have since granted 50 percent reservation of seats for women in urban and rural local self-government bodies. Today, women have become a crucial political constituency, both as voters and as electoral candidates. This pape

India’s hill cities are unique poles of development. While they have managed to record some degree of economic growth, increasing urban population and unfavourable topography have also made such growth haphazard and unsustainable. In turn, this has threatened the quality of the built environment and of urban life in these cities. This report studies the case of the hill city of Aizawl, the administrative capital of Mizoram, which is part of the

High-density urban agglomerations may be sustainable in terms of the economies of scale their populations provide. Yet, as proven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these same urban spaces are nearly defenceless in times of unprecedented disease outbreaks. A pandemic poses many risks to the millions who live in dense megacities, whether in wealthy countries or developing ones. The sheer density of the population of these cities provides an ideal e

Vehicular congestion and insufficient parking facilities are significant emerging challenges for India’s mega and metropolitan cities, severely impairing mobility. Although curtailed by constitutional mandates, many Indian cities are seeking to resolve the issue through parking policies, focusing on regulations, pricing as a management tool, new technologies, and off-street parking provisions. This brief assesses the parking policies of Ahmedab

Indian cities have long struggled with the challenge of inadequate housing amidst rapid urbanisation and worsening urban poverty. Government policies have failed to fill the gap, focused as they are on ownership housing alone and neglecting rental housing. The 2015 draft National Urban Rental Housing Policy and 2019 draft Model Tenancy Act aim to rectify this situation. For these policies to be successful, however—and for India to realise its g

The issue of valuing water is contentious because of its physical, political and economic dimensions. Yet, it is an important debate, as valuation is key in estimating the benefits and costs of different management options. An effective valuation supports better informed decision-making in the allocation and use of the resource, as well as in the implementation of SDG6, i.e. to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanita

The demand for basic infrastructure and services in Indian cities has increased phenomenally due to rapidly growing populations. Such unmet demands often adversely affect the quality of urban life, the economic productivity, as well as the process of sustainable development. The main purpose of this brief is to highlight the problems involved in improving access to water supply in Indian cities faced with a severe water shortage crisis. A case st

अनेकदा असे होते की, एखाद्या योजनेसाठी केंद्राकडून येणार्‍या निधीचा ओघ थांबला की, त्या सेवा तशाच चालू ठेवण्यासाठी शहरांना मोठी ओढाताण करावी लागते.

भविष्यात शहरांना तीव्र हवामान बदल आणि वाढती विषमता अशा दुहेरी आव्हानांचा सामना करायचा आहे. त्यासाठी शहरी व्यवस्थानी ‘सज्ज’ राहणे, हे सर्वात महत्वाचे ठरेल.

'जीआयएस'चा सुयोग्य वापर करुन शहरांचे नियोजन, व्यवस्थापन, विविध प्रश्नांचे निराकरण होऊ शकते, हे कोरोनाकाळात अधोरेखित झाले आहे.

कोरोनाच्या साथीनंतर तरी आपण शहर नियोजनाचे धडे पुन्हा गिरवायला हवेत. यामध्ये गरिबांच्या रोजगाराचा, निवाऱ्याचा आणि आरोग्याचा विचार प्रामुख्याने व्हायला हवा.

भारतातील शहरीकरणाचा वेग वाढवायचा असेल, तर त्याला गंभीर संरचनात्मक आणि आर्थिक मदतीची आवश्यकता आहे, हे स्पष्ट आहे. देशासमोर याशिवाय अन्य पर्याय नाही.

जागतिक लोकसंख्या दिन जागतिक लोकसंख्या आणि लोकसंख्या शास्त्रातील उपलब्धी आणि आव्हाने यावर विचार करण्याचा हा दिवस आहे असे मानले पाहिजे.

दिल्लीचे आजचे वास्तव पाहता, या शहराला जागतिक दर्जाचे शहर बनवण्याचे त्यांचे ध्येय मात्र निव्वळ पोकळ दावा आहे, असे वाटते.

नगर नियोजन क्षेत्राचे पुढील तीन दशकांनंतरच्या भविष्यातील चित्र कसे असेल, याचे चित्र मांडणारे हे भाष्य.

बससेसा सुधारून शहर परिवहन उपक्रम योजनेत अमुलाग्र सुधारणा होऊ शकते. यामुळे शहरांतील वाहतूक कोंडीची समस्या सोडवली जाऊ शकते.

बिहारच्या नागरीकरणात दिसून आलेला घसरलेला कल सुधारण्यासाठी राज्य सरकार आणि केंद्र सरकार या दोघांनीही अधिक ठोस उपाययोजना करणे आवश्यक आहे.

भारत विकास की राह पर तेज़ी से अग्रसर है और इसके साथ ही देश में शहरीकरण भी तीव्र गति से आगे बढ़ रहा है, यानी भारत के विकास और शहरीकरण में कहीं न कहीं नज़दीकी रिश्ता है. इस पॉलिस�

वेटलैंड्स यानी आर्द्रभूमि पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र को संतुलित बनाए रखने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाती है. बाढ़ नियंत्रण, पानी के शुद्धिकरण और जैव विविधता के संरक्षण में ये काफ�

विकेंद्रीकृत शहरीकरणात गुंतवणूक करून भारताने आपल्या नागरिकांचे चांगले भविष्य घडवावे, याची जाणीव जागतिक लोकसंख्या दिनानिमित्त व्हावी.

भारतातील व्यवस्थाहीन शहरे आर्थिक विकासाची इंजिने म्हणून भारताला बळ देतील की, विकासाच्या मार्गातील सर्वात मोठी धोंड बनतील? 

२०३०पर्यंत भारतात सुमारे ६९ हून अधिक शहरे असतील, ज्यांची लोकसंख्या दहा लाखांहून जास्त असेल. त्यांचा सर्वांगीण विचार होताना दिसत नाही.

आज देशातील शहरे महागडी, पर्यावरणघातकी आणि रोगट जीवनशैली देत आहेत. या सर्वाचा उलटफेर करण्यासाठी एखादा शाश्वत मार्ग शोधून काढावा लागेल.

देशातील हवामान बदलत असून कमी वेळेत जास्त पाऊस पडत आहे. त्यामुळे देशातील शहरांची पाण्याचा निचरा करणारी यंत्रणा तातडीने सुधारली नाही, तर पूरस्थिती अटळ आहे.

भौगोलिक स्थान, बदलते हवामान, दहशतवादाचा धोका, प्रशासकीय अडचणी या साऱ्या मुद्द्यांवर मुंबईचा महाराष्ट्राची राजधानी म्हणून पुनर्विचार करणे अत्यंत गरजेचे आहे.

सद्यस्थितीतील शहरांची आणि वाढत्या प्रदुषणाची स्थिती पाहता, आगामी काळात उभी(व्हर्टीकल) जंगले आणि इतर हरित संरचना या अनिवार्य आहेत.

मानवी विकासात मुंबईतील एम (पूर्व) वॉर्ड सर्वात शेवटी असल्याचे २००९ मध्ये कळूनही त्याकडे दुर्लक्ष केले गेले. आज या वॉर्डमध्ये कोरोनाचा मृत्यूदर सर्वाधिक आहे.

मुंबईच्या शासकीय यंत्रणेमधील आणि पर्यायाने देशाच्या अन्य महानगरांमधील मोडकळीला आलेल्या अनेक पायाभूत सुविधांमधील त्रुटी ठळकपणे दिसून आल्या आहेत. त्यावर तातडीने उपाय �

जिथे रूग्णांचा जीव वाचावा यासाठी प्रयत्न केले जातात त्या रूग्णालयांमध्येच जर जिवीत हानी नोंदवली जात असेल तर त्याहून दुर्दैव ते काय?

देश पातळीवरील प्रशासकीय व्यवस्थेत शहरांचे महत्त्व किती आहे, हे कोरोनाच्या साथीमध्ये ठळकपणे समोर आले आहे. त्याचबरोबर, त्यातील धोकेही उघड झाले आहेत.