Reimagining Urban India for a Resilient Future

• 21 Nov 2025

This editorial is based on “Why designing with people in mind is now essential for India's urban future” which was published in The Business Standard on 20/11/2025. The article brings into picture India’s rapidly expanding urban future and argues that seizing this moment requires moving from rigid, top-down planning to flexible, human-centred, climate-resilient design. It calls for making design a core civic and governance capability aligned with real needs and lived experiences.

For Prelims: Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Extended Producer Responsibility, National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM), Digital India, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, NITI Aayog, Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities)

For Mains: Major Developments Driving India’s Sustainable Urban Transformation, Major Challenges Confront India’s Urban Development Landscape. 

India's urban trajectory presents a defining challenge: by 2036, cities are projected to house 600 million people and generate nearly 70 percent of GDP, yet this growth continues to unfold without coherent design or systemic intentionality. Unlike older nations forced to retrofit legacy systems, India possesses a rare opportunity to shape first versions of the infrastructure it will rely on through 2050, but only if it fundamentally reimagines its approach. What is urgently needed is a shift from rigid, top-down planning to iterative, human-centered design thinking—one that listens before deciding, aligns infrastructure with lived realities, integrates climate resilience, and transforms design from a specialist domain into a civic muscle embedded in governance, budgeting, and policy-making at every level.

What are the Major Developments Driving India’s Sustainable Urban Transformation?

• Flagship Mission-Smart Cities Initiative: The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) is pioneering a data-driven approach, transforming urban governance and service delivery through integrated technology. This holistic development creates resilient and efficient urban systems, moving beyond mere infrastructure to citizen-centric solutions. 
  • As of early 2025, all 100 Smart Cities have operational Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), utilizing AI and IoT for informed decisions.
  • Smart Cities have implemented Area-Based Development projects, retrofitting, redevelopment, and greenfield models, focusing on walkability, energy-efficient buildings, open spaces, and mixed-use planning.
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Revolution: There's a strong policy push to shift from private vehicles to low-carbon, mass-transit solutions to tackle severe urban congestion and air pollution. 
  • This includes massive public transport expansion and a focus on electric mobility. The goal is to build safe, efficient, and inclusive transport systems. 
  • The metro rail network has expanded dramatically, now covering over 1,013 km across 23 Indian cities, up from just 248 km in 2014. 
    • The PM-eBus Sewa Scheme further aims to deploy 10,000 e-buses to green public transit fleets.
• Water Security through AMRUT and Conservation: The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and its successor, AMRUT 2.0, are focusing on universal water supply and efficient sewage management to ensure long-term urban water security. 
  • This infrastructure upgrade is crucial for making cities resilient against climate change-induced water stress. 
  • AMRUT initiatives have already established a significant 4,429 MLD of sewage treatment capacity. 
  • City-level successes, like Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, received a ₹2 crore incentive for exceeding targets with over 1.29 lakh water conservation structures under the 'Catch the Rain' initiative.
• Circular Economy and Solid Waste Management: Focus is rapidly shifting to a circular economy model by promoting source segregation, material recovery, and waste-to-wealth technologies to address the colossal challenge of urban waste. 
  • Stricter Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) norms for e-waste and plastics are driving formal recycling channels. 
  • India is promoting the establishment of decentralized waste processing units at the ward or zone level, moving away from reliance on massive, distant landfills. 
    • This strategy minimizes transportation costs, reduces the environmental impact of long hauls, and encourages local community ownership in waste management
• Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency Mandates: Mandates for energy-efficient construction and the rise of the Green Building movement are reducing the massive environmental footprint of the burgeoning construction sector. 
  • These initiatives ensure lower operational costs, better occupant health, and reduced carbon emissions across the urban built environment. 
  • Green buildings in India can achieve energy savings of 20–30% compared to conventional structures. 
  • India holds a leadership position globally, with over 7 billion square feet of green buildings as of 2023, driven by certifications like LEED and the government's push for new green building policies.
• Digital Governance and Citizen Engagement: The adoption of digital platforms, geospatial technology, and e-governance solutions is enhancing transparency, improving service delivery, and fostering crucial citizen participation in urban planning.
  • This shift moves away from opaque, centralized planning to a decentralized, interactive model. 
  • Geospatial technologies and data analytics are increasingly used for asset mapping and infrastructure monitoring.
  • Key national initiatives like the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) and Digital India are the backbone, creating shared digital infrastructure and platform-based urban services. 
    • In a participatory example, residents of Pune can now track pothole repairs in real time via a dedicated mobile application, demonstrating improved public accountability.
• Affordable and Climate-Resilient Housing: The government's focus on "Housing for All" through schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) now integrates key sustainability and climate resilience features into affordable housing projects.
  • This addresses the dual challenge of housing shortage and vulnerability to environmental shocks. 
  • As of November, 2024, PMAY-U has sanctioned 1.18 crore houses, ensuring sustainable design features are integrated from the initial planning stages, a major step against unsafe living conditions.

What Major Challenges Confront India’s Urban Development Landscape?

• Fiscal Constraints of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs): Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are financially weak, lacking the fiscal autonomy and robust revenue streams necessary to fund essential services and large-scale infrastructure projects. 
  • Their heavy dependence on state and central grants, combined with poor own-source revenue mobilization, severely limits their capacity for effective governance and service expansion. 
  • Since 2002, municipal finance has stayed at just 1% of GDP. Municipal bodies contribute 45% of urban investments, while the remainder is managed by parastatal agencies. 
  • Despite an increase in central and state transfers from 37% to 44%, the financial health of municipalities remains precarious. 
  • Tax revenue grew by only 8% between 2010 and 2018, grants by 14%, and non-tax revenue by 10.5%.
• Unplanned Urban Sprawl and Planning Failures: The majority of Indian cities are characterized by fragmented, unplanned urban sprawl, often due to the failure to effectively enforce master plans or the complete absence of a modern planning framework. 
  • This results in inefficient land use, the proliferation of unauthorized colonies, and a disproportionate burden on central city infrastructure. 
  • As per NITI Aayog, almost 65% of urban settlements or census towns in India have no ‘master plan’, which has led to piecemeal interventions, haphazard construction and environmental pollution. 
  • This lack of strategic foresight contributes to the rise of informal settlements, where India's slum population is still estimated at 236 million (2020), suggesting a severe housing and planning crisis.
• Acute Environmental Pollution and Resource Stress: Indian cities grapple with alarming levels of air and water pollution, coupled with increasing resource stress, particularly water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change impacts. 
  • Unregulated industrial emissions, traffic congestion, and poor waste management practices contribute to a declining urban environment and severe public health risks. 
  • The air quality index (AQI) in multiple major cities, particularly in Delhi, frequently breaches the 'Severe' category during peak seasons, with particulate matter (PM2.5) levels well above safe limits. 
  • Furthermore, according to current government estimates, India generates around 65 million tonnes of waste each year, of which over 62 million tonnes is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) including organic waste and recyclable materials such as paper, plastic, wood, and glass. 
    • However, only 75–80% of this waste is collected, and just 22–28% is scientifically processed or treated, while the rest ends up in dumpsites. 
    • By 2031, Municipal Solid Waste generation is expected to rise to 165 million tonnes, and could reach 436 million tonnes by 2050.
• Fragmented Governance and Institutional Capacity Gaps: Urban governance is plagued by a multiplicity of agencies (ULBs, state-level parastatals, and special-purpose vehicles) with overlapping jurisdictions, leading to poor coordination, fragmented policy implementation, and low accountability. 
  • This institutional complexity severely hampers efficient project execution and service delivery. 
  • The core issue of autonomy is evident, as city governments often lack the "three Fs" (Functions, Finances, and Functionaries), with many essential services managed by state-controlled parastatals. 
    • A recurring example is the inability of city municipalities (like the MCD in Delhi) to effectively manage issues like monsoon street flooding or solid waste disposal, where responsibility is often split between the municipal body, the state's Public Works Department (PWD), and specialized state-run agencies (like water boards or development authorities), resulting in blame-shifting and delayed resolution.
• Climate Vulnerability and Disaster Risk: Indian cities are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events like floods, heat waves, and cyclones, a risk amplified by poor infrastructure planning, encroachment on natural drainage systems, and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. 
  • A World Bank report estimated that annual losses from pluvial (stormwater) urban flooding are currently at approximately $4 billion per year, a figure projected to rise to $5 billion by 2030 without remedial action. 
  • The UHI effect is significant; a 2023 study found that cities like Mumbai and Delhi already experience dangerously high and rising average summer temperatures due to rapid concrete paving and loss of green cover.
    • Integrating climate resilience into urban planning is an urgent, underfunded necessity. 

What Measures can be Implemented to Strengthen India’s Transition Toward Sustainable Urban Development?

• Integrated Blue-Green Urban Planning: Strengthening sustainable urban development requires embedding blue–green infrastructure, urban wetlands, green corridors, permeable surfaces, directly into master plans rather than treating them as add-ons. 
  • Cities must shift from piecemeal landscaping to ecosystem-based adaptation, integrating natural water channels and biodiversity nodes into zoning norms. This would enable climate-resilient drainage, heat mitigation and biodiversity regeneration. 
  • Such planning should be codified into urban by-laws, ensuring mandatory ecological audits for new projects. Over time, this transforms cities into nature-positive urban systems engineered for environmental stability.
• Urban Transport Decarbonisation Through Multimodal Integration: India’s urban transition must adopt a multimodal mobility framework that synchronizes metro networks, e-buses, cycling lanes, and walking districts. 
  • This demands unified ticketing platforms, mobility-as-a-service systems, and first–last mile micro-mobility hubs. 
  • Local bodies need to redesign arterial roads for complete-street principles, moving away from car-centric norms.
    • Introducing urban freight zones and EV-ready logistics corridors further enables low-carbon movement. Together, this shifts mobility from fragmented assets to a seamless low-emission mobility ecosystem.
• Circular Urban Resource Management: Cities need structured circularity protocols for materials, water, and energy to reduce linear consumption. 
  • Urban local bodies can establish “circular districts” where construction materials, greywater, and organic waste are recaptured, repurposed, and reinjected into city loops. 
  • Mandatory material recovery facilities, decentralized biomethanisation, and greywater reclamation plants can anchor this cycle. 
    • Embedding circularity standards in building codes would ensure lifecycle accountability. This cultivates resource-efficient, regenerative urban metabolism.
• Climate-Smart Urban Governance and Fiscal Reform: Sustainable urbanism requires climate-oriented governance, where municipal budgets, audits, and land-use decisions are aligned with resilience metrics. 
  • Cities should adopt climate budgeting, green municipal bonds, and performance-linked climate funds tied to adaptation and mitigation outcomes. Strengthening urban data stacks can enable predictive governance for floods, heatwaves, and pollution. 
  • Building a cadre of trained urban climate officers ensures institutional continuity. Over time, cities evolve into anticipatory, financially empowered climate-governance entities.
• Digital Twin–Enabled Urban Management: Using digital twins, virtual replicas of city systems, can revolutionize planning, disaster response, and infrastructure optimization. 
  • Municipalities can simulate traffic flows, drainage capacity, heat islands, and utility networks under multiple scenarios. 
    • This enables evidence-based zoning, risk-sensitive land-use regulation, and quicker emergency responses. 
  • An integrated sensor ecosystem ensures real-time feedback loops between physical and digital layers. 
    • Such smart governance transforms cities into predictive, data-guided urban systems.
• Inclusive Urban Social Infrastructure Clusters: Sustainable development must prioritize human-centered inclusivity, ensuring tightly integrated clusters of health, education, care facilities, and public spaces within 15-minute access.
  • Cities can reorganize land around community-centric service hubs that reduce mobility burdens and enhance social equity. 
  • Strengthening rental housing, worker hostels, and gender-sensitive design enhances urban livability. 
    • Embedding participatory planning forums empowers local voices. This aligns cities with equitable, people-first urban frameworks.
• Renewable-Integrated Utility Architecture: Urban utilities must evolve into distributed, resilient, renewable-integrated systems, reducing dependency on centralized grids. 
  • Rooftop solar, urban microgrids, and energy-storage nodes can be integrated with smart meters for dynamic demand management. Water utilities should adopt solar-run pump systems and energy-efficient treatment lines. Waste-to-energy modules can complement renewable supply. 
  • Such decentralized clean utility architecture enhances reliability while steering cities toward a low-carbon, self-sustaining urban energy ecosystem. 
• Establish Metropolitan Planning and Regional Governance Authorities: Mandate the establishment of powerful Metropolitan Planning Authorities (MPAs) with statutory backing, extending jurisdiction beyond municipal limits to comprehensively include surrounding peri-urban and census towns. 
  • These MPAs must be given the exclusive authority for integrated regional spatial planning, infrastructure coordination, and climate adaptation strategies across the entire functional economic area. 
  • This overcomes fragmented governance by creating a unified command structure that can holistically manage issues like water supply, mass transit, and waste management at a regional scale. 

Conclusion: 

A sustainable urban future for India hinges on shifting from fragmented, reactive growth to integrated, climate-resilient, and human-centred urbanism driven by empowered institutions and design-led governance. By embedding circularity, clean mobility, digital intelligence, and inclusive service delivery into city systems, India can transform rapid urbanization into a long-term developmental asset. This holistic trajectory directly advances SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), SDG 9 (Infrastructure), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 6 (Water & Sanitation), aligning urban growth with global sustainability commitments.

Drishti Mains Question:

“India’s urban growth demands a shift from top-down, infrastructure-heavy planning to human-centred, climate-resilient and design-driven urbanism. Discuss the key transformations required to steer India toward sustainable and equitable urban development.”

1. Why is India’s current urban trajectory considered unsustainable?

India’s rapid urbanization is unfolding without coherent design, modern planning systems, or climate-sensitive governance. This leads to unplanned sprawl, infrastructure deficits, and environmental stress, making current growth patterns unsustainable without systemic reform.

2. What makes India’s urban transformation opportunity unique compared to older nations?

Unlike countries burdened with legacy infrastructure, India can build “first-version” systems for 2050—allowing it to embed climate resilience, digital governance, and human-centred design from the outset.

3. Why is a shift from top-down planning to human-centred design important?

Top-down planning ignores lived realities and produces rigid, misaligned infrastructure. Human-centred design integrates behavioural insights, community needs, and iterative decision-making, ensuring cities function for people first.

4. What are the major developments driving India’s sustainable urban transition?

Key drivers include smart governance, expanded public transport, water security reforms, circular economy practices, green buildings, digital platforms, and climate-resilient affordable housing.

5. What is the biggest structural challenge in India’s urban governance?

Fragmented governance and weak Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) limit accountability and coordination. Multiple agencies with overlapping powers prevent integrated planning and effective service delivery.

6. How does climate change intensify risks for Indian cities?

Climate change magnifies heat waves, floods, cyclones, and water scarcity. Encroached drainage systems, shrinking green cover, and dense built-up areas worsen the Urban Heat Island effect, increasing vulnerability.

7. Why is circular urban resource management necessary?

Cities generate vast waste and consume high levels of materials and water. Circular systems—such as reuse loops, decentralized processing, and greywater recovery—reduce ecological pressure and enhance resource efficiency.

8. How can integrated blue-green infrastructure improve urban resilience?

By restoring wetlands, river corridors, and permeable surfaces, cities can reduce flooding, mitigate heat islands, recharge groundwater, and promote biodiversity while enhancing environmental stability.

9. Why are metropolitan-level planning authorities essential?

Urban issues spill beyond municipal boundaries. Metropolitan Planning Authorities provide unified regional oversight, enabling coordinated land use, transit networks, water systems, and disaster management.

10. How do these reforms contribute to India’s global sustainability commitments?

Measures promoting climate resilience, sustainable mobility, circularity, and inclusive infrastructure directly advance SDG 11, SDG 9, SDG 13, and SDG 6, aligning India’s urban growth with international sustainability goals.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following  statements is correct? (2019) 

(a) Waste generators have to segregate waste into five categories.   

(b) The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only   

(c) The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.   

(d) It is mandatory on the part of the waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.   

Ans: (c) 

---

Mains

1. The frequency of urban floods due to high intensity rainfall is increasing over the years. Discussing the reasons for urban floods, highlight the mechanisms for preparedness to reduce the risk during such events. (2016)

2. Do government schemes for up-lifting vulnerable and backward communities by protecting required social resources for them, lead to their exclusion in establishing businesses in urban economies? (2014)