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POLICY REVIEW
CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE
URBAN DEVELOPMENT:
OUTLINING AN APPROACH FOR INDIAN CITIES
PROF. RAMAKRISHNA Cities need to meet with the population and urbanization
sustainability challenges in the
levels. The UN Habitat (2022)
NALLATHIGA wake of global climate change and estimates that India’s urban
its consequences by re-orienting population is expected to
their approach towards planning, become 607 million by 2030
regulation, conservation and AD and 675 million by 2035
disaster management. They need AD, which clearly indicates
to promote more sustainable land a more rapid urbanization.
use planning policies that prevent India is projected to become
suburban sprawl, adopt better 50 per cent urbanized by
“In order to meet with climate development control regulations 2050AD, but even that level
change challenges and steer that promote compact city might be achieved earlier if the
towards sustainability, cities development, conserve the blue- current trends of urbanization
need to come out with several green spaces for sustainability continue at such a rapid pace.
counter measures that reduce and increase resilience through Individual experts note that
the risks (or, mitigate some of disaster management and risk India would have already
surpassed 40 per cent level of
profiling as well as planning.
the impacts) as well as that Such approaches will lead to urbanization (Sridhar 2020), if
make them prepared to meet sustainable development and the urbanization is measured
the challenges (or, adaptation reduce risks/vulnerability to differently from that of official
measures). Such adaptation climate change impacts. method of estimation, which
and mitigation measures can is based on the conservative
be planned through strategic INTRODUCTION definition. World Bank (2013)
planning by city authorities.” India is on the cusp of rapid also estimated that India’s
urbanization and rapid urban population would be
economic growth. According much higher if the population
to Census (2011), India’s level in urban agglomerations is
of urbanization i.e., the share counted.
of urban to total population,
Key Words: Climate Change, While India has been
Sustainable Urban development, was 32 per cent; it would undergoing rapid
Compact City Development, blue-green have well surpassed 40 per urbanisation and rapid
cent by now. While the earlier
Professor Ramakrishna estimates had placed India’s urban population growth,it
Nallathiga(ramanallathiga@yahoo. urban population to be 591 has not seen a significant
co.uk) is Associate Professor, million by 2030 AD, or 40 per transformation of its’ cities
School of Planning, Real Estate and cent (MGI 2010), the recent in terms of sustainable
Infrastructure, NICMAR University, development. Sustainable
Pune estimates forecast higher development refers to ‘the
42 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
