Urban Green Growth Strategies for Indian Cities

This research is a collection of fifteen urban practices that represent how cities in India respond locally to the urban challenges they face, through the adoption of green growth approaches. The cases have been chosen to illustrate themes on environment, economy, energy, housing, transport, water supply and sanitation and solid waste management. They are spread all over India and demonstrate a broad range of approaches and cities’ commitment to engage with ecologically sustainable, economically efficient and participative urban development.

These urban green growth good practices are a rich mix of initiatives, each of which responds to a specific challenge in a city. As part of the ‘Urban Green Growth Strategies for Indian Cities’, these practices were analyzed, and specific questions were asked to understand the practices’ relevance to urban development and Green Growth in other cities in India, like, What are the innovative solutions that are being tested? What barriers have to be overcome? How are finances committed and managed? Is there capacity in the city, and can this be mobilized? Is the leadership in the city willing to take this step?

At the time these practices were conceived and implemented in the cities, the concept of Green Growth was not prevalent. In the preliminary phases of the project, a set of indicators was identified by the project team, to help shortlist initiatives in Indian cities that could correspond to the concept of Green Growth. The team thus examined good practices that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive, and that led to improved governance.