Reimagining the urban future

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

The past few monsoons have revealed the disquieting inadequacy of urban planning and infrastructure in India. This season, the cities in the National Capital Region, for instance, are struggling to function after intense rainfall, thanks to clogged drains and construction that disregards topography. In summer, many cities report heat deaths and crippling water shortages. Against this backdrop, the findings of the World Bank's Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India report should be a wake-up call. To blunt the triple threat of flooding, water scarcity, and heat, India's urban centres need a minimum investment of $2.4 trillion by 2050, the report estimates. While investments in the urban sector have been scaled up through initiatives such as AMRUT, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the PM-AWAS Yojana, and the recently concluded Smart Cities Mission, there is still a huge gap. And to make the most of even the available funds, city administrations need adequate capacity to prepare impactful projects, ensure proper implementation, and monitor their effectiveness in the long-run.
The problem of capacities runs deeper than just the ability to spend funds. What cities lack is the ability to raise finances — even basic user charges for municipal services and taxes are not adequately collected. To employ innovative instruments such as green municipal bonds or getting the private sector to partner in building the climate resilience would require city administrations to set their house in order. More importantly, power and finances need to be adequately devolved to urban local bodies. To that end, executive and political imagination needs to be unlocked to suit the future needs.
These findings outline the challenges — financial, environmental, and administrative — that lie ahead. Without adequate spending on climate adaptation infrastructure — better drainage, architecture that reduces the need for cooling and lighting — an urban crisis looms. For instance, heat mitigation measures can save up to 130,000 lives and increase the GDP by 0.4% a year, against the backdrop of exposure to dangerous heat stress having doubled between 1983-1990 and 2010-2016 in 10 of India's largest cities. Similarly, losses from pluvial flooding could worsen without regular upkeep and upgrades of the drainage system. All this calls for urgent municipal action, especially since India's urban population is expected to rise from 480 million in 2020 to 950 million by 2050.
That only half the infrastructure needed to support the growth in urban population has been built (as the report says) is both a challenge and an opportunity. The report's recommendation that a dedicated national urban resilience programme be developed along with a financing strategy needs a close look.