India has been the fastest growing major economy in the world, with an average growth of 7% from 2017-18 to 2018-19, and a consistently increasing share in the world’s GDP. It is the world’s seventh-largest economy by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
There are over 4,400 statutory towns and cities in India with around 40 crores inhabitants today. At the current rate of growth, the urban population in India is estimated to reach a staggering 60 crores by 2030 (WUP, 2018). According to Census 2011, as many as 53 cities in India had a million-plus population. It is projected that more than 50% of the country’s population will be urban by 2050 (WUP, 2018). Cities currently contribute close to 60% of the GDP presently, and this is estimated to rise to 70% by 2030. 60% of urban citizens will move into the middle-class bracket by 2030.
The hypothesis that urbanization is necessarily beneficial for economic growth cannot be taken for granted. Our cities have to overcome a number of challenges in order to realize their potential as engines of growth. One such challenge which cannot be negated is climate change and actions for the same is needed urgently and the same will also have to be integrated and mainstreamed within cities development plans to not only safeguard people and livelihood but also the investments which are being made towards infrastructure.
Given the above context, the presentation will cover the key findings from The Climate-Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0 which is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs covering over 126 cities, including 100 Smart Cities and 26 cities with a population of over 500,000. The assessment was carried out across 28 climate indicators under five themes (i) Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity (ii) Energy and Green Buildings; (iii) Mobility and Air Quality; (vi) Water Management and (v) Waste Management. The indicators formulated are progressive and aspirational in nature and it is not only the reflection of the current performance of cities in India but also provides guidance to progress in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner.
About the speaker:
Dr. Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar is Chair, Urban Resilience Unit and Heading the Climate Centre for Cities (C-Cube) at National Institute of Urban Affairs, India. He has over 18 years of experience in developing risk reduction strategies, climate change analysis, institutional strengthening for governments, INGOs and multi-lateral agencies. His recent efforts have been towards bridging the technology and communication gap to enable informed decision making. He has been the team leader and project manager for some of the pioneering risk resilience efforts in India including implementation of early warning systems, urban disease surveillance and city resilience strategies.
His work has been published as peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports and has been presented at various international and national forums. Several of his work has been commended in the form of grants and awards. His recent work on the development and implementation of the Urban Health Services Monitoring System has been recognized as an intervention to watch, by the U.N Secretary General’s global pulse initiative.
This webinar is part of ‘NZEB Knowledge Series’ – an initiative supported by USAID’s MAITREE program to accelerate the discussions and catalyse actions on Net Zero Energy Buildings in India.