Published on 07 Apr 2025
The main goal is to infuse sustainability strategies into urban planning and management at the city level and create an enabling climate for investments in green infrastructure that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve service delivery and enhance the quality of living for all citizens, thereby building resilience and strengthening the governance capacity of the cities. A major component of the project is to develop an Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF) for spatial planning in India which is designed as a decision support tool for municipal commissioners and urban practitioners to support sustainable and resilient urban planning and management of cities in India. The performance of the city on the USAF will be provided in the City Profile and Diagnostics Report. These reports will inform the Sustainability City Strategies and related actions and interventions.
Significance of SCIAP project
Holistic Approach: It takes a comprehensive approach to urban development, considering how many areas and aspects of sustainability such as land use, transportation, and energy efficiency are interconnected.
Capacity Building: Its goal is to increase the ability of stakeholders, policymakers, urban planners, and local governments to successfully plan, carry out, and oversee sustainable urban development initiatives.
Demonstration Effect: It acts as a model for scaling up effective methods, imitating best practices, and mainstreaming sustainability concepts into urban development policies across the country by testing integrated approaches and creative solutions in chosen communities.
Innovative Solutions: The project encourages the use of innovative technologies, procedures, and laws to improve urban sustainability, such as smart technology and green infrastructure.
Partnership and Collaboration: It encourages cooperation and collaborations between public sector entities, local government bodies, civil society organizations, and commercial sector players.
Challenges of SCIAP project
Complexity and Interconnectedness: Overcoming institutional fragmentation, coordination issues across many sectors, and siloed methods are necessary to tackle the complex difficulties of urban sustainability.
Political Will and Leadership: Bureaucratic barriers and delay in mobilizing resources for development projects are a big challenge.
Limited resources and competing priorities: Investments in training, technical assistance, and institutional strengthening, which can be constrained by limited resources and competing priorities.
Gaps in data and information: Data gaps, quality issues, and information asymmetry can hinder effective planning and implementation.
Way Forward
Scaling Up and Replication: Successful pilot projects should be scaled up, best practices replicated to sustainable urban development mainstreamed throughout cities and regions through policy changes, capacity building, and information transfer mechanisms.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish effective frameworks for monitoring and evaluating work, performance metrics, and data management tools to assess results, track advancement, and guide evidence-based choices.
Policy Integration: For incorporating sustainability concepts into urban development policies, plans, and regulations, strengthen policy coherence, integration, and alignment across various sectors and governmental levels.
Innovation and Technology: Encourage the uptake of modern technologies, smart solutions, and environmentally friendly methods to improve resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and urban resilience.
Environment
Sustainable development
Cities
SCIAP
General Studies Paper 3
Environment and Climate Change