Blog Posts: Urban Development

India has the highest number of traffic-crash deaths in the world. Of the 140,000 fatalities that occur annually, more than 40 percent take place in urban areas. A large percentage of these are pedestrians and bicyclists, who typically comprise more than half of the road users in Indian cities. Often, motorists are booked for recklessness, whereas the actual cause and subsequent solution may lie elsewhere. Yet, the popular discourse around road safety is focused on measures that make vehicular-use safer, such as enforcing traffic rules, the use of helmets and seat belts and avoiding drunk-...

This blog post originally appeared in TheCityFix

India has the highest number of accident fatalities in the world. But the pressing issue of road safety is rarely taken seriously. This is particularly apparent, given the high frequency and intensity of risks that motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists take on a daily basis.

Statistics of road...

This blog post originally appeared in RTCC.

Cities exist in a region and cannot be defined by their geographic or municipal boundaries alone. The future trajectory of urban growth is often defined by migration patterns from surrounding regions, which in turn, is substantially determined by the relative socio-economic opportunities. It is therefore critical to understand the economic geography of land, water, and energy resources of the region, to be able to properly...

India will be one of the last major countries in the world to experience the urbanisation of its population. In 2010, 31 percent of India’s people lived in its cities. By 2030, this is expected to rise to 40 percent. This means that an additional 220 million people move to cities across the country.

Which cities will these people go to? Is it possible to create jobs for these people? Will they have a good quality of life?

An enormous challenge

Approximately 100 million people will go to or be...

The year will see global leaders make some critical decisions for the world economy and the environment, impacting the future of current and future generations. India’s newly elected government represents a unique new opportunity to deliver this. The country’s economy, now valued at $2.1 trillion, needs to follow a trajectory of robust, equitable and sustainable growth that includes all of its 1.25 billion citizens. All eyes have been on India as it announced its Union Budget for 2015-16, an important vehicle for transporting millions of its citizens out of poverty. Being the new...

A frontrunner in bringing in innovative mechanisms such as Accommodation Reservation (AR) and Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) in 1991, the expectations from the Mumbai Development Plan are very high. The Greater Mumbai Draft Development Plan 2034 does not disappoint on many levels. Several commendable recommendations are visible such as hinging FSI increases to transit served areas, halving parking requirements within transit...

If one looks at the way India is currently growing, it is hard not to see the stress on cities and the rising energy insecurity. Congestion, urban sprawl and poor access to reliable energy make for daunting challenges to the development of the country. Course corrective measures, which focus on compact and connected cities that use more renewable energy and plan for universal energy access, are going to be needed right away for economic growth to enhance human well-being.

The Problem

India’s cities are bursting with growth. The country’s urban population will cross 600...

It is increasingly recognised that cities are both powerhouses of economic growth and the primary drivers of economic prosperity, worldwide. This holds true for urban India as well, where exponential growth is expected not only in existing metropolitan areas, but also in the innovative form of...