SUBMITTED BY -

Gauri Waikar
Sem – X
Roll no. – 23
Year – 2021-22

SUBMITTED TO -
Ar. Aamod Karmaksha

SUSTAINABLE
URBANISM
EVS
 1. What are the challenges of planning low carbon cities in India?
Low carbon city can be defined as a city that comprises of societies that consume sustainable
green technology, green practices and emit relatively low carbon or GHG as compared with
present day practice to avoid the adverse impacts on climate change.
Low carbon city is a place where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They
meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment and
contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and offer
equality in opportunity and good urban services for all (household or building level, community
level, city/region/state global level). Accordingly, a matrix can be developed integrating the
critical issues and actions at the policy, strategic and at operational stage .
Challenges - There are several challenges that India still faces as it attempts to conduct its low
carbon transition. These challenges include, but are not limited to, obtaining funding for
renewable energy projects, Global warming and its effects, resolving inefficiencies in the coal
sector, building capacity and infrastructure in the natural gas and renewable energy sectors and
proper management of India’s upcoming urban transition. It should be acknowledged that India
has many opportunities to help conduct the transition as well. Policy shifts designed to increase
private capital funding for renewable energy projects, technological shifts aimed at solving the
inefficiencies in the coal sector, and updated methodologies for the management of urban sprawl
in India’s growing cities could be the key to ensuring that India is the first emerging economy in
the world to manage a successful low carbon economic transition. In acknowledging the
complexities associated with India’s low carbon transition, it is also important to contextualize
the transition against India’s broader development goals.
 A. Main Challenges faced for planning low carbon cities :
• Inadequate policy and regulatory frameworks that support environmentally sustainable
development in cities
Rapid Urban Growth takes place which includes Increased travel, Old Stock non-energy efficient
in buildings, Rapid urbanization.
Urban sprawl which includes Increased use of Private Automobiles, Demand and supply gap,
Low levels of present supply.
Improving economy and income levels i.e Poor infrastructure - Lack of financing for initiatives
on environmentally sustainable urban development.
Changing demographic structure which are Energy efficient fuel choices and Low affordability
levels.
• Insufficient capacity of cities to plan, design and implement integrated sustainable development
actions in Low Carbon Development of Urban Communities integrated sustainable development
actions
• Lack of available replicable successful examples of sustainable development applications at the
urban level.
• Lack of easily accessible information on feasible and applicable technologies and practices on
sustainable urban development.

2. Write a note on Resilient City.

Resilience: “The ability of a system (e.g. a city system) to absorb disturbance and
reorganize to retain ‘essentially the same function, structure, identity and feedbacks’.

“concerns the capacity of an urban system –including its natural, built, social and economic
elements –to manage change, learn from difficult situations and be in a position to rebound
after experiencing significant stress or shock”

Resilient cities
Resilient cities are cities that have the ability to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks
(economic, environmental, social & institutional). Resilient cities promote sustainable
development, well-being and inclusive growth.  
The Cities project is structured into 4 sections:

Four Areas that drive resilience city -

Economy
A diverse number of industries
A dynamic economy to generate growth
Conditions allow innovation to take place
People have access to employment, education, services, skills training.

 Governance
Clear leadership and management
Strategic and integrated approaches are taken by leaders
Public sector has the right skills
Government is open and transparent

Society
Society is inclusive and cohesive
Citizens’ networks in communities are active
Neighborhood is safe
Citizens enjoy healthy lives

Environment
Ecosystem is sound and diverse
Infrastructure can meet basic needs
Adequate natural resources are available
Coherent policy towards land use

Examples –

International example - Mexico City

It has attempted to compile a list of 10 features a resilient cities, and to this others have added
more, removing and combining some. Here is the compiled list. Does your city possess many of
them?

1. There is good support for cycling, with cycle lanes and a bike sharing scheme.

2. There is a good public transport system, with rapid transit buses, trains or metros.

3. The city has a high walkability score, with good street connectivity, well-maintained
footpaths and pedestrian crossings, and nearby destinations.

4. There are many places to charge up an electric or hybrid vehicle, perhaps with workplaces
with charging facilities.

5. Local building codes support the use of passive heating and cooling to minimise energy
use in buildings.

6. Buildings use biomimicry and there are plenty of spaces for nature, with trees planted along
the streets and sustainable urban drainage, or low impact development, that can easily absorb
excess rainfall.

7. It's possible to obtain locally grown food, whether from community-supported agriculture,
farm shops, indoor growing, community growing schemes or allotments.

8. There is a district heating system and plenty of locally-produced renewable energy.

9. The Internet is delivered through a mesh network that can only fail if every node in the
network fails, making it much more robust.

10. There are well attended local neighborhood associations or civic groups with participatory
budgeting that seeks input of the community and a receptive local authority.

2. National examples –
Siliguri Coimbatore Rajkot 32000 streetlights have been converted to LED. 100 KwP solar
rooftop is under installation with pilot project in two wards.Siliguri was the first city to ratify the
Climate Resilient City Action Plan (CRCAP).Need for an exclusive set up at city level to take up
climate action works and financial support is required

Pune, with its strong manufacturing base and growing IT and education sectors, has seen its
transportation system come under stress. It is also an earthquake - prone city. Pune’s Chief
Resilience Officer (CRO) –says that they work with the local government body to help prepare it
for future challenges.

3. What do you understand by Sustainable City? Explain.

 Sustainability in the human context -

It is what leads to sustainable development. Human endeavor focuses on certain basic
assumptions like good income; livelihoods which give meaning to life; production of goods and
services for basic needs; creation of purchasing power; regeneration of the natural resource base;
conservation of the environment; control on demographic transitions from the rural to the urban
sector, empowerment and employment for women.

Thus, a sustainable city can be defined as one which is able to provide for the basic needs of the
people along with the necessary infrastructure of civic amenities, health and medical care,
housing, education, transportation, employment, good governance, etc. It should take care of the
needs of all sections of the society without any discrimination.

As it pertains to Indian conditions, due emphasis should be given to control population and
provide housing to the weaker sections of society who live in sub-human conditions in slums,
subsisting below the poverty line and causing environmental degradation. Burgeoning population
also leads to exploitation, crime and lawlessness due to the ever shrinking job opportunities. For
example, Delhi adds on 400,000 people every year due to migration from all over India, thus
putting a question mark on the sustainability of this capital metropolis. This alarming increase in
population puts an enormous strain on housing, employment, healthcare, water and electricity.
Large "green" areas are converted to housing colonies, leading to environmental degradation.

 Sustainable City -
The concept of sustainable cities is closely interconnected with environment and economy
and safeguard protection of natural resources, which in turn leads to a minimum acceptable
quality of life. There is a constant struggle with issues of air pollution, congestion of human
population and availability of open, green spaces. Strong, healthy, livable cities depend on a
healthy environment, a robust economy and ample employment opportunities for its citizens.

 Characteristics of a Sustainable City

A sustainable city is a city which has :

o A controlled population for whom adequate, meaningful employment is available.

o Adequate governance set-up which can meet the needs of the populace and ensures civic
responsibilities, community participation, a sense of identity, transparency and equity in local
institutions.

o Efficient basic civic amenities for a reasonably comfortable existence. For example, due to
the shortage of power, more than 50% of power is illegally consumed without payment to the
municipal corporation, leading to corruption, astronomical financial losses and inadequate
supply to those who pay for its consumption. Same goes for water, which is inadequate to
meet the demands of the population.

o Planned housing colonies with adequate infrastructure like schools, parks, drainage system,
local medicare establishments.

o An appropriate transport system, as transportation affects the environment. Transportation

planning has to take into consideration a wide range of options and choices like adequate
roads, parking lots, alternate system of transportation, mass transit facilities. The aim should
be to reduce the total vehicle kilometres driven in congested areas, thus reducing the
pollution and emission of green house gases. This can only be effected if the number of
vehicles on roads are reduced. At present, there are about 34 lakh registered vehicles on
Delhi’s roads, of which over 22 lakh are two-wheelers which are the main polluting vehicles.

o Effective environmental infrastructure to address the issues of untreated sewage and waste
polluting rivers, lakes and coastal zones, (thus threatening water ecosystems).

o Empowerment of women and encouraging their participation in the political, social and
economic life of a city and adoption of urban policies that take into account women’s needs
and initiatives.

o Development of an efficient urban private sector, both formal and non-formal which
reduces poverty by generating jobs and helping in economic growth.
n An efficient health-care system which would also address issues of nutrition, family
planning and sanitation.
o A mechanism in the form of a policy initiative for industrial dispersal to satellite townships
where better employment opportunities are created.

 Advantages of a Sustainable City

The importance of sustainability in the urban setting cannot be over emphasized. As it
concerns the very survival of a city, healthy cities contribute to a healthy nation.
Clean environment and economic growth are complimentary to each other and result
in a vibrant community who see themselves as "stakeholders" in all aspects of daily
life. In addition, the advantages are :

n A city which provides its inhabitants with every basic amenity for a reasonable
standard of living.
n Resources used are regenerated and sustained without getting depleted.
 n A society which takes part in good governance and allocation of its economic
resources for the well being of its people.
n Where citizens are law-abiding, conscious of their role and contribute to the all
round development of the city.

 Issues to be addressed -
For a sustainable city, the following aspects have to be addressed:

Empowerment: Addressing the economic, social, political and institutional

inequalities which prevent the poor and disadvantaged groups from having access to
and influence over policies and interventions, which in turn influence their lives.

Security: Addressing the risk and vulnerability which poor communities in the big
cities will increasingly face in the global environment and which may trap them into
poverty.
 
Opportunity: Putting in place the conditions for investment and sustainable
development of the environment or increase risk and vulnerability.
 
Financing: For improving public services and utilities, employment opportunities,
housing, health and education for all communities in the cities.