Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
The Bikaner Development Authority Bill, 2025, passed by the Rajasthan Assembly, aims to establish a Bikaner Development Authority to regulate development activities in the Bikaner district. The bill was passed by voice vote, with the opposition Congress walking out of the House due to insufficient discussion. The bill was introduced …
In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
With global population increasingly concentrating in urban areas, cities are driving national economic growth, while also grappling with challenges such as inequalities, affordable housing shortages, extreme weather events, pollution, and loss of green space. National Urban Policies (NUPs) can play a key role in managing these challenges and unlocking the …
In the face of the global imperative to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 °C (above pre-industrial level), as outlined in the Paris Agreement, nations have been striving to transition towards a net-zero economy. This challenge is particularly pronounced for India, where the dual goals of fulfilling developmental aspirations …
The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), a report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), provides an annual snapshot of the progress of the buildings and construction sector on a global scale. The Buildings-GSR reviews the status of …
Some projects under the Smart Cities Mission would not be able to meet the June 30 deadline and the respective state governments would be responsible for completing them thereafter, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. In its report on the …
By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will be living in the world’s towns and cities, with almost 50 per cent of that growth taking place in the Commonwealth. Member States, both large and small, are facing the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded …
Research on migration and urban development in Africa has primarily focused on larger cities and rural-to-urban migration. However, 97 percent of Africa’s urban centers have fewer than 300,000 inhabitants, and a sizable share of urban migrants come from other urban areas. A more holistic and dynamic perspective, incorporating migration flows …
Extensive transformations of urban areas in rapidly urbanizing developing countries can be a powerful vehicle for advancing low-carbon urban growth that supports global decarbonization goals. The scale of urban growth in these countries underscores the need to pursue low-carbon urbanization pathways and avoid carbon-intensive development. The report highlights the urgency …
The Smart Cities Mission in India, launched in 2015, is a unique experiment undertaken with the aim of improving people’s quality of life in cities. It bypasses traditional institutional approaches and employs innovative methods to achieve its targets. This brief provides an overview of the work initiated under the mission …
Urbanisation is the mega trend reshaping Africa. The continent’s population is rapidly growing and is expected to reach 4 billion people by the end of the century. This is coupled with unprecedented rural-to-urban migration, driven largely by young people. As a result of this demographic confluence, the number of people …
The Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report 2023 entitled, Crisis Resilient Urban Futures, is a comprehensive analysis and assessment of sustainable urban development in the Asia and Pacific region at a time of great disruption and uncertainty resulting from multiple interlinked global crises in a post-pandemic era. This report …
Drawing on relevant international trends and best practices, the current report lays out an analytical framework to assess a variety of factors that can enable a building to become energy efficient and grid-interactive. The framework is used to analyse the current situation in countries of the ASEAN region. The report …
In this report, the transformation of 100 cities across India as part of Smart Cities Mission (SCM) is examined through the lens of SDGs. The mission has reached the lives of more than 100 million urban dwellers in India. The 100 Smart Cities are representative of India’s urban geography. SCM …
Developing countries should switch from unsustainable building practices to using alternative low-carbon building materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a new UN report highlighted. The world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris every five days, states the report — Building Materials and The Climate: Constructing A New Future …
African cities and local governments are under increasing pressure to provide infrastructure and services to the growing population. Yet, most remain severely under-resourced, leaving them unable to make the necessary investments. This situation has been exacerbated by the struggle of African cities and municipalities to access third-party finance, including debt. …
SDG11 provides a critical ‘entry point’ into the 2030 Agenda for urban decision-makers, stakeholders and community groups, who often engage in a voluntary or ad-hoc manner with both national and international processes. By focusing on the urban goal, SDG knowledge exchange and training programs have demonstrated that sub-national actors can …
The Governor of Punjab has issued the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Building (Amendment) Rules, 2023. The amendment provides following provisions: Maximum floor to floor height of Booths or Shops or Shop-cum-Offices shall not be more than 14′-0″. Clear height of the basement shall not be more than 3 meter.
Buildings should provide safe, comfortable, and healthy environments for people to live and work. They are an essential component of societies and economies, housing critical infrastructure necessary to keep governments and businesses in operation. At the same time, buildings are the first line of defense against natural hazards and climate …
With the aim of conserving energy, the UT Administration has unveiled the draft Chandigarh Energy Conservation Building Code, 2023, and invited suggestions, if any, within 30 days. Formulated as per the composite climate of the city, the code will set minimum requirements for an energy-efficient design and construction of buildings. …
