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 …
This new report explores how climate and urban challenges could be addressed in tandem to set African cities on a path of prosperity and sustainable long-term development. It recommends steps that governments at national, local and city level could employ to attract the capital needed to address priorities around development …
The NITI Aayog launched a report on measures to ramp up urban planning capacity in India, recommending 'Healthy City for All' by 2030. The report also recommended a Central Sector Scheme '500 Healthy Cities Programme', for a period of 5 years, wherein priority cities and towns would be selected jointly …
All cities around the world face common challenges, related to the provision of housing, water, energy, transport and waste management. Achieving net zero at city scale requires a transformation in how energy is produced, distributed and consumed in support of these services. This briefing paper shows how the built environment …
This paper examines spatial heterogeneity in the impacts of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban household incomes in Ethiopia and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Combining new panel household surveys with spatial data, the fixed-effects regression analysis for Ethiopia finds that households in large and densely populated …
The 26th edition of UNEP’s Foresight Brief explains the ‘build back better’ strategy in the context of urban livelihoods - a strategy, that has to mean ’building back greener’. The livelihoods of urban residents are shaped by the complex relationship between environmental, social and economic issues affecting inhabitants of urban …
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can help cities address urgent and fundamental environmental challenges by bringing ecosystems services back into cities and rebalancing cities’ relationships with their surrounding areas. By accelerating the implementation of NbS, decision-makers can help cities adapt to effects of climate change, reduce urban heat island effects and cooling …
In view of the challenges and risks that the pandemic has exposed, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has carried out an on-ground investigation of selected mass housing schemes and redevelopment schemes to assess locational disadvantages and gaps in services and infrastructure. This investigation covers a diverse set of …
This report, Governing Smart Cities, provides a benchmark for cities looking to establish policies for ethical and responsible governance of their smart city programmes. It explores current practices relating to five foundational policies: ICT accessibility, privacy impact assessment, cyber accountability, digital infrastructure and open data. The findings are based on …
The low-carbon transformation of China’s urban areas is a crucial action towards meeting the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal. In this policy insight, Jasmine Tillu presents the economic case for this transformation. There is a strong economic case for transforming the development trajectory of China’s cities. Urban infrastructure investments and spatial …
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 8, 2021 has issued the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021. The Provision under the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021 …
A new report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), supported by professional services firm, Arup, calls on the built environment industry to adopt a whole life-cycle approach to assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings. The authors of the report estimate that less than 1% of …
The enduring image of a city is a busy population always on the move. Yet, as this assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment shows, mobility in Indian cities is severely hampered by a wide range of constraints: inadequate public transport and lack of access to it, less-than-ideal last-mile …
It is becoming increasingly clear that the complex and interrelated challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and rising inequality will not be solved without a fundamental transformation of our societies. Far-reaching changes are needed to our technologies and infrastructures, cultures and lifestyles, as well as adaptations to the corresponding governance …
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to influence Europe's transition towards more environmentally sustainable urbanisation patterns for years to come. European cities have been at the forefront of the crisis from the very beginning, not only bearing the worst impacts but also becoming key actors in advocating for a green and …
Major Ghanaian cities are at a critical point that will determine whether they become an engine of or a burden on the country’s development. Ghana’s urban areas contribute to more than two-thirds of the country’s gross national product, and cities will continue to grow rapidly, especially those other than capital …
The impact of a global pandemic on the world is still being felt. But which cities dealt with it the best and where does yours rank? The Liveability Index examines 140 cities worldwide to quantify the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in the past year, for the first time …
The master plan is a roadmap for the future development of the city. It assesses the present condition of the city and works as a guideline to achieve the desired development. Greener environment, Yamuna cleaning, economy focusing on areas such as IT, service sector and hospitality, enhanced mobility promoting cleaner …
This issue paper proposes a novel framework to support a transformative recovery in cities of the global South. COVID-19 has created a critical juncture in the development of cities in the global South. Local governments and grassroots organisations have led urban responses that have been pivotal in shaping the pandemic’s …
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an opportunity and the potential for national urban policy (NUP) to shape more resilient, green and inclusive cities as part of countries recovery packages. The scale and urgency of pressing and emerging urban challenges has become evident and has given prominence to NUP as a …
The intention of the initiative is to identify lessons on how to strengthen urban finance, building on a range of city case studies from countries selected to represent different levels of urbanisation and structural transformation, examples, and discussions with key stakeholders. Cities can be engines of productivity, but only when …
