Making Indian Cities Sustainable

We live in a world where the resources are non-renewable and we continue to use them without any regard for the future. How often do we see the food being wasted or the switches being kept on for no reason. This raises a concern on how can we make our world more sustainable.  In the western countries there have been a lot of efforts regarding the creation of sustainable cities, but our country is still far from being sustainable. So what exactly is a sustainable city? It can be defined as a city designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact, and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same.

There is not an agreed definition of what a sustainable city should comprise of but it is agreed upon whatever makes the city use the least amount of resources to make itself functional varying from less use of fuel to water recycling plants.

Thus for the same purpose we have the concept of smart city projects whose ultimate goal is to make cities liveable by leveraging technology to serve people. It is designed to optimize resources to promote sound and sustainable development.  The focus of any smart/intelligent/sustainable city should be its people, providing benefits such as: A better quality of life for residents and visitors and Economic competitiveness to attract industry and talent.

The Indian phrase - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which means- our world is a family, concisely portrays India’s approach to accomplishing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. India is now the second fastest growing economy in the world, recently losing its place to China, which shows its ability and resolve to achieve the 17 universal goals. This blog aims to capture the methodologies undertaken by India in doing so:

1)     Ending Poverty and its dimensions- The United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index reported that India has been successful in uplifting two seventy one million people from poverty in the past decade. MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and various other poverty alleviating acts such as providing insurance and pensions to a larger population have had a positive impact on India’s poverty rates.

2)     Ending hunger along with achieving food security – India has been working extensively to reduce hunger and malnutrition among its population and to achieve food security by methods such as sustainable agriculture. PDS (Public Distribution System) has been highly effective in distributing food grains at highly subsidised and affordable rates to the poor in India. Various other schemes such as the Mid- Day Meal Scheme is designed to provide high nutrition food to school children all over the nation.

Following are some of the features which Indian cities should incorporate in their policy implementation:

Transport

1. Promoting cycling and walkability. There is more and more awareness of the need to plan for walkability and cyclability in cities. The spread of cycle hiring facilities such as the schemes in London and Paris, and recognition of the needs of cyclists are important because cycling and walking have numerous benefits in terms of reduced congestion, improved air quality, promoting health and reducing health costs.
2. Extensive provision of electric vehicle charging points. Though there has been less penetration of electric vehicles in the Indian market but this will be a major issue in the coming years. This encourages their uptake, especially if electric scooters and other small vehicles are facilitated for what are, after all, the majority of journeys: short ones. Hire schemes for small electric vehicles, like those schemes mentioned for bikes above, allow people to use one for a journey, and leave it where they are going for someone else to use.
3. Seamless travel. Properly joined-up public transport systems allow people easily to hop from bus to Metro/subway to train using the same payment method and without having to wait very long. Being able to take a bike on a train or even the Metro/subway is desirable.

Buildings

1. Remote monitoring and management. Wireless building energy monitoring systems allow all existing buildings to be remotely monitor able and controlled to minimise energy use and identify hot spots for action. If energy usage is made public in real time to employees together with its degree of alignment with reduction targets, everybody is enabled to get on board the efficiency agenda.
2. Densification. Dense cities are more sustainable because the impact per unit is less, up to a limit. Accommodation will become more affordable, in general, as a result. Land use should be mixed, with light industry interspersed with retail, office and workshop space and services to create local jobs and social diversity, part of the art of place making.
3. Climate resilience: It should go without saying these days that planning requirements for the built environment include protection from weather extremes: overheating, flooding and storms.

Energy

1. Local energy: community energy and district heating schemes, combined heat and power, heat pumps (whether ground or water source), should all be encouraged.
2. Solar energy: The ability to use dye-sensitive PV coatings on building cladding to generate electricity is being pioneered in Swansea by Tata Steel for instance, and will become available and cost effective in just a few years. The advantage is that surfaces do not need to point at the sun to be efficient and the panels don't take up land space.

Food

1. Urban growing. On the individual level of city dwellers, after energy consumption, food consumption is the biggest source of carbon emissions, then transport, consumables and housing. Urban growing can include: rooftop and vertical gardens, allotments, teaching children to grow food in schools, community-supported agriculture, farmers markets, and, on the horizon, growing food intensively indoors, both traditional and novel (engineered) foodstuffs.
2. Making space for nature: if space is to be made for the natural environment – to improve biodiversity and local air quality, reduce the 'heat island' effect, and improve well-being – why should the plants and trees not be edible: nuts, fruit, herbs, decorative brassicas, and so on? Let's see an end to the use of plants just for 'low-maintenance green cover' and have more useful plants managed by community groups.

Heavy investment and proper implementation of policies is the way out for making Indian Cities sustainable. Addition of new cities under Smart-City projects and accomplishing the desired objectives should be the way ahead. It is clear that, although sustainability has environment, social and economic dimensions, it is the former that has dominated in the debates. Thus, we all being citizens of India, together can make a change and make not only our nation but the world a better and more sustainable place to live in!