Indian cities rank poorly

Brij Bhardwaj
Indian cities rank poorly on all parameters like economic strength, physical capital, financial maturity, social and cultural character, environmental and natural hazards and global appeal. The poor ranking has been reflected in a survey carried out by the Intelligence unit of the Economist as well as by European Union on basis of global appeal. The general weaknesses pointed out include poor civic set up with little power in the hands of Mayors while all important decisions rest with State Chief Ministers who may not have much attachment to the city. Indian cities have scored poorly both on account of livability and sustainability.
Climate Change and the Urban Heat Island effect are two powerful concerns that have brought about this revolutionary wave of sustainable development. In order to mitigate the impacts of these dangerous phenomena, environmental preservation has become a priority issue for cities. Measures for curtailing these issues range from reforestation of new areas as well as maintaining the existing green spaces in the cities by ensuring that urban development does not act as encroaching agent to parks and forest areas. This also includes preserving the species that inhabit these green areas as well, often by repopulating those near extinction in research institutes.
Other segment that is geared towards protecting the environment is that of green infrastructure. Cities should develop and use energy efficiency systems for heating and lighting; create renewable energy mechanisms; reduce, reuse, and recycle waste and water; and make a move towards using renewable materials. While larger cities may have the ability to develop such systems, smaller cities tend to do these at a regional level.
Quality of Life:
In order for a city to be sustainable, it must be attractive for its local population as well as target immigrants and tourists who are planning to relocate. In order for a city to provide good quality living, it should have good educational institutes, open green spaces which have play grounds a critical factors for families; recreational amenities such as fine dining restaurants, movie theatres, bars; it should have a cultural draw of museums, art galleries libraries; and it must also have adequate infrastructure to promote a healthy living by means of gymnasiums, running tracks, parks etc. The city should have an ease of mobility, affordable housing and a safe environment which is free from criminal activities. While all these amenities are not possible to find in small cities, a successful approach to create such a quality of living is by developing a cluster of such amenities at a regional level. For instance, Monterey Bay in the USA is a ‘liveable’ area because of the way in which its region has developed. The city of Monterey provides attractions like the educational institutes, activities such as fishing, kayaking, etc. while its neighbouring cities such as Pebble Beach provide golf courses and Carmel City provides sandy beaches. Therefore, each town offers its unique facilities that allow the region to function.
Political Will and Public Participation:
This is perhaps the most critical factor in the development of a sustainable city. In order for sustainable development to take place, it must have funding, management, implementation, and evaluation bodies which are usually formed at the  Government level. While non-government agencies and private players have also contributed to the sustainability movement, maximum success is reached when public and private players work in cooperation and coordination. Additionally, it is essential for the locals to be immersed in the initiatives that are being made for sustainable success of a city. The first step for this is to create a heightened sense of awareness about the challenges surrounding sustainability and also make them aware of the different measures that are being adopted to overcome these challenges. Cities in many parts of the world have school curriculums which educate the youth about such measures; businesses have sustainability champions who create this awareness amongst employees; and there is a galore of activists who are constantly trying to launch environmental campaigns to raise awareness as well as funds.
To summarize, in order for planned sustainable development to take place, it is essential to have customized policies and measures for the region or city which is being developed. It is essential to have a diversified economy, adequate transportation links, environment friendly initiatives, a good quality of life, and public and private coordination in creating sustainable development success stories for cities.
On this basis most of Indian cities fall short. The problems have multiplied because of large scale migration of rural population to cities in search of employment. This puts pressure on civic infrastructure. Most of our cities are suffering from shortage of water and power.
Unauthorised colonies and slums pose serious challenges. A time has come when strong civic administration with support from State Governments and Centre backed by public support create a new model to make our cities liveable, sustainable and attractive as destination for investment and people to migrate

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