Relevance: GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.

Key phrases: Sustainable Cities India program, World Economic Forum, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Net Zero Carbon Cities Mission, Energy Efficiency, Climate Change, Solid Waste Management, Urban Transport, UN SDG 11.

Why in News?

• WEF and National Institute of Urban Affairs have signed an MoU to collaborate on jointly designed ‘Sustainable Cities India program’.

Context:

• The World Economic Forum and the National Institute of Urban Affairs today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on a jointly designed Sustainable Cities India program. The program is aimed to create an enabling environment for cities to generate de-carbonization solutions.
• The program also intends to enable cities to decarbonize in a systematic and sustainable way that will reduce emissions and deliver resilient and equitable urban ecosystems.
• World Economic Forum and National Institute of Urban Affairs will adapt the Forum’s City Sprint process and Toolbox of Solutions for decarbonization in the context of five to seven Indian cities in two years.
• The World Economic Forum’s Net Zero Carbon Cities’ mission is aimed to create an enabling environment for clean electrification resulting in urban decarbonization and resilience.

Challenges faced by Indian Cities:

• Planning:
  • Many urban governments lack a modern planning framework
  • The multiplicity of local bodies obstructs efficient planning and land use
  • Rigid master plans and restrictive zoning regulations limit the land available for building, constricting cities’ abilities to grow in accordance with changing needs.
• Housing:
  • Building regulations that limit urban density - such as floor space indexes – reduce the number of houses available, thereby pushing up property prices
  • Outdated rent control regulations reduce the number of houses available on rent – a critical option for the poor
  • Poor access to micro finance and mortgage finance limit the ability of low income groups to buy or improve their homes
  • Policy, planning, and regulation deficiencies lead to a proliferation of slums
  • Weak finances of urban local bodies and service providers leave them unable to expand the trunk infrastructure that housing developers need to develop new sites.
• Service delivery:
  • Most services are delivered by city governments with unclear lines of accountability
  • There is a strong bias towards adding physical infrastructure rather than providing financially and environmentally sustainable services
  • Service providers are unable to recover operations and maintenance costs and depend on the government for finance
  • Independent regulatory authorities that set tariffs, decide on subsidies, and enforce service quality are generally absent.
• Infrastructure:
  • Most urban bodies do not generate the revenues needed to renew infrastructure, nor do they have the creditworthiness to access capital markets for funds
  • Urban transport planning needs to be more holistic – there is a focus on moving vehicles rather than meeting the needs of the large numbers of people who walk or ride bicycles in India’s towns and cities.
• Environment:
  • The deteriorating urban environment is taking a toll on people’s health and productivity and diminishing their quality of life.

Focus areas of Sustainable Cities India program

• Sustainable Cities India program aims to optimize the economic, financial, social, and environmental sustainability goals of cities.

The Initiative has following sustainable development modules or themes:

• Energy Efficiency and Climate Change: Globally cities account for more than 70% of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, a reality that places cities at the forefront of the climate change and sustainability agenda. In terms of energy consumption, cities generally account for about 60-80% of a country’s demand, either directly or indirectly. Consequently, the way cities are planned, financed and managed has a determining effect on sustainability outcomes and on the lives and livelihoods of city residents.
• Brownfield Development: Brownfields are derelict or underused sites with real, or perceived, contamination problems that create an obstacle to their development potential. As such, these sites represent both a problem and an opportunity. They pose a threat to humans and to the environment because they often house poorly contained contamination. On the other hand, redeveloped brownfields can become engines for economic development and an improved quality of life for the cities and communities where they are located.
• Municipal Finance: Decentralization in most parts of India has given municipalities increased autonomy and shifted more responsibilities and resources to local governments. Municipal discretion has expanded significantly and with it the amount of public funds managed at the local level. An ever growing share of public investment decisions are made by local authorities. Municipalities, and public utilities reporting to them, manage large and important infrastructure assets and need to secure financing for operation, maintenance, and capital renewal.
• Solid Waste Management: Municipalities can improve the economic sustainability and financial viability of a solid waste management, a key municipal service, by reducing the negative environmental impacts of waste generation. Integrated solid waste management systems encourage municipalities to cooperate at a regional level to reduce cost of waste disposal and treatment, optimize collection and transport services, and maximize resource recovery through sorting and recycling.
• Water and Wastewater: Urban centres in India are undergoing a process of rapid modernization, which requires an adequate response in the provision of urban infrastructure and services, including water supply and wastewater.
• Urban Transport: In the past, many Indian cities had well developed public transportation systems, but the transition years saw a continuous deterioration of the public transport infrastructure. As cities in the region become increasingly congested and polluted, local authorities now recognize that improvements in urban transport are crucial to making cities more socially inclusive.

• Social Inclusion: With a focus on inclusive urban development, this module addresses:
  • Marginalization of socially excluded groups and inequalities;
  • Social accountability and participation.

Source: News on Air

Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the scope of ‘Sustainable Cities India program’ in regard to India’s commitment to turn net zero by 2070 as a climate mitigation response at COP26. Critically analyse.