Integrating decentralised solutions for climate change adaptation in Indian cities

Indian cities are disproportionately vulnerable to extreme weather events, higher overall temperatures and water availability, among others, that will intensify as the climate crisis unravels in the coming decades. Urban planning is no longer possible without integrating diverse climate adaptation measures. This is especially imperative in cities of the global South, which have a disproportionately higher exposure to climate impacts, lower adaptive capacity of the population and fragmented urban governance. Ensuring that urban planning supports inclusive and pro-poor adaptation plans requires active cross-sectoral partnerships and civil society partnerships as an integral part of decentralized urban policy and planning mechanisms.

The FBC believes that a municipal government that engages its citizens and responds to their needs will be more resilient in the face of future challenges such as pandemics and adverse weather events. Bengaluru has a commitment to decentralization in policy as well as the foundational administrative infrastructure in the form of about two hundred ‘wards’. Common administrative structures across all wards potentially enable the scaling up of a strategic urban planning model that integrates appropriate local adaptation measures within ongoing development planning and implementation.

The panel on ‘Integrating Decentralised Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation in Indian Cities’ at the Innovate4Cities Conference 2021 was hosted by The Flourishing Bengaluru Collective and organised by UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) culminated with Srinivas Mangipudi showcasing this beautiful visual representation 👇🏾 of remarks by the panelists Dr. Champaka Rajagopal, Mr. Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Ms. Kathyayini Chamaraj, Mr. Sameer Shisodia, and the moderator Mr. Vikram Rai.