Project Leader: Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia and Professor Meenu Tewari
Research Team: Simanti Bandhyopadyay, Ruchika Singh, Tanushree Bhan and Kartik Misra
Commencement: July 2012
Completion:
Funded by: Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India
India’s historic transition to a predominantly urban economy in the next 40-50 years will bring numerous challenges that urban planners, city managers and urban local bodies will have to face. These urban challenges range from dealing with unprecedented levels of migration, coping with worsening urban congestion, to handling escalating demands for land, water, energy, housing and basic urban services (sanitation, waste management, public health) for millions of new and existing urban residents. Enhancing the capabilities of urban local bodies, many of which are frequently strapped for resources and limited by inadequate institutional capacity, is therefore critical.
Building on the work carried out by the High Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) on Urban Infrastructure and Services chaired by Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, ICRIER has launched a Programme on Capacity Building and Knowledge Dissemination on Issues relating to Urbanization in India, funded by the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. The programme will contribute to enhancing institutional capabilities of urban professionals in Indian cities and towns as they confront the multiple challenges of implementing urban programmes effectively.
As part of this programme, seven thematic workshops for capacity building in different regions of the country will be organized over a two- year period on subjects such as water and sanitation (including solid waste management and waste water treatment), municipal finance, unlocking urban land value, planning (land use zoning and transit-oriented development), sustainable project management, governance and administrative reforms and e-governance. In addition, seven workshops will be held across the country to disseminate the findings of the HPEC (Ahluwalia) Report.