EXCLUSIVELY INCLUSIVE Issue:2 | January 2023

A magazine by the Inclusive Cities Centre,

National Institute of Urban Affairs
 Editorial Team

Ms. Monica Thakur Ms. Abhisika Das Ms. Asampally Ramya Shree
Program Associate Program Associate Intern

Supported by:

Mr. Ajay Suri Mr. Utsav Choudhury Ms. Mayura Gadkari Mr. Krishna Kant Pandey
Senior Advisor, Team Lead Team Lead Team Lead
Inclusive Development

Design Team

Mr. Deep Pahwa Mr. Devender Singh Rawat Mr. Bhavnesh Bhanot Mr. Tehan Katar Ms. Preeti Shukla
Creative Lead Senior Design Associate, Senior Design Associate Design Associate Design Associate

Publisher
National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi
Copyright © NIUA (2022), Year of Publishing 2022
CONTENTS
11
A Bottom-Up Perspective to Heritage, Communities and Placemaking

05 About Inclusive City Centre 24 Multi-Stakeholder Participatory

Approach to Develop Capacity
Building Modules
10 A Bottom-Up Perspective to
for the ULBs Officials
Heritage, Communities and
Placemaking
28 Co-creating Neighbourhoods: The
Fragile Commons of Agra
14 Towards Climate Just Action:
Developing Community-based
Climate Action Plans in Bhopal 32 An Inclusive ‘River-led’ Urban
Regeneration: Food for Thought
18 Multi-Stakeholder Participatory
Approach 38 Op-Ed: Community-led Slum
for Developing and Implementing Upgradation
Urban Outcomes Framework,
2022
30 Cultural Urban Regeneration of
Musi River in Hyderabad
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

T
he United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is targeting cities to be inclusive,
safe, resilient and sustainable. Cities are making increased efforts to become ‘more digitised,’ ‘more
intelligent,’ and ‘smarter’ to contribute to the global target - a powerful metaphor for the way
ahead. Cities are spaces where everyone has the ownership of progress and aspirations towards
an improved ‘ease of living’. To meet the increasing needs and aspirations of city-dwellers, especially
marginalised groups, it becomes necessary to create sustainable, inclusive, safe and vibrant spaces - both
physical and virtual. This can best be achieved through participatory and citizen centric approaches. In the
dynamic urban settings in the country, becoming ‘smart’ and data-driven is the key to an efficient, inclusive
and sustainable future. In order to achieve inclusion, city governments need to engage with their citizens
and adopt a participatory approach to involve the communities at every stage of the development process.
Innovative mechanisms need to be evolved in the local context by the cities to particularly improve the
participation of marginalised communities in decision-making and city planning processes.

The Inclusive Cities Centre of the National Institute of Urban Affairs is launching its second edition of
the bi-annual magazine - ‘Exclusively Inclusive’. It is a notable effort of curating knowledge to promote
adoption of participatory processes as the core indicator for inclusive city development. The magazine
collates programmes and initiatives for urban regeneration that have been evolved, planned and delivered
through multi stakeholder partnerships in India. The magazine captures the current practices and the
constraints experienced in such processes, and the conditions required to enhance the “inclusiveness”
in urban regeneration. The magazine will prove to be a significant knowledge resource for the urbanists
in the pursuit of formulating a comprehensive strategy for integrating inclusive principles as a pervasive
philosophy in the development of ‘Cities for All’. Participation being the “new tyranny”, urban development
practice in India has adopted and promoted participation as the principle for planning and implementing
urban regeneration investments.

Taking cognisance of this growing trend that is projected to expand to a larger urban population, the Centre
has taken initiatives for ensuring that various marginalised demographics have an equal and fair chance to
be involved and actively participate in the urban regeneration progress. I must congratulate the Inclusive
Cities Centre (ICC) team for bringing out this second edition of the magazine. This edition brings forward
good practices around communities’ participation and partnerships which have the potential to inform our
inclusive development agenda. The magazine includes a wide range of articles, drawing on the ground-level
experiences of the contributors. Words of encouragement to the team to keep on beaming valuable insights
from works on pressing urban issues and actionize inclusive development.

Hitesh Vaidya,
Director
National Institute of Urban Affairs
4 Exclusively Inclusive
 About Inclusive City Centre

C
ities are engines of growth providing population. The economic and housing vulnerabilities
numerous opportunities for individuals of the marginalised segments of urban population has
and contributing significantly to the been highlighted in the on-going pandemic-induced
national economy. This acts as the pull crisis. The prolonged national lockdown in 2020 led
factor reflected in the significant increase to shut down of all non-critical establishments and
in urban population, especially in the last two decades. activities. This adversely affected the income flows
While the total population in India increased by 35%, resulting in economic hardships, particularly for the
the urban population grew by 85% during 1991 - 2011. daily wage earners and informal sector workers. In
As stated by the Honourable Minister of Housing and addition, the high population densities in informal
Urban Affairs, “India stands at the threshold of a critical settlements posed the challenge of containing the
‘moment’ in its developmental trajectory with a need to spread of the contagion. The vulnerabilities of the
create adequate opportunities for cities/towns to grow, marginalised groups, most of whom are migrants,
flourish and become vibrant centres of investment forced them to return to their native places resulting
and productivity.” To achieve this, it is critical to adopt in reverse migration from urban centres away from the
a sustainable growth model for cities/regions based overcrowded living areas and uncertain employment
on inclusion, ecological balance, better governance, prospects. The national government has responded to
efficient resource management and a unique identity the pandemic and the resultant situation to promote
for communities. The rapid industrialisation and inclusive development in cities as is reflected in the
exponential growth of the service sector has led to the strategies to contain the spread, mitigate the impacts
high growth of the urban areas putting forth numerous of the lockdown, and rebuild better.
challenges – keeping pace with the demand for housing,
infrastructure, and social facilities, and ensuring most It is in the above context that a need has emerged for an
productive use of the human resource in cities. Indian aggregated approach to urban development - one that
cities have, in general, experienced spontaneous encapsulates the various economic, spatial, digital, and
growth rather than planned expansion. The cities have structural concepts and intersects the diversities in the
been unable to respond adequately to the demands society with respect to gender, abilities and age. Under
arising from unprecedented in-migration as is reflected the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
in inadequate infrastructure and the uncontrolled (MoHUA), the National Institute of Urban Affairs
growth of informal settlements. (NIUA) with strategic support from the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
With lack of access to affordable formal housing, GmbH (GIZ) have formalised a ‘Inclusive Cities Centre’
most of the urban migrants find shelter in slums, (ICC) to facilitate cities in evidence-based planning
unauthorised tenements, and settlements in peri-urban and investments for inclusive development to improve
areas. This deprives them access to social facilities urban productivity and quality of life for all focus is on
and income earning opportunities for various reasons the most vulnerable groups in cities including urban
including people’s perceptions and lack of mobility. poor, persons with disabilities, women, children, youth
Census 2011 enumerated 65.5 million persons living and the elderly.
in slums which accounted for 17.4% of India’s urban

Exclusively Inclusive 5
The specific objectives of the Inclusive Cities Centre organisations.
are as follow: 3. Economic inclusion:
ƒ Reducing inequity in access to public goods and By incorporating informal economy, job creation,
services including urban infrastructure such as access to jobs, skill development and access to
WASH services, social facilities such as education credit and finance.
and health, public transport, electricity and public
spaces, among others. 4. Leveraging current ICT based solutions to improve
ƒ Promoting local economic development and digital interface between city and citizenry
facilitating access to income earning opportunities
for all. Projects under the Centre
ƒ Supporting cities to improve livability in low-income 1. The Building, Safe, Accessible and Inclusive Indian
settlements and planning the delivery of a bouquet Cities (BASIIC) project of the National Institute of
of housing solutions for various market segments Urban Affairs (NIUA) was formulated in partnership
by public agencies, private sector and community with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development
groups. Office (FCDO) in September 2019. The programme
ƒ Improving participation by all in urban governance aims to support select Indian cities towards ensuring
through multi-stakeholder engagements including universal access and strengthening the institutional
community groups, covering issues related to city capacities of cities to be sensitive to the needs of
planning, budgeting and project cycle. persons with disabilities and other marginalised
ƒ Establish benchmarks to track progress in achieving groups. It endeavours to promulgate the tenets of
inclusive development in urban India, adopt accessibility, inclusion, and safety in the ethos of
indicators- and indices-based approaches. urban planning and design. The project is being
ƒ Partnering with national, sub-regional, regional implemented with support from the Ministry of
and global networks and think-tanks for advocacy, Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).The key
knowledge exchange and to draw inputs for activities undertaken by BASIIC programme are-
developing cutting-edge knowledge products and formulation of focused policy-level interventions;
tools for the cities. pilot demonstration of innovative solutions;
training and capacity development and; formulation
The Centre will focus on, but not limit itself to, the of quality knowledge and research. To facilitate
following thematic areas: and drive this initiative, a Technical Assistance and
Support Unit (TASU) was established at NIUA in
1. Spatial inclusion: October 2019. Over the past two years, TASU has
Reducing spatial segregation by provision of created a vast knowledge network that includes
affordable land, housing, and Infrastructure and government agencies, civil society organisations,
basic services research and academic institutions, and start-
ups across the globe. In collaboration with its
2. Social inclusion: knowledge partners, it has developed a reservoir of
One of the key aspects of social inclusion is knowledge products, guidelines, and IEC materials,
participation in governance by urban poor, women provided technical assistance on the ground and
and PwDs, to help improve citizen engagement, continuously engaged in dialogues to advocate for
reduce crime and support community based disability inclusion.

6 Exclusively Inclusive
 the vast body of knowledge developed by BvLF
partnership programme and NIUA under the CFSC
initiative and develop knowledge products and
training modules covering new aspects of ITC. The
major milestones are- on-boarding of ToT agencies
and training delivery agencies; Knowledge Needs
Assessment study; several rounds of consultations
with government officials; development of training
modules for capacity building of urban local bodies
officials, state department officials and young
professionals; creation of a toolkit on data baseline
for young children in cities; training of close to
Some noteworthy achievements of the project 250 government officials from 10 states and 100
include; the revision of the Harmonised Guidelines cities of India on the basic level of course covering
and Space Standards for Barrier-Free Built 4 training modules by 5 training delivery agencies.
Environment for Persons with Disabilities and The programme successfully orientated and
Elderly Persons in collaboration with IIT-Roorkee; sensitized city officials on the relevance of young
formulation of an Inclusive Cities Framework children and caregiver-friendly neighbourhoods.
in collaboration with IIT-Kharagpur, preparing The Programme developed a policy brief which
a City Audit toolkit, and launching a training looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the health and
programme for city officials on fundamentals of well-being of young children and their caregivers
disability inclusion in collaboration with AIILSG. and a policy advisory which recommends specific
TASU has been working closely with the partner areas of intervention for creating ITC-friendly cities.
city of Varanasi for making its public spaces more The knowledge products developed under ITCN
accessible and inclusive. programme have been launched during the ‘ World
Urban Forum 11’ held in Poland in June 2022.
2. Infant Toddler and Caregiver-Friendly The programme aims at creating more knowledge
Neighbourhoods (ITCN) Capacity Building products in the form of training modules, toolkits,
Programme has been designed to implement a policy briefs, policy advisories; capacity building
structured multi-level ITCN training and capacity of the government officials on advanced level of
building with specific outcomes for city officials course; and capacity building of close to 300 young
and young professionals over a period of two years professionals from several parts of India.
starting January 2021. The programme utilises
3. The project Shaping Youth Futures was initiated in
March 2020, in partnership with the University of
Edinburgh, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action
(YUVA), International Centre for Research and
Policy on Childhood (CIESPI), at Pontifical Catholic
University of Rio de Janeiro and Fields of View.
Since its inception, the partners have established
community-based Youth Expert Groups (YEG)
in India and Brazil who have participated as co-

Exclusively Inclusive 7
 researchers and advisors throughout the project, To facilitate and sustain the network created
carried out policy analysis in both the countries between India and Brazil, a knowledge exchange
focused on youth livelihoods, drawing on event was organised in Rio de Janeiro in May-June
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), national 2022 that saw research outputs presented by
census and other relevant datasets, and conducted youth groups from both countries and interactions
two ‘City Caravans’ that supported youth-led social between experts from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina,
innovation projects (one in Mumbai, India and one Canada, and India. A similar knowledge exchange
in Volta Redonda, Brazil). In addition, practices event is planned to be organised in New Delhi,
related to youth engagement are in the process India in December 2022, which will bring together
of compilation based on the knowledge exchange Indian experts as well as experts from neighbouring
activities of the research to inform the national countries of Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and
level policies, along with a youth engagement model Bhutan.
toolkit for policy development. Apart from the
above, 2 peer-reviewed publications are produced
by partners addressing specific disciplinary
audiences on youth livelihoods and inclusive cities.

8 Exclusively Inclusive
 Meet the
TEAM

Hitesh Vaidya
Director, NIUA

Mr. Ajay Suri

Senior Advisor, Inclusive Development
&
Head of Inclusive Cities Centre

Infant, Toddler and Caregiver - Friendly Neighborhoods (ITCN)

Shaping Youth Futures
Capacity Building Programme

Ms. Mayura Gadkari Mr. Krishna Ms. Sonali Ms. Shivangi Ms. Asampally
Team Lead Kant Pandey Mahamna Dhingra Ramya Shree
Team Lead Research Associate Research Associate Intern

Building Safe, Accessible and Inclusive Indian Cities (BASIIC) Programme

Mr. Utsav Ms. Kanika Ms. Veronica, Q.W Ms. Monica Ms. Abhisika
Choudhury Bansal Learnings and Thakur Das
Team Lead Senior Program Communications Program Associate Program Associate
Associate Associate

Exclusively Inclusive 9
 A Bottom-Up Perspective to Heritage,
Communities and Placemaking

Aishwarya Tipnis
Founder, Aishwarya Tipnis Architects

T
he state of the historic buildings and precincts place. It is about engagement in multiple ways physical,
in most Indian cities is dismal, plagued by issues social and emotional, where social values are placed
of structural degradation as well as a host of at the centre of the process (Carmona et al., 2003;
economic and legal issues. Old buildings are Lang, 2017). However, in India, the conservation
being replaced with nondescript buildings, affecting of heritage buildings and spaces has largely been a
the climate and the local communities. This is leading top-down elitist process. Hence, one of the primary
to the cities’ landscape rapidly changing and their challenges that urban heritage conservation faced was
health rapidly degrading. Research has proven that defining what qualified as a heritage for communities.
restoration and adaptive reuse of existing buildings Did a building, structure or precinct have to cross a
contribute to achieving a circular economy (European certain timeline or benchmark? Who decides what is
Commission, 2020). However, in the Indian context, of heritage value and what is not? Are expert values
lack of access to information, experience and technical always the same as community values? In reality, there
skills makes the decision to retain and retrofit an old is often tension if not a conflict between preserving the
building confusing and appear unviable. To address image of the past or creating a new one for the future.
this issue, we founded Jugaadopolis in 2019, as a While theorists identify urban heritage conservation
social innovation initiative sited at the intersection as a process of managing change, who is responsible
of heritage conservation, education and community for this process? In the Indian context, what role do the
development with the aim of creating awareness local communities actually play in the top-down urban
about the rich tangible and intangible heritage of India regeneration process?
through innovative and out of box interactive tools.
Our experience over the last two decades helped us
The process of heritage conservation is concerned identify a gap in practice particularly related to the
with not just the physical place but also with the role citizens can play in the process, which we tried
relationships of the users and stakeholders with that to address through various mediums such as student

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workshops, research programmes, skill and capacity industrial heritage means in the Indian context. With
building initiatives, blogs, books and manuals to severe travel restrictions imposed, the pandemic
demystify the process of heritage conservation for local forced us to rethink the way we were working. It led
communities. Applying tools of game-based learning us to develop more tools for co-production, easy-
we have simulated scenarios that helped stakeholders to-use graphic manuals and guides which helped
to articulate their values, define a collective vision and the contractors and clients to carry out heritage
draw together a road map that balances the needs of conservation in the physical absence of the architect.
the 21st century with the heritage values.
The pandemic has certainly made us all reassess the
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, way we work with communities and the role heritage
Jugaadopolis developed an online mentorship spaces can play in social cohesion and identity building.
programme for young architects to engage them in Over a period of years, three cohorts of young
the process of heritage conservation. We co-created architects co-created user-friendly manuals for the
a crowdsourced dynamic open-source map of the restoration and maintenance of heritage materials.
Industrial Heritage of India. This repository allows This DIY material library which we called The
citizens to contribute to the open archive of what Restoration Toolbox evolved into a digital participatory

Image 1: Aishwarya Tipnis. Engaging community through simple art. Retrieved from the Author.

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 Image 2: Aishwarya Tipnis. Indian Industrial Heritage Map. Retrieved from the Author.

space. It is a user-friendly platform where the various digital equity, inclusion, democracy and innovation,
actors involved in the urban regeneration space can The Restoration Toolbox evolved into an open-source
interact and co-create solutions to the problem at digital platform. For this, the usage of Decidim was
hand. We have developed a technology that helps adopted for the platform. It offers a stable, ethical, and
citizens flag and map heritage buildings which are at modular architecture maintaining its code and ethical
risk in an inclusive way. Meaning that the technology compass while translating the model for the usage
allows not only the experts to use it, but also the of heritage communities. In addition to the digital
interested citizens. We tested the platform through a platform, user-friendly manuals are now available in
series of workshops with students from India, the UK print format. With this digital tool, we aim to reach out
and China. The platform helps citizens at every step of to more communities directly and connect them to the
the process from conceptualising, designing, financing relevant actors (local bodies, policymakers, funding
and implementing a building adaptation project agencies, local businesses), and guide them to make
through a process of collaboration and co-creation. sustainable choices for urban regeneration.
In the process, we realised that the sustainability of
the platform is dependent on direct outreach to the In addition, we have also launched The Restoration
communities it impacts. Thus, building on the ideas of Clinic, an initiative that provides hands-on training

12 Exclusively Inclusive
opportunities for young professionals while sustainable future. It promotes intergenerational
empowering stakeholders to save their own buildings. learning that not only inspires young people to
It helps homeowners to co-create their projects with explore their surroundings but also empowers them
subsidised access to expert advice. to safeguard them in the future. By undertaking such
community and student-led projects which employ
Our work with diverse communities has made us multi-disciplinary design through co-creation, we aim
realise that everyday heritage helps in building a sense to help communities make decisions about the future
of pride, reinforces individual and collective identities, of their heritage.
brings together communities and contributes to a

Image 3: Aishwarya Tipnis. The Restoration Toolbox. Retrieved from the Author.

References

• Bandarin, F., & van Oers, R. (2014). Reconnecting the City: The Historic Urban Landscape Approach and the Future of
Urban Heritage. Wiley. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Z1YUBQAAQBAJ
• Carmona, M., CARMONA, R., Heath, T., Oc, T., & Tiesdell, S. (2003). Public Places, Urban Spaces: The Dimensions of
Urban Design. Routledge.
• European Commission. (2020). A European Green Deal [Text]. European Commission - European Commission. https://
ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
• Heritage and the Economy 2019. (2019). 60.
• Lang, J. (2017). Urban Design: A Typology of Procedures and Products. Routledge.
• Plevoets, B., & Van Cleempoel, K. (2019). Adaptive Reuse of the Built Heritage: Concepts and Cases of an Emerging
Discipline. Routledge. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TY-FvwEACAAJ
• Schwarz, M., Knoop, R. R., & Elffers, J. (2016). A Sustainist Lexicon: Seven Entries to Recast the Future— Rethinking
Design and Heritage. Architectura & Natura Press. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=qQ3ZjwEACAAJ
• Wolfe, C. R., & Haas, T. (2021). Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character: Principles and Best Practices. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=MeUGEAAAQBAJ

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 Towards Climate Just Action: Developing
Community-based Climate Action Plans in Bhopal

Anjali Karol Mohan, Gayathri Muraleedharan, Anushri Tiwari

Urban planners, Integrated Design, Bengaluru.

A
s climatic catastrophes escalate, the to demonstrate collaboration and co-production
global calls for climate-just action across pathways to evolve community-based climate action
multiple scales and geographies are gaining plans (C-CAPs) while suggesting methods to integrate
traction. The need for climate-just actions is these into city planning tools. The evolution of C-CAPs
particularly critical in cities of the global South, India in all three settlements involved four key stakeholders
included, where existing socio-economic precarity and their respective knowledge and skills (See Figure
and multi-dimensional inequality - aided and abetted 2).
by outdated urban planning approaches – impacts the
urban poor disproportionately. Against this context, The C-CAPs were initiated with a vulnerability
questions arise on how climate action can be steered assessment of and by the communities. This was
such that it does not entrench existing inequalities; mobilised and guided by the NGO that has a long
how can we conceptualise a climate urbanism model standing relationship with the communities. Basis this
that ensures social, economic, and climate justice; and, vulnerability assessment, the communities chalked
how can the informal economy, spaces and people - out their action plans outlining strategic solutions,
largely invisibilised by formal plans - be foregrounded timelines and budgets. These short-term action plans
in urban and climate planning assume significance. were communicated to and negotiated with the local
government for immediate resolution (See Figure 3).
Addressing these questions requires urban and
climate action planning to break out of conventional The socio-economic precarity that the communities
disciplinary boundaries and evolve innovative experience in their everyday living limits their vision
pathways towards inclusive plans that respond to the to short-term actions such as planting trees, keeping
lived urban realities. We draw upon our research in the water pots in common areas and regular fumigation
urban poor settlements of Indra Nagar, Bagsewaniya, to avoid vector propagation. While these short-term
and Nehru Colony in Bhopal, India (See Figure 1) actions are critical, the importance of long-term

14 Exclusively Inclusive
Image 1: Location of Study Settlements in Bhopal. Retrieved from the Author.

Image 2: Stakeholders involved in the C-CAP development process. Retrieved from the Author.

Exclusively Inclusive 15
 systemic change in plan, policy and action cannot
be overemphasized. Towards this end, deep and
engaging conversations across the three settlements
revealed heat stress, flooding and vector propagation
as the communities’ main vulnerabilities. Data and
spatial maps that traced the urban growth trajectory
of Bhopal and the three settlements, along with an
understanding of changing temperatures and relative
humidity - captured at the city and settlement level –
helped contextualise these vulnerabilities and their
drivers.
Image 4: Temperature profile (Nehru Colony, 29th April 2022, 11
For instance, while the average city temperature of a.m.). Community-based Climate Action Plan: A Case of Bhopal.
Retrieved from:
Bhopal on 29th April 2022 was 410C, the temperatures
measured at various locations with the settlements
were ranging between 38- 440C (See Figure 4) A Next, the communities were encouraged to discuss the
further mapping of the settlements evidenced high coping mechanisms that they deployed during heat
built densities, use of heat-absorbing materials for waves and flooding. These served as an entry point for
construction, and lack of open spaces, amongst others the planner to design a long-term C-CAP that framed
as the drivers for increased temperatures in select climate actions (premised on passive technologies) and
pockets. This analysis and its spatial mapping, by the accompanying programmatic interventions required
planner, facilitated conversations with communities, to enhance the adaptive capacity of the communities.
enhancing their understanding of climate change Technical expertise was thus plugged in to develop
impacts. technically robust solutions based on scientific data
and local knowledge (See Figure 5). Climate modelling
simulations (using ENVI-met software) were used to
calibrate the reduction in local temperatures once the
solutions were implemented. An average reduction of
10C is anticipated upon implementation.

Pertinently, climate-change impacts within informal

settlements are dependent on city-wide infrastructure,
making the settlement-city-region links critical. Thus,
outlining potential pathways for dovetailing efforts like
the C-CAP into the larger urban and climate planning
initiatives was foregrounded with the state government
through organised workshops. An exploration of the
formal plan and policy landscape of Bhopal showed the
existence of several statutory tools such as the Bhopal
Master Plan and quasi-legal tools such as the climate-
Image 3: Action Plan developed by the community in Nehru
Colony (Source: Community-based Climate Action Plan: A Case of friendly smart city plans. Yet, these policies and plans
Bhopal. Retrieved from: are neither integrated amongst themselves nor do

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Image 5: Solutions at the settlement scale (Nehru Colony). Community-based Climate Action Plan: A Case of Bhopal. Retrieved from:

they speak to or incorporate the numerous informal critical step in addressing this need for climate-just
ground efforts such as the C-CAP. Even as the urban actions.
and climate plans require disaggregation into local
area plans that incorporate initiatives like the C-CAP, Acknowledgement: This research was carried out
it is critical that the on-ground initiatives are cognitive in partnership with Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA
of the formal plan and policy tenets. In the absence Trust (MHT) and was supported by Humanitarian
of such integration, disconnected, overlapping, and Innovation Fund, ELRHA and SEEDS India (Sustainable
sometimes even conflicting efforts at multiple scales is Environment and Ecological Development Society).
not surprising.
Note: According to the authors, the quasi-legal
Evolving innovative planning frameworks premised on tools are mandated by national/state schemes or
a decentralised, democratic, and bottom-up approach programmes like smart city missions. These do not
anchored in and emanating from the socio-cultural and have the backing of an act or a law such as the State
economic realities is the need of the hour. Involving Town and Country Planning Acts that mandate the
those who are most impacted by changing climates preparation of urban plans for cities.
– the urban poor- in planning for climate action is a

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 Multi-Stakeholder Participatory Approach
for Developing and Implementing Urban
Outcomes Framework, 2022
Prof. Debjani Ghosh, Project Lead of Urban Outcomes Framework,
Associate Professor at the National Institute of Urban Affairs
Team Urban Outcomes Framework - Abbas Haider Naqvi, Anna Brittas, Riya Robi,
Samridhi Pandey, Shreyas Chorgi, Simran Purswani

Image 1: Orientation Workshop for Data-filling in Amplifi at Delhi. Retrieved from the Author.

18 Exclusively Inclusive
I
ndia is witnessing a dual wave of rapid urbanisation key milestones, it became imperative to measure
and technological transformation, with many of its their outcomes and establish standards to guarantee
urban centres becoming the hub for development. social inclusion, improved governance and equitable
Cities have traditionally been described as engines resource management. As data is at the core of all the
of growth, but it is safe to affirm that not all citizens initiatives, a move to develop various indices to assess
and communities benefit from the dividends of the cities and provide insights into their performance
urbanisation equitably. While urbanisation brings was set in motion by the government.
forth substantial opportunities, the scale and pace
of the process amplify the complications of planning MoHUA released the first-ever Ease of Living Index
and delivery of urban infrastructure and services to a (EOL) in 2018, followed by the Municipal Performance
radically diverse population. Index (MPI) in 2021. (MoHUA 2022) In addition to
EOL and MPI, two other frameworks viz. Climate
Recognising the need to address the challenges faced Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) and
by cities, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF) were
(MoHUA) has launched various initiatives such as also developed to assess cities based on their climate
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Smart Cities Mission roadmap and urban data preparedness respectively.
(SCM), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT), Deen Dayal Antyodaya The primary agenda behind the creation of these
Yojana-National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY- frameworks was to provide a comprehensive
NULM) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-U) understanding of the quality of life, sustainability,
to ensure quality infrastructure provision to the urban economic ability and data readiness of the cities so
citizenry. However, as these programmes crossed as to cater to the overarching goal of evidence-based

Image 2: The ULB Awareness Programme under the Citizen Perception Survey in Agartala. Retrieved from the Author.

Exclusively Inclusive 19
 targeted policymaking. However, multiple frameworks UOF encompasses 440 plus data points across
managed by independent programme teams and varied 14 sectors for 250 plus cities. It is envisaged to be
data collection timelines posed varied challenges India’s first-of-its-kind Urban Data Bank, which will
for cities in terms of overlapping data, shortage of encourage research and evidence-based policy-making
time and duplication of effort. Therefore, after two and further act as a check towards cities’ attempt
iterations of the frameworks, multi-level consultations at being future-ready. The formulation of indicators
were held with the sector experts, municipalities, and creation of a methodological framework for UOF
academicians and key stakeholders. Additionally, a involved participation of its major stakeholders from
thorough review of the indicators through the lenses of the quadruple helix viz. MoHUA, in-house teams of
gender, disability and young children by sector experts the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Urban
was undertaken to add value to the existing dataset. Local Bodies (ULBs)/Smart Cities/Other Parastatals/
Post this, it was unanimously decided that the four Statutory bodies, Institute for Competitiveness (IFC),
mentioned frameworks and the additional suggestions external industry experts and citizens. (MoHUA
by sector experts would be integrated by MoHUA into 2022) The additional component of the Citizen
the Urban Outcomes Framework (UOF). Perception Survey(CPS) under EOL involves the direct

Image 3: The ULB Awareness Programme under the Citizen Perception Survey In Amritsar. Retrieved from the Author.

20 Exclusively Inclusive
participation of citizens through a standardised survey and the AMPLIFI Portal through workshop series.
on the civic amenities and service delivery of their Based on the feedback received in the workshops,
respective ULBs for more than 250 plus cities. several data points were revised.
ƒ Cities adopted multiple strategies to streamline
The Quality Council of India (QCI) was onboarded collection of the data along with supporting
to undertake the data collection for UOF and to documents from respective departments.
conduct CPS in all the selected cities. The firm has ƒ Dedicated teams from NIUA and QCI supported the
a vast network of affiliated Pan-India professionals nodal officers in data collection through one-to-one
who assist the cities in dynamic ways at the local level, interaction and frequent online clinics for training.
keeping in mind the culture and language of the urban On-ground coordinators were also deployed to
centres. QCI provided each city with a Single Point the cities to provide the necessary support to the
of Contact (SPOC) and a ground-level coordinator officers involved and coordinate between various
to guide them in the data collection process and also departments.
deployed surveyors to the cities to conduct offline ƒ The validation of the data collected from the cities
surveys for CPS. was carried out at two levels by the teams from QCI
and NIUA in three cycles. A precise rectification of
Approaches adopted to bring multiple data and supporting documents was conducted
stakeholders to the same table: to assess data quality, through continuous
ƒ Consultations and FGDs for formulation of communication with the city officials.
indicators, assigning weights and developing the ƒ Apart from the data collected from the cities, which
methodological framework by in-house experts from has 70% weightage, the Citizen Perception Survey
NIUA, MoHUA, IFC as well as other sectoral experts. (CPS) is also a crucial component for the Ease of
ƒ Public consultation before finalising the indicator Living Index (EOL) that accounts for the other 30%
matrix through opinion surveys on MyGov portal which collects feedback of citizens both online and
and Smart Net. offline. CPS directly captures insights from more
ƒ Municipal Commissioners/CEOs of the UOF cities than 70 lakh plus citizens on the quality of life and
were approached for the appointment of nodal urban service delivery in their cities.
officers to steer the exercise. The selected cities
were on-boarded through the appointment of Challenges faced while actionizing a
these nodal officers which was achieved through participatory approach in UOF:
regular communication and coordination between ƒ The process of informing the 266 cities about
the Urban Local Bodies, Smart City SPVs, and UOF and on boarding them to participate in this
Urban Development/ Municipal Administration framework by appointing a nodal officer, involved
Department of State Governments. continuous cycles of correspondence and follow up
ƒ A series of offline and online capacity-building calls with the nodal officers.
workshops were conducted. The nodal officers ƒ Cities that were participating in the assessment
and their supporting officials were given detailed for the first time were not aware about the data
and comprehensive training about the data points, granularities and also faced challenges due to
assessment frameworks, citizen perception survey shortage of staff.

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 ƒ Non-availability of authentic data posed a UOF has been developed by ensuring that a
challenge to find alternative data sources without participatory process is weaved-in at every stage
compromising the ranking exercise. of the exercise. A key learning for the team has been
ƒ While collating centrally filled data points, few data that fostering inclusion does not necessarily require
points were only available at the district- level erasing the drawing board and starting from scratch,
and not at city-level, which created a challenge rather small yet incremental changes at every stage can
to configure a statistical approach to bring the ensure data inclusion that positively impacts citizens’
data down at city-level without compromising the lives. Conducting multi-stakeholder engagements
sanctity of the data. with competent consultative groups based out of
different parts of the country, coordinating with city
It is vital to understand the processes behind the level officials and also adding the voice of the citizens
creation of any framework that has the potential to is a laborious task. However, the returns in the form of
be a data repository. We are not only looking at data transparent outcomes and holistic involvement of all
accessibility, availability, quality, consistency, but the stakeholders at all levels outweigh the challenges. It
also at the questions we pose today and the kind of paves the way for data democratisation and evidence-
datasets these questions create. Do our data points based policy making.
and processes shed light on the services provided
or not to the under-represented and marginalised
communities? What kind of urban paradigm emerges
from India’s urban stories and what remains missing?

References

• MoHUA. 2022. Urban_Outcomes_Framework_Part1. 18th April. Accessed January 5th, 2023. https://smartnet.niua.org/uof-
2022/pdf/Urban_Outcomes_Framework_Part1_latest.pdf.

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 Multi-Stakeholder Participatory Approach to
Develop Capacity Building Modules
for the ULBs Officials

Krishnakant Pandey, Team Lead, ITCN Capacity Building

Programme, National Institute of Urban Affairs

S
trengthening urban local governments through support from Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF),
capacity building is identified as a key strategy is implementing the ‘Infant, Toddler and Caregiver-
for urban development in the 11th plan (2007- Friendly Neighbourhoods (ITCN) Capacity Building
2012) of the Five-Year Plan. The plan identified Programme’ focused on city officials and young
a lack of skilled manpower as one of the main concerns. professionals. The Programme is anchored by the
The Government of India has undertaken several Inclusive Cities Centre (ICC) at NIUA and aims at
initiatives under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban addressing the development needs of the cities’
Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and other schemes to youngest citizens, below the age of six years, and
augment the capacity of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to their caregivers through planning and development
implement projects and reforms. interventions at the neighbourhood level on a city-wide
scale. The Programme follows the capacity building
A participatory approach is one in which everyone strategy of NIUA which focuses on an individual
who has a stake in the intervention has a voice and approach leading to institutional strengthening within
their perspective is considered. The process brings an enabling environment by adopting guiding pillars
together representatives of all the stakeholders of the such as demand driven, modularity, inclusivity and
Programme. The stakeholders can be organizations, scalability among others.
groups and individuals who may be affected, or have an
interest in the Programme. The Programme focuses on institutional capacity
building, developing knowledge repositories, skilling
Children are the important stakeholder in a city and urban practitioners ,young professionals and advocacy
urban planning. Urban development should enhance for young child friendly cities. The Programme has
the creativity and aspiration of children. NIUA, with developed several capacity building modules and

24 Exclusively Inclusive
toolkits to build the capacity of ULBs on the issues of the modules to the city officials from close to 100
related to ITCN. These modules are the outcome cities of India through online mode followed by their
of a participatory approach and multi stakeholder assessment on the National Urban Learning Platform
consultations. The stakeholders were identified at (NULP). The modules were designed to facilitate two-
the beginning of the Programme and included ULBs way communication, time was dedicated to participant
officials, state department officials, sector experts, engagement using several tools and methods,
Training of Trainers (ToT) agency, training delivery understanding the challenges, and local examples were
agencies from various regions of the country, and civil included wherever possible.
society organizations.
The consultation process was not a one-time event,
A Knowledge Needs Assessment (KNA) study was it followed throughout the project implementation
conducted under the Programme in 2021 to understand before and after the delivery of the module contents.
the knowledge and skills gap and the related demands The methods used were online consultations, virtual
by city officials to design and create young children and meetings, individual discussions, online surveys, focus
the caregiver-friendly built environments. A structured group discussions and in-person workshops. The
questionnaire was developed in consultation with the agenda of the consultations, with a clear objectives
urban sector, child development and urban governance and structure of the event, was shared in advance
experts and used for the assessment. City officials for meaningful discussions and engagement. The
from various cities participated in the study through Programme ensured that all stakeholders are
online surveys and focus group discussions; civil represented in the consultation. Considering the
society organizations were also engaged in a separate participant’s profile, both Hindi and English languages
discussion. The findings of the KNA study indicated were used during the discussion to ensure that all
that there was a strong need to build the capacities of stakeholders have the opportunity to present their
city officials across the hierarchy on the issues related views. Engaging tools such as mentimeter and online
to ITCN. polls were also used to engage with the stakeholders.
Their inputs received during delivery of the training
The Programme on-boarded partner agencies to and post training workshops were incorporated into
develop the training modules, organize ToT and the module content and Programme decision making;
deliver training to the city officials. Also, mobilized city key discussions were documented and stakeholders
officials across the country through several rounds were also informed how their views and inputs were
of e-consultations to orient and sensitize them on incorporated. The participating city officials were of
the issues related to ITCN. The modules considered the view that the training has essentially added value
the profile of city officials who represented various to the understanding of ITC needs at the city level and
departments of ULBs. The module development equipped them with the required knowledge and skills.
processes included sharing of resource materials with The post training assessment of ULBs also confirmed
the ToT agency, discussion on the outline and content the same. The entire process improved the quality of
of the modules amongst Programme partners and knowledge products, promoted ownership among
review of modules by experts from NIUA and BvLF. the ULBs and training delivery agencies and they
are willing to take the Programme forward which is
ToT on the modules was organized involving trainers reflected in their active participation in post training
from training delivery agencies, followed by delivery consultations and other Programme related activities.

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 The stakeholder consultation should start as early in the views and perceptions of people and integration of
the project cycle as possible. It should be considered their view in the planning and implementation of the
as an iterative process, not an isolated event. It enables Programme. The Programme successfully mobilized
the users to make an ‘informed choice’ about what and engaged several stakeholders for capacity building
will become their system. Stakeholders consultation of ULBs in India and intends to engage them through
strengthens the quality of the Programme by capturing the entire Programme cycle.

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 Co-creating Neighbourhoods: The Fragile
Commons of Agra

Dr. Renu Khosla,

Director, Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence

The road to regenerative urban development begins with

people – and unthinking participation.

A
gra city has over 500 years of continuous Co-creating the Cultural Commons of
history that has produced a mix of built, Agra
cultural, natural, and living heritage. Co-
existing communities have embodied In 2005, the ‘Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence
the city with monuments, structures, an urban (CURE) - an unthinking development organization’,
morphology of Mandis, Bazaars, Ganjs, Katras, gardens, curated a Mughal Heritage Walk (MHW) at Agra, as
water bodies, and an intangible culture of traditions, part of its effort to build sustainable livelihoods for the
arts, and crafts. But as Agra grew, and its economic poor linked to tourism. The MHW was designed as a
core diversified, many areas, particularly the inner- one-kilometre walking loop, connecting some unknown
city, became distressed by bad services, poor housing monuments to the lives of the poor and disadvantaged
and decaying streets and public spaces, weakening its people of Kuchpura – a settlement whose story is deeply
image and livability and undermining its productivity intertwined with the Taj Mahal. The MHW became
and potential. the core that nudged the co-creation of the Kuchpura
Commons. Participatory processes were used to plan
Agra is in need of urgent regeneration. Regeneration the route map, and improve the legibility and content
that is led by its people. of the various tangible and intangible aspects of

28 Exclusively Inclusive
the Walk – the Sanjhi Art, the village courtyard, the roof of the DEWATS offered a new and cleaner site
community school, the brick pavements and drains, the for community events besides making accessible the
clay potters, the leather whip makers, and within the Kuchpura community that lived across the dirty storm
Walk, to make the experience more socially interactive, water drain. Kuchpura became more alive to the city –
the tea service and the street plays. Bad or non- pushing more development funds in its direction, first
delivery of services, especially water and sanitation, under CMs Bhim Nagari programme and more recently,
had made the Kuchpura community extractive in redeveloped with SMART City resources.
ways that were ecologically unsustainable. The Walk
expanded to address the broad canvas of human We decided to replicate the idea of the Walk for
needs – enhancing the physical and natural content of heritage conservation. The Taj Mumtazabad Culture
Kuchpura’s shared commons. Home toilets, Swachh Walk inventoried - people, the cultural products,
Galis (clean streets), the Decentralized Wastewater practices, crafts, rituals of Tajganj - the neighbourhood
Treatment System (DEWATS) on the dirty stormwater of Taj Mahal. It was designed to enable local-traditional
drain, and doorstep solid waste management systems, communities to take ownership of their local heritage,
helped improve people’s lives and well-being and made preserve it collectively, and sustain the cultural
these historic areas healthier, safer, and productive. commons for intergenerational transfer of knowledge.
By 2015, the MHW was generating decent incomes
for the youth animators, the women souvenir makers, Combining the Walk with projects for ecological
the young street play artists, the home-based tea restoration, CURE worked to plan, implement and
service providers and others connected to the Walk. contribute to the construction of community rainwater
The farmers were reusing the treated black water for harvesting and groundwater recharging systems,
irrigating their fields, improving the nutrient content generating huge amounts of water annually. Besides
of foods grown there, and less dirty water flowed into making people water secure and healthier with safer
the River Yamuna. A Maintenance Fund was curated water, rainwater has contributed to the regeneration
out of the Walk earnings, and banked for community of groundwater aquifers and greened the spaces
proposals. Toilet building with improved septic tanks around the underground rainwater storage tanks. Even
ramped up to other streets. House values soared, as these made great public spaces, the biggest impact
making all residents better off. was on the transfigured social relationships between
these precarious communities – that became agentic,
Participatory action led to a regeneration of Kuchpura’s and the upper income households in neighbouring
Collective Commons - the repaved and safer central settlements. These people have become empowered
courtyard was claimed by children and their mothers ecological stewards - valuing, owning and safeguarding
from the occupation of male elders; the added toilet their water tanks, and influencing others to build small
in the school that invariably doubled up as a wedding home systems. Such collective caring of shared natural
venue, was cared for by the community; the rubbish resources secures them for years to come. At the same
heap on an open plot was cleared as people disposed time, integrating conservation of natural commons
waste appropriately; the historical chabutra (platform) with the physical and cultural heritage of historic areas,
became a tourist stop with sanjhi art – a historical art intersects the socio-economic with the ecological
form from the era of Lord Krishna; home terraces were and the intangible – tangible heritage nudging a
repurposed as Taj Mahal viewing points; the distant and collaborative conservation process. The success of
inaccessible community toilet at the village entrance CURE at Agra has been scaffolded on its participative
was demolished and moved closer to the people; the processes, engagement and involvement of people

Exclusively Inclusive 29
 in the local curation, planning and implementation. Cities must pursue the goal of: a. bringing a tap and a
Solutions were co-created with and for people, taking toilet to every home, especially for the families that are
into account, views, ideas and experiences of the most excluded, informal and are offered shared services; b.
vulnerable, from whom these solutions mattered an affordable house that is close to their places of work
the most. Our work in Agra was therefore not just to reduce stress on transportation, need to extend
about building infrastructure. It was about creating a transportation to the city edge, besides making the air
community. It was deeply participative, with collaborative cleaner; and c. a decent and dignified livelihood with
conversations that stimulated the relationship of a people reliable income that enable the poor to have predictable
with their lives, heritage and ecology. resources to plan for the future. Equitable cities are
those whose settlements are integrated with the city –
Agra city is not alone in its bad basic services. Every de-engineered, simplified and connected to its physical
city, despite improvements, has large informal and social infrastructure. Regenerating cities must
areas that are unintegrated with the city’s trunk therefore invest in the whole urban ecosystem that will
infrastructure and services, leaving them dirty, improve inclusivity and well-being. Regenerating cities
neglected and blighted. Solutions used by local people is about building a restorative relationship of people
for their everyday needs, such as unchecked extraction with their ecology. It is about helping communities be
of groundwater or direct discharge of sewage and solid environmentally aware – which they usually are, but
waste into water bodies or defecating openly, inflict lack new science and the resources to adapt and thrive
huge damage to a city’s image, livability, productivity, within their areas. By building an understanding of the
and to its ecology - polluting aquifers, land surfaces, socio-ecological aspects of place among the people,
water bodies, and dehydrating them. Distressed, city-making will shift from a largely un-humanistic
decaying or ecologically stressed cities are in urgent practice to one that aligns people with their living
need of regeneration. Here is what the cities must systems, which is empowering for both - people and the
do. Regenerating cities should be about regenerating city that can then incorporate biodiversity into their
neighbourhoods with equity and inclusiveness. planning and design. City planners and managers need
Beginning at the neighbourhood level, regeneration community tools to catalyse place-specific-ecosystemic
should be about localizing solutions and making a activations and not some broad brush Master Plans.
place. When people come together to reshape their While Master Plans may be good in defining the
communities, they bring in local wisdom, local context, broad principles by which cities must manage urban
local knowledge, and local solutions that are doable, growth, creating spaces designed for safe living,
owned, and improve the everydayness of living for the working, and recreation which integrates the natural
majority, besides being sustainable and ecologically commons, needs humanistic planning. City managers
reasonable. Participatory planning gathers diverse need frameworks that enable such co-designing and
people in a community, especially those at the edges, procurement processes to ground local innovations
making them visible and amplifying their voice in the and content. They must curate democratic spaces
planning and designing of their settlements. Women for people-city engagement and dialogue that would
in particular are important actors in sustaining the facilitate localized planning and policy making. Such
ecological and cultural content of a community. They dialogue must be sustained through strengthening
defend and promote the intergenerational transfer partnerships and creating capacities. Without such
of ideas, values, practices by socializing the young local conversations, it would be impossible to construct
thereby helping place making. Participatory processes future frameworks, thereby threatening localized and
also allow tapping into local talent – lowering costs, collective conservation action.
and promoting a community’s aspiration and potential.

30 Exclusively Inclusive
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 An Inclusive ‘River-led’ Urban
Regeneration: Food for Thought

Ishleen Kaur, Senior Environment Specialist,

Water & Environment Vertical

I
n the last few decades of India’s development story, finding their way into the development strategies
we have seen a rapid transformation of cities all of many existing cities in India. And why not? Urban
across the country. India’s urban population has regeneration provides a huge opportunity to revisit
increased exponentially, with 475 million people the earlier urbanization patterns and promote a more
—35% of the total population—living in cities in 2021. sustainable, ecologically-sensitive and equitable
1
According to a research by ADB, urbanization will development. In the wake of climate change, it is crucial
peak in 2050, with more than half of India’s population that more and more city regeneration examples are
living in cities. Despite this, nearly half of India’s urban centred on creating sustainable and inclusive urban
population (42.3%) still continues to reside in one or environments that benefit everyone and incur as less
the other of its 50 metropolitan cities. These cities play harm to the natural assets as possible.
an important role in maintaining existing populations
and attracting and absorbing new populations However, these regeneration processes are also
while curbing unsustainable growth patterns at the riddled with urban complexities. While planning or
peripheries. 2 strategizing for any city’s regeneration, there are
always prioritization indecisions between economic
In response to these growing pressures, urban development, larger public good or environmental
regeneration and redevelopment are increasingly sensitivity. As a result, time and again we see quick-fix

1
World Bank Database available at https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL?locations=IN
2
 DB 2018, ADB SOUTH ASIA WORKING PAPER SERIES (No.58) Apoorva Shenvi and Ron H. Slangen, ENABLING SMART URBAN
A
REDEVELOPMENT IN INDIA THROUGH FLOOR AREA RATIO INCENTIVES; Available at: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/
publication/435936/swp-058-smart-urban-redevelopment-india.pdf

32 Exclusively Inclusive
solutions in the form of evictions, relocations, uprooting environments catering to multiple competing needs
of livelihoods from ecologically vulnerable areas or and demands of the city. However, there is also a
conversely raising down forests for development or growing realization that the regeneration of water
encroachment on the water bodies. The climate crisis ecosystems such as rivers and water bodies can trigger
is only increasing these complexities. social, economic, and ecological regeneration in any
city.
In India, cities are still striving to resolve the disparities
in the coverage of basic services and uneven supply With this thinking and in an effort to restore the
networks. Now, they also have to contend with the balance between the growing demands of urbanization
limited stock and capacities of natural resources. and the health of river(s) flowing through cities, the
This raises the important question, “How can city National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the
regeneration programmes designed by us be truly National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in 2020
inclusive?” came up with a first-of-its-kind strategic framework
for managing urban river stretches – Urban River
This also brings into light more questions that cities Management Plan (URMP).
usually struggle with while ensuring the aspect of
‘inclusion’ in the urban regeneration processes:
ƒ How can a balance be struck between a city’s multiple
needs and the health of its natural ecosystems and
resources?
ƒ Do any regeneration initiatives employ novel
approaches to address the ecological and
socioeconomic needs of the initiative?
ƒ Can any city’s regeneration be fuelled by shared
goals and duties among diverse stakeholders?

With an evolving understanding of ways to regenerate

cities sustainably, we are now more conscious of our
over-burdened natural systems and understand the
critical need to protect and restore them. What is Image 1: Ishleen Kaur. URMP Vision. Retrieved from the Author.
promising is that it is acknowledged by government
bodies and citizens alike! The URMP framework has been designed to help the
river cities systematically and holistically plan for
Lately, one such area that has gained extreme interventions required to revive and maintain the
importance in cities and among citizens is restoring rivers within the city limits in a sustainable manner. The
the rapidly shrinking water resources and water URMP is embedded in the central idea that maintaining
ecosystems. It’s common knowledge that these healthy rivers is crucial to enhance liveability and
water ecosystems are one of the most contested productivity in the cities.3

3
 IUA 2020, Urban River management Plan Framework, Available at: https://nmcg.nic.in/writereaddata/fileupload/48_Urban%20River%20
N
Management%20Plan%20framework.pdf

Exclusively Inclusive 33
 Image 2: The 10-point agenda of the Urban River Management Plan Framework covering ecological as well as socio-economic
parameters of river management

The Framework, through its 10-point agenda, provide a range of services to the city, including flood
acknowledges that river ecosystems play multiple control, water supply, and socio-cultural development,
roles in a city, and thus, the process of urban river which are essential for the health and well-being of
management must look at not only the consumptive both people and the environment.
aspects but also set forth the ecological, cultural and
socio-economic values associated with them. There have been numerous learnings in the process of
formulating these URMPs that can help pave the way
Another merit of the URMP framework is that it is for river cities to envision and implement “inclusive”
process-oriented and recommends collective thinking river-led regeneration. Two of the most effective
and action at every stage of designing, planning outcomes have been detailed here:
and eventually managing urban rivers. Thus, every
intervention that is included in the URMP is a result of 1. ‘URMP’ Working Group as the driving
collective brainstorming and consensus building and institution for the URMP
in every way possible promotes joint accountability in For all five cities, the first step in the URMP formulation
planning and implementation. process was forming a working group comprising
different government departments, private sector
This is evident in all the five URMPs that NIUA took stakeholders, civil society, community action groups,
up in the first phase with cities like Kanpur, Ayodhya, academia and research institutions and concerned
Chattrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), citizens. The multidimensionality that is endorsed by
Moradabad and Bareilly. All these URMPs layout a number of policy documents was observed clearly
a roadmap for river-led regeneration of the city by in this process and the discussions were rich with
considering that the ‘healthy’ river zones would different perspectives.

34 Exclusively Inclusive
One example of this is the URMP formulation by the natural riparian greens along the first 1.5km pilot
the temple city of Ayodhya. The city caters to large stretch. The biggest driver behind the intervention was
numbers of floating population in the form of tourists a shared vision and meaningful partnerships between
and pilgrims and the Saryu River forms a huge part the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation(AMC),
of this cultural experience. URMP Ayodhya working EcoSattva (an Aurangabad-based social enterprise) and
group collectively came up with a vision that included Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), local academic
not only ecological restoration but also focused on institutions and many other stakeholder groups. While
strengthening the connection between people and the AMC brought in the human and financial resources and
river. The various parties agreed to leverage the river’s effective leadership that facilitated the intervention
cultural value to re-establish the people’s connection, at every step, EcoSattva contributed by technical
and design interventions that can inspire conscientious handholding in design and implementation. Active
behaviour towards protecting the river ecosystem. participation from the Cantonment Board, industrial
Behaviour change became the most important priority bodies, resident groups and local universities brought
for the city’s URMP, thus bringing both people and the diverse understanding and knowledge resources
river at the centre of the regeneration effort. helping agile decision-making for the progress of
the project. The city has now established a ritual
Likewise, in the other four cities too, these city-led of collective discussions between the government
working groups were instrumental in thrusting an and non-government stakeholders towards building
integrated approach, addressing the critical land strategies.
and water issues, and involving inter-agency and
community collaboration. One of the primary objectives of the URMP Aurangabad
was also to create sustainable livelihoods that benefit
2. Participatory Approaches Towards everyone. This involved providing access to the river
Translating Vision To On-Ground for employment opportunities that empower people to
Interventions earn a living and contribute to the economic growth of
Another big way in which river restoration can enable their communities. The city set a good example of this
participatory approaches is during the translation of by choosing ‘not’ to relocate the cattle-rearing families
the larger vision into on-ground interventions. With and cattle sheds in the river floodplain, but instead,
multiple user groups of the urban river ecosystems, connect them to a slurry treatment plant to address
there are also multiple custodians ready to commit the problem of river pollution. These cattle shed and
to the cause. This collaborative approach was closely dependent families have been sustaining in this area
observed in Chattrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad). for a long and the waste from the sheds was diverted
The city took an action-driven approach to restore its directly into the river. Now, this waste is treated in the
two seasonal rivers -The Kham and Sukhna, shrinking pilot slurry treatment plant and the by-products from
due to rampant encroachments, pollution and extreme the plant are used for horticulture and landscaping
solid waste dumping. The rivers until recently were along the river. Depending on its success, eventually, it
perceived as nullahs (open drains) by its citizens. is proposed that all nineteen cattle sheds will be linked
to it, thus lowering the pollution load in the river. By
The Kham River’s journey from nullah (drain) to nadi doing this, the city has shown the way to other river
(river) was a result of persistent on-ground efforts cities too, towards finding a middle ground around the
towards restoring the river starting with reviving ‘river vs economy’ debate.

Exclusively Inclusive 35
 The two examples of different approaches taken by the Regeneration ideas are increasingly dependent on
cities exhibit the momentous shift in general awareness how people envision the future as India’s modern cities
and attitudes of the government bodies, civil society, evolve. Moreover, our understanding of inclusivity
citizen groups and private sector enterprises, who has evolved considerably that emphasizes the need
are all willing to collaborate and contribute. Social for sustainable and inclusive urban environments that
expectations have also become an important motivator provide equal opportunities for all members of the
to strengthen the political will to take action. community. And with more such examples emerging, it
appears we are moving towards a future where river
It also highlights that regeneration success stories are zones are not just seen as sources of economic growth
not confined to only ecological or physical restoration. but also as critical components of our environment and
They are very much a transformation of the people, for our communities.
the people and most importantly driven by the people.

36 Exclusively Inclusive
References

• World Bank Database. Retrieved from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL?locations=IN

• Adb 2018, Adb South Asia Working Paper Series (No.58) Apoorva Shenvi And Ron H. Slangen, Enabling Smart Urban
Redevelopment In India Through Floor Area Ratio Incentives. Retrieved from: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/
files/publication/435936/swp-058-smart-urban-redevelopment-india.pdf
• NIUA 2020, Urban River Management Plan Framework. Retrieved from: https://nmcg.nic.in/writereaddata/
fileupload/48_Urban%20River%20Management%20Plan%20framework.pdf

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 Op-Ed: Community-led Slum Upgradation

Ajay Suri, Senior Adviser and Head, Inclusive Cities Centre,

National Institute of Urban Affairs

G
lobally, various approaches have been used inclusive of the communities in focus. In an ideal world,
to improve the living conditions in urban the best option is to provide the families with a new
slums, with varied levels of success. The serviced dwelling at the existing location. The real
prevalent slum improvement efforts include world challenge is to increase the housing provision
relocation to greenfield alternative lots and built-up scale by using the occupied lands for construction
units such as the – ‘Million Houses Programme’ in Sri of new dwellings. These include unavailability of
Lanka; in-situ slum upgrading whereby public money unencumbered land, environmental and planning
is invested in improvement of urban services while challenges as well competing development demands
households invest in upgrading of their dwelling units on land; unavailability of requisite financial and non-
(for example, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, Thailand); and in- financial resources for such mega-initiatives; and,
situ redevelopment programmes whereby new housing loose fit between the slum families’ preferred housing
stock is created for slum families at the existing sites design and accessibility features; and the options
(Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in Maharashtra). available in walk-up and high-rise slum redevelopment
buildings. What has worked globally, at a scale is in-
The slum concentration rate in Indian cities was situ slum upgradation whereby local government has
enumerated at around 25 per cent by Census of assigned de facto or de jure occupancy rights; public
India, 2011. Slums are generally positioned below agencies have invested in improvement of services
the planning radar of city development agencies and and households; and have invested incrementally in
local governments. Addressing the challenge of such improving/expanding their dwellings, with community
magnitude through urban regeneration requires engagement and participation at each stage of the
a multi-pronged participatory approach which is programme.

38 Exclusively Inclusive
Inclusion of a slum settlement in city development home improvements/expansion are undertaken
plans, after successful negotiations, is followed by incrementally by the households depending on their
an intense planning exercise for improving the urban affordability. Community plays a key role in facilitating
services and providing social facilities in the settlement. improvement of homes as well as the services. The
The challenge is creating spaces for circulation, good examples include the community (self-help group)
retrofitting network services, and constructing shared borrowing and repaying on behalf of its members
facilities such as community toilets and social facilities for home improvements from non-banking financial
such as primary school and primary health centre in institutions and commercial banks – in Latin American
dense settlements with net land utilisation rate up to countries. For home improvement, the community
95 per cent. could also help with members pooling in labour, such
as under the Kampung Improvement Programme in
Community participation is critical for sustainable Indonesia.
implementation of an in-situ slum upgradation
programme - from negotiations with local government, The slum communities’ negotiations with various city
planning, services improvement, house improvements, stakeholders for inclusion of their settlements under
and operation and maintenance of shared services. urban regeneration programmes are well served by a
Community engagement with negotiations among community database presenting the socio-economic
residents play a key role in the planning stage and for profile of its residents and the habitat condition
plot realignment to create the open spaces required against the service level benchmarks. There are
for upgrading the services. There are also examples various examples across Indian cities, as also from
whereby the service delivery agencies are just able cities in other countries, where communities have
to extend the network of the existing services to the developed such a GIS-based database through its
settlement but are unable to provide them within members’ efforts. Such GIS maps, do not only have the
the settlement. In such instances, the community site boundaries marked, but also have the footprint
members pool their savings to create an upgrading of every dwelling demarcated. The dwelling attribute
fund to construct a neighbourhood-level network data presents the residents’ socio-economic profile
of services. In-situ slum upgradation programmes and access to urban services and social facilities.
generally include multiple components such as street
pavement, drainage, water supply with individual The Government of India is committed to providing
connections or public taps, sewer network with everyone with a livable dwelling under its flagship
individual connections or public toilets, public toilets programme – the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
with soak pits, community hall, primary health centre, (PMAY). The focus is on creating affordable housing
pre-nursery and primary schools, among others. The stock under greenfield housing projects and in-situ
challenge is operations and maintenance of such public redevelopment projects; and, promoting individual
assets for reaping its optimum benefits. Good examples household efforts in home improvements through
are communities establishing self-help groups for the grants and home loan interest subsidy. There are also
O&M, and levying user charges for maintenance. efforts to create affordable rental housing complexes
through new public and private investments, and by
Slum residents predominantly belong to the repurposing existing vacant low-income housing units.
Economically Weak Section (EWS). They neither The Mission can be further strengthened by including
have a savings stock to invest in home improvements another vertical focused on community-led slum
nor income flows to contract a home loan. The upgrading.

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 Cultural Urban Regeneration of
Musi River in Hyderabad
Sonali Mahamna, Research Associate, ITCN Capacity Building
programme, National Institute of Urban Affairs

“Let the river roll which way it will, cities will rise on its banks.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

W
e know this saying is true, and have Rising in the Ananthagiri hills in Ranga Reddy district,
witnessed it - through our history the Musi or Muchukunda river flows into the Krishna
books, through the stories narrated by river at Vadapally in Nalgonda district. In 1589, due
our grandparents. We have seen rivers to extreme water shortage in the fortified city of
roar, we have seen them keep quiet. We have seen Golconda, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah shifted the
them meander through the mountains, and stay still on city to the banks of the then - majestic Musi river and
the plains. But, why do we have to see them die? renamed it ‘Hyderabad’. The floods of 1908 led to the
then Nizam (6th), Mahbub Ali Pasha, to call on the
Hyderabad is a city where heritage resides at every legendary engineer M. Visweswaraya to build flood-
corner of its vibrant alleys, through its intangible proof Hyderabad. The solution to floods was building
aspects such as its delicacies, festivals, handicrafts; water reservoirs in the city which led to the creation
or through its tangible heritage of monuments and of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar in 1926. Today,
natural landscapes. Most of these natural landscapes owing to the sheer negligence of the state, Musi river
of Hyderabad come alive through the presence of the has dried up and is reduced to a sewer. When the gates
Musi river. Though Musi river is an important part of of these reservoirs open, and water flows into the river,
the city’s natural heritage, it is being forced to be lost, it seems as if temporarily though, but relieves its lost
with its mark being erased from the city it nurtured glory.
with its roaring heart.

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An exact timeline of the Musi drying cannot be traced. Under the Inclusive Heritage-Based City Development
According to secondary sources, the four major causes Program in India, communities selected in the pilot
of Musi’s water scarcity are as follows: cities engaged with other stakeholders to profile city
1. Degradation of the catchment of Musi in the heritage assets and prepare plans for city heritage
upstream Vikarabad area. management and investment. The experiences of the
2. Impounding of water by the Osman Sagar and pilot cities informed urban revitalization guidelines,
Himayat Sagar, and degradation of their immediate which were shared with the national government for
catchment areas. adoption in the National Heritage Cities Development
3. Changes in the drainage pattern of the Hyderabad and Augmentation Scheme (HRIDAY). The restoration
urban region affected the water flow in Musi. work of Puranapul was carried out under this plan and
4. Disruption of the interlinkages of the numerous several promenades, boulevards and parks were also
water tanks in the region (numbering more than developed along the Musi River.
1000) and their encroachments over time, which
were otherwise feeding the river. Musi has been a part of the Central Government’s
National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) and
The amount of water in the river has been on a JNNURM - “Save Musi campaign” was launched in
downward slope for years; this adversely affects 2005. NRCP has released funds for setting up STPs to
the river’s health by significantly decreasing its self- treat municipal sewage, but no funds were allocated
cleaning capacity. Stains of Hyderabad’s pollution can for the conservation of Musi. In 2016, the City-
be seen in the river once it enters the city. Further, the based forum for Good Governance filed a PIL (Public
river moves forward, flowing into low-lying areas of interest litigation) highlighting that when Musi flows
vegetable fields outside the city, where chemicals seep through Hyderabad, it turns into a giant sewer, filled
into the groundwater, which is again used to cultivate with garbage and industrial waste from the city. The
fields later and that’s how it ends up in a vicious cycle of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government set up
affecting humans and river health. The chemical waste the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation in
from Hussain Sagar lake is also being transferred to
Musi. Quite a few attempts have been initiated for
saving Musi, but it appears that money and policy
measures aren’t enough to clean up the industrial
waste and sewage in Musi.

Image 1: Sonali Mahamna. Musi River. Retrieved from the Author. Image 2: Urban development timeline in Hyderabad around Musi
river. Retrieved from:

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 2017. Also the, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development urban commons to use. Neoliberal commodification of
Authority (HMDA) launched the “Musi revitalization urban commons and technocratic visions delink their
project” in 2018 while announcing a design competition political, historical, and social identities only to result
to redesign the 1.5-km Afzalgunj stretch in the old city. in ecological degradation.
Ten design firms, including a couple of international firms,
registered for the competition, but even before moving Hyderabad keeps bearing the weight of overflowing
up a next level, everything went woof into thin air. rivers year after year. In the monsoon of 2022,
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
In the Musi revitalization project, goals were distributed Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi claimed to evacuate 1,500
over three major categories - social, economic and residents living near the Musi downstream areas,
environmental. Social goals strived to ensure social including Puranapul and Chaderghat, and shift them to
cohesion to make the city inclusive and preserve the shelter homes due to an increased flow of floodwater.
city’s culture and heritage. But the authorities forgot The need to develop a planned sewage system
to stretch their efforts further to effectively involve considering the water bodies and river within the city
communities in the decision-making. is felt deeply.

Under the Save Musi campaign, the nine-acre Imliban Development or redevelopment plans for Musi would
park, located on the Afzalgunj stretch, was revitalized affect numerous people settled around the bank of
in 2007. The initiative proved to be a failure due to the river or indirectly rely on it. Implementation of
the location of the Imliban sewage treatment plant any project plan would involve the eviction of people
adjacent to the park. Visitors to the Park are greeted living within the limits of river banks and lead to the
by the sight of a long queue of trucks dumping garbage displacement of houses, which affects work and
on river banks, entertained by the strong stench of livelihoods. Therefore, it raises the need to understand
garbage, and bid adios by the breeding mosquitoes on the ground level situation and have a consultative
their way out. The park was planned for people, but process for planning and implementation. The physical
there was an extreme lack of consideration for the interventions need to be extremely considerate and
people themselves. sensible about the heritage of the Musi River, its
embankments and the various structures located
In August 2021, the Musi Riverfront Development around it. There are heritage regulations that give
Corporation Limited (MRDCL) board of directors had guidelines for development and restrict development
a meeting to discuss the discontinuation of the Musi wherever necessary. Conserving Musi and restoring
Rejuvenation and Beautification project. Soon, there its past glory would also involve extensive heritage
was a declaration by the State government to shelve the conservation.
entire project until a DPR is prepared to tackle urban
flooding issues in the city. The decision came after Rs Till date, the government’s approach towards
2-crore expenditure was incurred by the corporation conserving Musi is quite disintegrated, to say the
on river development works that got washed away in least; many actors are walking towards the same goal
incessant rains that year. Neither was there a light shed in siloes, which wouldn’t be as fruitful as required. The
on the supposed DPR preparation nor did the concepts involved stakeholders need to work in unison with
of Musi redevelopment saw the light of day. Overall the each other to frame an integrated management of the
changing Musi riverscape offers insights into the power entire catchment area of the river which would include
dynamics of social and political forces that work to put several other small water bodies, to ensure the water

42 Exclusively Inclusive
security of the city in coming years.Government cannot landscape. General ignorance and nonchalance of the
develop Musi in silos because any plan would disrupt society resulted in discouraging social inclusion and
the lives of many communities, and a participatory the possible rekindling of the river banks.
approach is the only way to pave the way for Musi’s
revitalization. Urban renewal has emerged as a strong contender in
the planning process to be adopted in city plans which
Musi river is a remarkable heritage that needs to be has put the heritage treasures of cities at the core
preserved before being completely lost under the layers of this urban regeneration. There lies a tremendous
of political, ecological, and social compromises. The potential to be leveraged from the historic sites which
setting of its landscapes is a beautiful experience that can be utilised in the form of social, environmental
can be leveraged to enhance rejuvenating community and economic factors if historic sites can be weaved
engagement in a closely knitted environment. The into the fabric of city development. A city’s heritage
Distinctive nature of these resonates with multilateral represents significant physical and socioeconomic
sections of the society which provides an ideal capital accumulated by communities as a result
Placemaking opportunity, invoking equal involvement of the knowledge, investments and labour of past
from hierarchical society. Inconsistent with the endless generations. This “cultural capital” not only confers
potential of the place, Citizens and government alike a distinctive identity to cities but if managed properly,
have abandoned it completely. People used to come also represents an important component of their wealth
for a river, were greeted by a sewer, and eventually through a variety of uses essential to social, economic and
decided to turn a complete blind eye to the failing environmental sustainability and advancement.

Image 3: Sonali Mahamna. River view from Nayapul. Retrieved from the author.

References

• MoHUA. 2022. Urban_Outcomes_Framework_Part1. 18th April. Accessed January 5th, 2023. https://smartnet.niua.
org/uof-2022/pdf/Urban_Outcomes_Framework_Part1_latest.pdf.
• Outlook. July 27th, 2022. Hyderabad: Musi River Swells, Inundates Low-Lying Areas. https://www.outlookindia.com/
national/hyderabad-musi-river-swells-inundates-low-lying-areas-news-212404
• World Bank Group. Cities Alliance. 2014. Inclusive Heritage-Based City Development Program in India. World Bank,
Washington, DC. © World Bank.
• https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/20800

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 National Institute of Urban Affairs
1st Floor, Core 4B, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi -110003, India
Telephone: (91-11) 24617517, 24617543, 24617595 •
Email: director@niua.org, icc@niua.org, asuri@niua.org • Website: www.niua.org @Niua_India