Cities of the Future: Reimagining and Rejuvenating India’s Top 50 Urban Ecosystems

India has achieved significant economic growth over the past 25 years, with the economy transitioning from one based on agriculture to the one based on services. This has led to the emergence of the economic powerhouses of our country: Indian Megacities. Today India’s urban population contributes 63% to GDP, which by 2030 is expected to rise to 75%. However, growth has not been equitable across cities, with smaller towns and cities lagging behind. This has created extreme pressure on megacities, making them increasingly unlivable. Further, climate change and sustainability issues have become more pressing, with rapid urbanization leading to toxic air, depleted water tables, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

To ease this burden and with an aim to promote more equitable growth across cities, this report focuses on outlining solutions for India’s next gen 50 cities. To turn this vision into reality thus it is important to focus on these five solutions: reimagining urban design & masterplan, building distributed economic growth engines, developing robust transport connectivity, enabling multi-faceted private participation in governance and developing compelling resilience plan. The time to act is now before it gets too late for the next 50 cities.