Context: India’s urban governance needs urgent reform to effectively implement SDG-11, i.e., to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Urbanisation: A Double-Edged Sword
1. Urban Growth and Promise
India is witnessing rapid urbanisation, with over 30% of its population living in cities.
Urban areas are hubs for economic opportunities, innovation, infrastructure development, and improved access to services.
2. Emerging Urban Challenges
Urbanisation intensifies environmental degradation, congestion, pollution, and socio-economic disparities.
Example: Cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad face acute water shortages, power outages, and extreme heat, indicating systemic stress rather than temporary issues.
Governance and Planning Gaps
3. Weak Urban Planning Framework
As per the 2023 Annual Survey of Indian City Systems (Janaagraha):
Only 16 cities have sustainability plans.
Only 17 cities have resilience strategies.
This reveals the lack of alignment with SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
4. Gaps in Climate Preparedness
The 2025 Sustainable Futures Collective report, “Is India Ready for a Warming World?”, highlights significant shortcomings in long-term urban climate planning.
Limitations in Existing Urban Indices
5. Inadequate SDG-11 Coverage
NITI Aayog’s SDG Urban Index covers 56 cities but includes only four indicators for SDG-11:
Swachh Survekshan
Road accidents
PMAY-U housing
Waste treatment
It misses key metrics like climate resilience, inclusivity, and urban safety.
6. Fragmented Assessment Tools
The Ease of Living Index spans 111 cities but lacks a direct alignment with SDG-11.
Global indices like Mercer’s or The Economist’s often don’t reflect local Indian urban realities.
7. Policy-Research Disconnect
Absence of city-specific, disaggregated data hinders targeted interventions.
Lack of a comprehensive SDG-11 index creates a policy blind spot, making it harder to identify genuinely sustainable and inclusive cities.
The New Research Initiative: A Holistic Assessment
8. Framework Design
Developed four indices aligned with SDG-11 pillars:
Safety
Inclusivity
Sustainability
Resilience
Covered 10 cities: Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Surat.
9. Methodology
Used 58 indicators (9 for safety, 19 for inclusivity, 15 each for sustainability and resilience).
Employed the Shannon Entropy Weighting Technique to assign unbiased weights.
Data sourced from Census 2011, NCRB, PLFS, NFHS-5, IMD, Ola Mobility Index, etc.
Key Insights from the Study
10. Misaligned Perceptions
Cities ranked highly by NITI Aayog fared poorly in this study, revealing gaps in traditional assessment frameworks.
11. Inclusivity Gaps
Significant disparities found in economic participation, gender access, and basic services.
12. Safety Discrepancies
Varied performance across cities reflects differing law enforcement and public safety standards.
13. Sustainability and Resilience Deficits
Poor scores in air quality, waste management, and disaster readiness exposed vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure and planning.
Way Forward: Strengthening Urban Futures Through SDG-11
1. Localising SDG-11 Monitoring
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) must develop their own SDG-11 tracking mechanisms.
Learning from States/UTs that have adopted district-level monitoring, ULBs should create urban-level indicators tailored to local contexts.
2. Leveraging Smart City Infrastructure
Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) set up under the Smart Cities Mission should be utilized beyond surveillance—integrating real-time data collection, urban service delivery, and resilience planning.
These centers can enable evidence-based decision-making and crisis response, especially in fast-growing urban areas.
3. Addressing Urban Poverty with Updated Data
Nearly one-third of urban residents live in poverty, yet Census 2011 remains the primary data source—now outdated.
A State-level Urban Poor Quality of Living Survey, conducted periodically, is essential to:
Accurately estimate urban poverty levels.
Design inclusive housing, sanitation, mobility, and employment schemes.
4. Embracing City-Specific Solutions
Recognize that each city—big or small—faces unique socio-environmental and infrastructural challenges.
Urban governance must shift toward:
Localized planning
Decentralized policy formulation
Tailored resilience and inclusion frameworks
5. Data-Driven and Inclusive Urban Policies
Ensure data-backed strategies guide urban development.
Move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to create equitable, climate-resilient, and inclusive urban futures.