In this episode of the Perspective Prog. based on Rapid Urbanisation: Opportunities & Challenges. India is the second largest urban system in the world with almost 11% of the total global urban population living in Indian cities. In absolute numbers, the urban population in India is more than highly urbanised countries/regions across the globe. The country has reached a turning point in its journey of its economic transformation wherein half of the country would be ‘urban’ in a few decades. Urban growth is expected to contribute to 73% of the total population increase by 2036. Urbanisation is Central to India’s Economy. For India to become a global player, Urban India needs to take a giant leap with Indian cities being wellprepared for dealing with current challenges and a competitive future. Several bottlenecks and impediments such as lack of availability of serviced land, traffic congestion, pressure on basic infrastructure, extreme air pollution, urban flooding, water scarcity and droughts have been restricting urban planning capacity in the country. Over the last few years various programs have been launched to tackle the challenges and make appropriate use of opportunities in the urban development.

Guests:
1. Prof. P.S.N. Rao, Director, School of Planning and Architecture
2. Jaya Dhindaw, Director, Integrated Urban Planning, WRI India
3. Anand Menon, Vice President, Agra Smart City Ltd, Uttar Pradesh

Anchor: Vishal Dahiya

Producer: Amit Srivastav, Sagheer Ahmad