India's 'Viksit Bharat' dream: Building the cities of tomorrow

India’s urbanisation drive has resulted in undeniable gains.

- HITESH VAIDYA & O.P. AGARWAL

India's economic transformation is a story shaped mainly by its cities. India's vision of a truly 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) and its ambitious $30 trillion economy target demand a strategic shift away from reactive, unplanned urbanisation and toward a blueprint for intentional, inclusive, and resilient city development. However, India's cities stand at a crossroads. To achieve this aspiration, we must equip our cities for the future. This requires a decisive shift from unplanned, fragmented urban development to a strategy powered by knowledge, innovation, and bold solutions. India's transformation from an agrarian-based economy to the world's third-largest economy hinges crucially on the robust growth of its cities. India's cities are engines of economic promise, yet the path is fraught with challenges.

India's urbanisation drive has resulted in undeniable gains. Its cities bustle with energy that reflects progress in different sectors.

This dynamism stands in stark contrast with the India of decades ago. However, India's urban realities demand more profound attention: a reinforced focus on building capacities at all levels to learn new approaches and technologies for working and sensitisation towards new roles, responsibilities and attitudes, integrated planning, seamless coordination, incentivised innovation, and technology-driven solutions. In the coming decades, the urban sector will play a critical role in the structural transformation of the Indian economy and in sustaining the high economic growth rates. India's response to urbanisation recognises the international benchmarks laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the New Urban Agenda (NUA).