India’s Cities Through New Eyes: Reflections on Urban Governance and Sustainability

Urban Act India

March - March 2026
Heinrich Gudenus
GIZ

India’s Cities Through New Eyes: Reflections on Urban Governance and Sustainability

Author: Heinrich Gudenus, Project Director, Urban-Act, GIZ

My first visit to India offered far more than an introduction to a new geography. It provided an on-the-ground perspective on how bustling Indian cities are navigating the intersection of rapid urbanisation, climate risk, environmental management, local culture and rising citizen expectations. For someone whose engagement with India had so far been shaped by policy discussions, research and project documents, this visit was an opportunity to replace assumptions with direct observation and experience.

What became immediately apparent was that India’s urban story cannot be understood only through its challenges. Across cities such as Panaji and Coimbatore, I encountered governance systems that are experimenting, learning, and increasingly delivering — often under conditions of scale and complexity that few cities globally face.

Observations on Environmental Governance and Institutional Commitment in Panaji

Panaji offers a compelling example of how urban environmental management can be both technically robust and citizen-centric. The city’s decentralised waste management system goes beyond traditional collection-and-disposal models. Its 16-way source segregation framework, grounded in circular economy principles, reflects a clear ambition to reduce landfill dependency while maximising resource recovery.

What distinguishes Panaji’s approach is not innovation alone, but institutional coherence. Under the CITIIS 2.0 programme, waste management has been aligned with broader sustainability and climate objectives — an effort that has received national recognition. This integration signals a maturing governance mindset, where sectoral silos are gradually giving way to systems thinking.

Equally noteworthy is the emphasis on data-informed, climate-resilient urban planning. Detailed mapping of topography, drainage systems, and utilities demonstrates foresight in preparing for climate variability and extreme weather events, indicating a shift from reactive infrastructure provision towards evidence-based and long-term resilience building.

Infrastructure and data, however, tell only part of the story. Particularly striking was the calibre of leadership and technical capacity within the local administration. I met officers who were deeply committed to their mandates and open to collaboration and citizen engagement. Experienced town planners play a crucial role in mentoring younger professionals, ensuring continuity of institutional knowledge and vision.

As a prominent tourist destination, Panaji also challenges the assumption that such cities are primarily consumption oriented. Instead, it demonstrates that effective environmental governance can enhance both resident well-being and visitor experience, reinforcing the compatibility of sustainability, cultural sensitivity and economic vitality.

Reflections on Institutionalising Sustainability and Liveability: experiences from the city of Coimbatore

If Panaji illustrates innovation at a more human scale, Coimbatore demonstrates how a larger city can institutionalise sustainability within routine governance. The city’s improvement in national cleanliness rankings — including its rise in the Swachh Survekshan from 35th to 28th place, with full scores in residential and water body cleanliness — is not merely a statistical achievement. These gains are tangible and visible on the ground.

More significantly, Coimbatore is embedding climate resilience within its administrative architecture. The establishment of a City Climate Action Cell marks a shift from ad-hoc responses towards anticipatory governance, recognising climate risks as central to urban planning rather than peripheral concerns.

The city also moves beyond cleanliness to invest in the institutional and physical infrastructure required for long-term sustainability. Urban greening initiatives, such as the revitalisation of Semmozhi Poonga, demonstrate how green spaces can serve multiple purposes — ecological restoration, public health, education, and cultural preservation.

Innovation is equally evident in the energy and waste sectors. Floating solar photovoltaic projects reflect an openness to integrating renewable energy with existing water infrastructure, while planned investments such as the biogas facility at the Vellalore site signal a willingness to address persistent waste challenges by linking waste management to energy generation.

National level: Reflections on National Frameworks and Policy Dialogue

The final leg of my visit took place in New Delhi, where the focus shifted from city-level implementation to the national policy and regulatory frameworks shaping India’s urban future. I participated in a roundtable convened by TERI under the Urban-Act project, with support from GIZ India and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The discussion brought together experts and practitioners to review provisions within the Model Building By-Laws and the Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, particularly those related to energy efficiency, sustainability, and green buildings.

The exchange highlighted opportunities to further strengthen these frameworks so that they more effectively support energy-efficient construction, climate-resilient design, and low-carbon urban growth. The quality of the dialogue reflected a shared commitment to ensuring that regulatory instruments evolve in step with India’s climate ambitions and rapidly changing urban realities.

I also met with the Joint Secretary (SBM-Urban) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, enabling a constructive exchange on national urban policy priorities and the role of international cooperation in supporting their implementation. The discussion reaffirmed the relevance of the German cooperation with India through initiatives such as the Urban-Act project in contributing to India’s broader objectives on climate mitigation, resilience, circular economy and sustainable urbanisation, while underscoring the importance of aligning international expertise with nationally led priorities.

Concluding Reflections: Governance as an Enabler of UrbanTransformation

Across the cities I visited, common threads emerged. Roads were cleaner, waste collection systems were active and visible, and public engagement campaigns were consistently present. While these observations may appear modest, together they challenge the persistent stereotype of Indian cities as inherently chaotic or unmanageable.

Equally important were conversations with residents and officials, which revealed a strong sense of civic pride. When governance provides clear direction, credible systems, and opportunities for participation, citizens respond by taking ownership of urban spaces.

This visit reinforced that governance — effective, coordinated, and adaptive — is a critical engine of urban transformation; learnings that I am surely going to take to my other partner countries. From decentralised waste systems in Panaji and climate planning in Coimbatore to national-level policy dialogue in New Delhi, these efforts form part of a larger mosaic supporting India’s long-term development vision, including its aspirations towards 2047.

India’s urban transition is neither uniform nor complete. Yet it is increasingly characterised by a narrative of possibility — grounded in leadership, evidence-based planning, and collaboration between institutions and citizens.