India is currently being fundamentally transformed by urbanization. This transformation does not only affect the cities themselves: it also affects the periurban areas around cities. These areas are currently experiencing fundamental transformations that will shape India’s (urban) future.
The H2O-T2S project team has prepared a policy report recognizing the periurban challenges and transformative initiatives and pathways emerging from a range of sectors in this region. The policy brief combines four thematic policy briefs on four specific aspects of periurban transformations – water, infrastructure & governance, gender, and disaster risk, as well as three case studies on periurban transformation pathways.
These four sections were developed based on research, practices, and case studies presented at the conference on ‘Transforming Periurban Futures in India’ that took place on January 18-19, 2022.
This emerging knowledge from stakeholder engagements and field research finds that challenges induced by periurban transformations, while not easy to solve, offer immense opportunities. These dynamics must not only be seen negatively. They will result in adverse development if they take place in an unregulated manner, but the dynamics also allow for quickly steering development in a direction that allows for a transformation to sustainability. Essential in this regard is a solid database for planning, participatory planning processes, a robust institutional and financial framework and, most importantly, joint visions for sustainable development pathways.
These insights for policy are communicated online both through individual thematic policy briefs as well as a compiled Policy Report.
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