Cities

By 2050 it is projected that 7 out of 10 people in the world will live in cities. This combined with climate change-driven extreme weather events increases the spatial and social vulnerability of our cities. Our work focuses on making our cities inclusive and sustainable through participatory and data-driven approaches. We have undertaken policy analysis, capacity building, research and policy advocacy along the principles of low-carbon development. Our projects over the years have embedded the importance of action-oriented development in cities and disseminated knowledge products which have enabled mainstreaming of urban resilience and climate action. The areas of research and our association with plethora of multitiered stakeholders have resulted in building a rich body of experience in climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions at the city level.

cities

NEW IN CITIES

  • lighting billion lives

     

    Report

    Enabling Cities to Implement Innovative Sustainable Urban Solutions

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  • energy access

    Policy Brief

    TERI Whitepaper: Integrating Climate Sensitivity into Urban Planning for Future Resilience  

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  • micro credit

    Urban Living Lab

    Launch of Visakhapatnam Urban Living Lab

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  • rural-energy

    Video

    Transformative Climate Action using participatory data driven decision making platforms (T-CAP).

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  • micro grid installation

    e-Course

    e-Certificate Course on Mainstreaming Urban Climate Action

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Projects

CAP India

School Awareness as part of CAP India

Urban Climate Action

Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon & Resilient Cities (Urban-Act)

Urban living

Urban Living Lab for Sustainable and Smart Cities in India

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Articles

Burning Point: Increasing Heatwaves Threaten Lives Across India

Ms Suruchi Bhadwal
,
Mr K Venkatramana

In April 2025, Delhi experienced an intense heatwave, recording the hottest day of the year so far and the warmest night in six years. It also marked the highest maximum temperature for April in the last three years. These conditions, now becoming more frequent and severe, are a stark reminder of the urgent need to address heat-related risks.

Cities Must Address Needs of Children, Women and Persons with Disabilities

Ms Anushree Harde
,
Mr Shri Prakash

As we reflect on the future, it’s a timely reminder of the kind of cities we are building for future generations. The urban spaces we create today will shape the world that future generations inherit, and it is crucial that these spaces are inclusive of all their needs. The rapid growth of cities and urbanization pose significant challenges in various areas of urban development. Vulnerable groups, such as women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, the urban poor, informal settlement dwellers, and migrants are disproportionately affected by these challenges.

Readiness and Capacity Needs Assessment for Electric Vehicle Adoption in Indian Cities

Global dependence on fossil fuels in the transport sector has been a key driver of climate change and air pollution. In India, motorized transport accounts for a large share of the country’s total GHG emissions. Therefore, the swift replacement of internal combustion engines (ICE Vehicles) with Electric Vehicles (EVs) is imperative to decarbonize India’s transport sector.

Strengthening Urban Climate Action: Takeaways from a Webinar Series

Mr Janmejay Sahoo

Climate change impacts, such as increased rainfall intensity, sea-level rise, flooding, and heatwaves, pose significant challenges for urban systems worldwide. They adversely affect cities' basic services, infrastructure, housing, health, and economy.

Fostering a sustainable urban future: Experiences from knowledge exchange workshops between India and Afghanistan

Ms Bhavya Bogra

The current scenario in India and Afghanistan shows us that most of the population still lives in rural areas, but the trends are changing rapidly as people migrate towards urban and peri-urban areas. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), 55% of the world's population is residing in urban areas currently, with the proportion predicted to grow to 68% by 2050 (UNDESA, 2018).

Why Green Ratings for Buildings Matter?

Mr Santhosh Ramkumar

An exponential increase in the population over the past decade has led to the emergence of rapid urbanization as a key global trend of prominence and concern. It is expected that more than 40% of the Indian population will be dwelling in urban cities by 2030, and the total urban population of India is anticipated to hit the three quarters of a billion mark by 2050.

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Events

State-Level Policy Dialogue on Mainstreaming Climate-Sensitive Urban Planning in Goa

April 25, 2025
to April 25, 2025

State-Level Policy Dialogue on Mainstreaming Climate-Sensitive Urban Planning in Cities of Tamil Nadu

February 25, 2025
to February 25, 2025

SIDE EVENT AT GRIHA SUMMIT: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India

December 5, 2024
to December 5, 2024

As part of the 16th GRIHA Summit, TERI and the GRIHA Council hosted a side event titled "Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Construction: Scaling Up Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Applications in India." The event, organised under GIZ India’s dPP project in partnership with Ornate Solar, convened critical stakeholders, including government representatives, architects, and developers, to deliberate on barriers, concerns, and opportunities for scaling BIPV technology in India.

TERI at WUF 12 Cairo, Egypt

November 4, 2024
to November 8, 2024

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is a premier global conference convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to exchange ideas and experiences on sustainable urbanization. The twelfth session of WUF is being held this year in Cairo, Egypt from November 04 – 08, 2024.

World Sustainable Development Summit 2024

February 7, 2024
to February 9, 2024

 7-9 February 2024 | New Delhi

U20 Mayoral Summit

July 7, 2023
to July 8, 2023

July 7-8, 2023 | Ahmedabad 

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News

City-centered climate action: Measuring progress for tangible change

September 5, 2023
| Mr Sanjay Seth
,
| Ms Rhea Srivastava
| The Financial Express

India's G20 presidency has taken commendable steps to empower cities and elevate their role in the fight against climate change says Mr Sanjay Seth, Senior Fellow and Senior Director, Sustainable Buildings Division, TERI and Ms Rhea Srivastava, Associate Fellow, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI.

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Digital Innovation: An Effective Approach to Address Urban Challenges

August 7, 2023
| Ms Anushree Harde
| The Financial Express

The automated service delivery gaining acceptability and greater reach would help in evolution of new ways of engagement for citizens says Ms Anushree Harde, Research Associate, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI.

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Visakhapatnam: Transformative climate action to involve stakeholders

May 17, 2023 |
May 17, 2023
The Hans India

Visakhapatnam got selected for Transformative Climate Action project (T-CAP). In alignment with the weather conditions, there is a need to transform Visakhapatnam, said Mayor Ms G Hari Venkata Kumari. The National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) in collaboration with the United Nations University - Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Bonn, Germany and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi and Sustainability and Resilience Unit (SRU) (UNDP-GoI project), GVMC has taken up action-based research on T-CAP.

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GVMC seeks suggestions to alleviate impact of climate change on Visakhapatnam city

May 17, 2023 |
May 17, 2023
The Hindu

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Mayor Ms G Hari Venkata Kumari, at a programme on Transformative Climate Action using Participatory Data-Driven Decision Making Platforms (T-CAP) on 17 May 2023 welcomed solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on Visakhapatnam city.

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Gender Disparity in Digital Transformation – Towards India's G20 Commitments

March 19, 2023
| Ms Shiren Pandita
| Planning Times

The G20's global embeddedness plays an important role in garnering political backing and advancing development strategies that could connect distinctive potentials among nations. With India recently getting the G20 presidency, it is crucial to discuss solutions that can include women and other intersecting identities in the digital ecosystem with the help of G20's Development Working Group (DWG) says Ms Shiren Pandita, Research Associate,  Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI.

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Marginalising the Marginalised: Housing for Women in Urban India

March 14, 2023
| Ms Shiren Pandita
| Planning Times

The need to capture the housing market for women has previously been promoted with a myopic attitude. It is so, as inter alia policies and interventions have not been indicative of the gender struggles and in most cases lacked a holistic approach towards promoting gender specific and basic infrastructure laden housing market says Ms Shiren Pandita, Research Associate, Transport and Urban Governance Division,  TERI.

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Policy

Fostering a Sustainable Urban Future

March 25, 2020

With growing urbanisation, sustainable development will continue to increasingly depend on the successful management of urban growth and natural resources. This discussion paper suggests recommendations to incorporate and adapt sustainable solutions in cities in India.

Mainstreaming urban resilience: Lessons from Indian cities

February 12, 2020

Building urban resilience is imperative for safeguarding urban investments and paving the way for a forward-looking, risk-aware, inclusive and integrated approach to sustainable urban development in India.

Making Indian Cities Energy Smart

March 29, 2019

Managing the energy footprint of cities is one of the most challenging goals, and with the evolution and transformation of existing cities into smart cities, smart energy management (SEM) becomes an integral component of this urban transformation.

Making Liveable Cities: Challenges and Way Forward for India

October 25, 2018

More than 40% of India's population is expected to reside in its urban centres by 2050 (UNDESA, 2014). While these rapidly expanding urban centres in India are seen as the engines of economic growth, they also face tremendous pressures on their civic infrastructure systems and issues of environmental degradation, air pollution, and increasing frequency of climate-induced events and disasters. It is, thus, now critical to relook at the ways in which we manage these challenges for enhancing the liveability of cities.

Road Map for Mainstreaming Urban Climate Resilience in Goa

July 26, 2016

This policy brief is based on the learning that emerged from The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) two-year long program on 'State-level policy engagement for mainstreaming urban climate resilience' in Goa and Uttarakhand, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation under its Asian Cities Climate Change Resilient Network (ACCCRN) initiative. ACCCRN—a 9-year initiative (2008–16)—has been instrumental in bringing forth the urban climate change resilience agenda to cities in Asia.

Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities: A Policy Perspective

October 9, 2014

Urban India has grown at an unprecedented rate in the last two decades. The level of urbanisation increased from 25 per cent in 1991 to 31 per cent in 2011 with a total urban population of 377 million in 2011. A conservative estimate of India's population growth shows that it is expected to reach about 1.5 billion by 2031, of which the urban population is estimated to be about 600 million, i.e., about 40 per cent1.

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Services

Project Monitoring Unit

We provide services to establish project monitoring cells to promote sustainability in broader spectrum of resources. The centre has set up vaious PMUs which include Sustainable Habitat cell in Vijayawada, ECBC cell in Odisha, ECBC cell in Punjab, ECBC cell in Haryana.

Team

Mr Sanjay Seth

Senior Director, Sustainable Infrastructure

Ms Anushree Harde

Area Convener, Transport and Urban Governance