Urban Resilience and Sustainability in India

India faces a defining urban challenge: by 2050, more than 720 million people will live in cities where 70% of critical infrastructure remains unbuilt. This book offers a comprehensive roadmap for transforming Indian cities from climate-vulnerable settlements into engines of resilient, anti-fragile, and sustainable growth. Addressing three critical themes – Urban Climate Governance and Planning, Urban Vulnerabilities and Equity, and Water Security and Coastal Threats – the book challenges conventional, colonial-era master plans and advocates for dynamic, data-driven frameworks. Through diverse case studies spanning heat-resilient strategies in India's National Adaptation Plan, Mumbai's climate-responsive transport systems, gender-differentiated flood impacts in Panaji, community-led water governance in Bundelkhand, and coastal tourism resilience in Digha, it bridges top-down policy mandates with bottom-up innovation. Comparative analyses with California's Climate Action Plans provide transferable lessons for the Global South. Essential for urban planners, policymakers, postgraduate students, and practitioners in urban planning, climate adaptation, environmental science, disaster management, development studies, public policy, gender studies, and sustainable urbanization, this book offers actionable insights on heat-proofing cities, managing water-blind expansion, and ensuring inclusive climate action.