This paper explores the potential of a range of peri-urban environmentalisms to come together in support of sustainable urbanisation. The present-day ‘urban,’ along with the dominant planning visions of urbanisation, lack in inclusivity, deliberative democracy, grassroots innovations, and bottom-up processes of knowledge generation.

The National Urban Health Mission was supposed to address the unmet health needs of urban Indians. Yet, it has failed to commence work even 18 months after the announcement of its formation. A rapidly urbanising India has been marked by a series of epidemics of communicable diseases in the last two decades and increasing informalisation of the economy.