A distinctive feature of urbanization in the last 50 years is the expansion of urban populations and built development well beyond what was earlier conceived as the city limit, resulting in metropolitan areas.

Urbanisation is one of the most important potential drivers of productivity and growth in the global economy. But if countries and cities are to capture the productivity benefits of urban growth while minimising the costs, cities will need to shift to a more economically and environmentally sustainable growth pattern.

The Government of India along with the various State and Local Governments is implementing several flagship Urban Missions. An overarching goal of the various missions and schemes is to make Indian cities more ‘Liveable’.

Indian cities are crucial to the response to climate change. As the bulk of their infrastructure is yet to be built, their current decisions can lock-in, or lock-out, inclusive and climate resilient forms.

Most developed countries now implicitly or explicitly aim to promote more compact urban forms, as compactness is associated with a wide range of positive effects: increases in productivity due to agglomeration economies, travel time savings, and a smaller ecological footprint due to lower energy and land consumption.

The Union Cabinet approved a new Metro Rail Policy that seeks to enable realization of growing metro rail aspirations of a large number of cities but in a responsible manner.

This report provides an overview of the institutional, policy and financing landscape shaping Tanzania’s urban areas, and summarises some of the social, economic and environmental costs associated with current trends.

Noting that air pollution has reached crisis level in Northern India, government think-tank Niti Aayog has recommended a slew of measures like imposing higher taxes on petrol in and around the more polluted cities to encourage commuters to share cars and take public transportation.

The process of urbanization in Africa has the potential to be the most important instrument for social and economic development and poverty alleviation if a comprehensive framework for urban growth is established. The timing to get urbanization right is critical as most urbanization in Africa is yet to happen.