The minister emphasized sustainable urban environments and better urban planning as 50% of the population are expected to reside in cities by 2047.

Present issues related to Urban Planning

• Out-dated Spatial & Temporal plans fail to accommodate population growth.
• Lack of modern planning framework, rigid master plans and restrictive zoning regulations
• Housing Issues: E.g. building regulations often limits urban density leading to proliferation of slums. E.g. 17.3% of the total urban population was under slums in India (Census 2011)
• Environmental challenges such as air pollution affect people’s health and productivity, diminishing quality of life.
• Lack of disaster resilience for cities: E.g. Chennai Flood (2015)  caused due to encroachment of lakes and riverbeds

Steps to be taken

• Enhancing Ease of living: by empowering staff with skills and knowledge required to plan better and manage cities
• Use of data and Technology: to make capacity-building initiatives a catalyst for strengthening urban governance.
• Integration of Traditional Wisdom: To reimagine historic Indian cities and shape future cities.
• Develop cities as examples of equity, equality, and sustainability: with use of innovation and citizen centric governance to achieve inclusiveness, especially for marginalized communities