Initiatives for Sustainable Urban Development

The Government of India has formulated the

• National Urban Sanitation Policy,
• National Urban Transport Policy and
• National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy

in view of rapidly increasing urban population. The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission launched in December 2005 and the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat approved recently also provide an over arching policy framework to address issues relating to sustainable urban development.

The Minister said that the National Urban Sanitation Policy seeks to create fully sanitized Cities through awareness generation, State Sanitation Strategies and Integrated City Sanitation Plans. 

The National Urban Transport Policy seeks to promote safe, affordable and sustainable transportation through integrated land use and transport planning, multimodal public transport, equitable allocation of road space and promotion of clean technologies.

The National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy seeks to promote sustainable development of habitat in the country with a view to ensure equitable supply of land, shelter and services at affordable prices to all sections of society. 

The National Mission on Sustainable Habitat seeks to promote sustainability of habitats through improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, urban planning, improved management of solid and liquid waste including recycling and power generation, modal shift towards public transport and conservation. 

The policy initiatives under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission include reforms related to governance, financial sustainability, land and property management, responsiveness to citizens, transparency and inclusive development.