The Transforming India’s City Regions initiative at WRI India aims to enable and empower government actors, third sector partners and solution providers to pursue inclusive climate action and resilient growth, and deliver urban services, with the right information, analytics, tools and agendas. With Rainmatter Foundation’s support, we will enable coordinated urban and climate action by strategically supporting more data driven and strategic place-based policies, plans and projects; building data insights, tools and visualisations to enable better understanding, deliberation and prioritisation of action; and supporting existing and new institutions that enable multi-stakeholder collaboration and co-creation of solutions for cities and people.
We look forward to engaging with this community and actively on the lookout for opportunities to collaborate, so if any of this work resonates with you, do reach out either here or email [email protected]
GUJARAT
Contributing to the High-Level Committee on Urban Planning deliberations on integrated regional planning in Gujarat
Rejeet Mathews from the Eco-City Regions team was engaged as an expert on the State High-Level Committee on Urban Planning, Government of Gujarat, a platform constituted to strengthen urban planning systems through improved policy, capacity building, and implementation frameworks aimed at more integrated and future-ready urban development. The discussion focused on emerging approaches to City Economic Regions and how planning at a regional scale can help better connect economic development, infrastructure planning, and governance priorities across jurisdictions. The exchange reflected ongoing thinking within the committee on how urban and peri-urban systems can be approached as interconnected geographies requiring coordinated action across institutions. Her participation contributed to the broader deliberations of the committee, which brought together government and expert perspectives to explore pathways for improved convergence across planning and implementation processes.
JALANDHAR
Community Partnerships and Clean-Up Planning for Nurpur Pond Rejuvenation
As part of the Nurpur Pond rejuvenation initiative, the Eco-City Regions team strengthened local partnerships and community engagement for long-term restoration. Alongside bank stabilisation works under the approved tender, consultations were held to refine interventions and respond to changing site conditions. The team engaged experts, engineers, landscape practitioners and community organisations. Discussions with the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar informed revisions due to recent flooding in Punjab. A community-led clean-up strategy is being developed, with partnerships with Pahal and Reap Benefit for volunteer mobilisation and stewardship. A social baseline assessment has begun to understand demographics, livelihoods and needs of communities around the pond. Early surveys identified key stakeholder groups. These efforts aim to build local ownership for long-term ecological restoration and sustainable management of Nurpur Pond.
Read more about our journey with Jalandhar’s water bodies here - Jalandhar’s Waterbodies: From Restoration to Stewardship | WRI India
BODOLAND
Changemaker Series: Sarbeswar Basumatary’s journey from subsistence farming to resilient, integrated agriculture in Bodoland
A new episode of the Bodoland Changemaker Series has been released, featuring Sarbeswar Basumatary from Bodoland. The film follows his journey from subsistence farming, where survival depended on foraging and seasonal exchange, to gradually adopting more integrated and resilient agricultural practices built through years of experimentation and learning on the ground. It highlights how farming systems in Bodoland are being reimagined through local innovation, combining traditional knowledge with evolving practices to improve productivity, sustainability, and long-term resilience. The episode offers a grounded lens on how individual journeys of adaptation and learning contribute to broader conversations on strengthening agricultural systems and enabling more sustainable rural livelihoods in changing ecological and economic contexts.
The episode is available here to watch - https://youtu.be/dGSoy4haB-I?si=lWS5tZh9cYovZNi9
BENGALURU
Making way for Climate Action in Municipal Budgets of Bengaluru
The Ward Climate Action Plan (Ward CAP) working group submitted a list of priority and ready to deploy climate action project suggestions for Ward and neighbourhood level to the Chief Commissioner of Greater Bengaluru Authority at end of February. These were identified from the assessment and consultations done for 5 Ward CAPs. Subsequently, 4 out of 5 municipal corporations have allocated a total of approx. 52 crores directly towards climate action in their FY2026-27 budget.
Next steps include the formation of a technical cell for data-based planning and monitoring and an IEC Cell to increase citizen participation and create awareness
Instagram
Budget to Action Workshop
Budget-to-Action’ Workshops were organised by North, West & South corporations with support from WRI. Our team led the South Corporation workshop, where over 13 organisations delivered sessions on over 20 topics, helping engineers reimagine their ‘Action-plan’ preparation for this FY, and start embedding climate as a component. Going forward, we will continue to engage with them on strategic projects identified in the FY26-27 action plan.
Post | LinkedIn
MUMBAI
SHIFT Transport at Mumbai Climate Action Week
At Mumbai Climate Week 2026, WRI India convened government, academia, civil society, and industry partners under the SHIFT Transport Coalition to explore how data can enable climate-resilient mobility. The session showcased the Transport Analytics Hub (TAH), demonstrating how open, neighborhood-level data can support better transport planning and decision-making. By curating the dialogue and introducing TAH, WRI India helped build consensus around open, integrated, and people-centric mobility data. Key takeaways included
- emphasis on shares standardized transport data,
- the need for data that actually reflects the lived experience of commuters,
- moving data from retrospective analysis to forecasting/lifecycle planning, and
- the need to see transport as a core part of an integrated city system rather than a standalone sector.
For more- Post | LinkedIn
The 1000+ urban climate projects pipeline goes public
On World Earth Day, the Environment & Climate Change Department of Maharashtra officially launched the State Climate Action Cell’s website which includes details on the Maharashtra climate accelerator program including events, reports etc. The 1000+ climate projects pipeline which was announced at MCW was made public through this website. Every climate project on the list is now being detailed out and discussed through in-person city visits. Kalyan Dombivili, Navi Mumbai, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Thane, Panvel, Vasai-Virar have been completed so far.
The project list is available at MahaSCAC | Maharashtra State Climate Action Cell | Climate Finance & Sustainability
HYDERABAD
SHIFT Transport: Data-Driven Mobility Planning for Future-Ready Cities
At the SHIFT Transport: Data-Driven Mobility Planning for Future-Ready Cities dialogue in Hyderabad, WRI India partnered with TISS School of Public Policy and Governance, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, and Sarvejana Foundation to convene government, industry, academia, and civil society stakeholders to discuss data-driven approaches for climate-resilient mobility. Through the SHIFT Transport Coalition, WRI India facilitated knowledge exchange and cross-sector collaboration around evidence-based transport planning. Stronger partnerships and better use of mobility data can help cities make informed decisions and build more accessible, efficient, and climate-resilient transport systems.
https://x.com/MC_Cyberabad/status/2049112862052757921/photo/4
AHMEDABAD
AmdavadNXT - An Immersive Experience
Through AmdavadNXT, WRI India partnered with local organizations including The Urban Lab Foundation, UrbanVoices, aProCh, MyByk, and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to co-create an immersive platform on the future of public transport in Ahmedabad. By bringing together government, civil society, academia, industry, and citizens, the initiative fostered dialogue, collective problem-solving, and shared ownership of mobility challenges. The convening has led to the formation of nine thematic working groups and a city-level white paper, creating momentum for sustained action. It has strengthened the local mobility ecosystem, broke down silos between stakeholders, and built a foundation for more inclusive, people-centred transport planning. To learn more about our immersive experiences, please check out - https://wri-india.org/perspectives/how-immersive-experiences-are-shaping-urban-mobility
