The Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder initiative anchored by Saath to strengthen urban resilience and inclusion, particularly for the informal sector. It brings together NGOs, academic institutions, urban local bodies, private actors, and community representatives to co-create solutions that address systemic challenges such as climate change, unsustainable urbanization, and weak urban governance. Rooted in deep community engagement and guided by principles of inclusivity, subsidiarity, and evidence-based action, the Collaborative aims to secure livelihoods, promote circular economy practices, and influence policy for equitable urban growth. It envisions cities that are co-created by their residents, where informal workers are recognized as key contributors to shaping sustainable, resilient, and just urban futures.
Key Areas of Focus
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Ecosystem Building
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Develop a collaborative knowledge ecosystem to drive systemic change.
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Advance and scale the ongoing efforts of participating organizations by promoting cross-learning and best-practice replication.
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Establishing a Sandbox for Innovation
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Create an incubation environment for testing, accelerating, and scaling urban solutions.
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Facilitate:
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A comprehensive knowledge repository.
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Community capacity-building initiatives.
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Tailored training and professional development programs.
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Research and Data-Driven Insights
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Conduct research on sustainable practices, policy models, and climate adaptation strategies.
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Establish a centralized data repository to track urban informal sector contributions, vulnerabilities, and economic trends.
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Conduct sector-wide impact assessments to measure the effects of climate change and economic policies on informal workers.
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Develop methodologies to assess Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the informal sector.
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Conduct research on sustainable practices, policy models, and climate adaptation strategies.
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Stakeholder Influence and Engagement
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Build partnerships with local governments, academia, and the private sector to foster investment and systemic change.
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Promoting Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprises
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Support and scale innovations emerging from the informal sector, enabling their integration into mainstream economic frameworks.
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Centralized Information and Resource Hub
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Establish a digital knowledge-sharing platform to ensure equitable access to resources and best practices.
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Digital Tools and Knowledge Platforms
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Utilize GIS-based mapping and digital technologies for real-time data-sharing, impact assessment, and innovation tracking.
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Advocacy and Policy Engagement
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Engage in policy advocacy to institutionalize systemic change and ensure the informal sector is represented in climate action plans at the city and national levels.
Collaborative Vision
To establish an inclusive, resilient urban ecosystem through collaborative partnerships that strengthens the informal sector, enhance economic opportunities, integrate circular economy principles, and mitigates climate change impacts, ensuring long-term scalability and sustainability.
Collaborative Principles
Engagement with NGOs and Civil Society: Collaborate with organizations directly working with the informal sector to strengthen impact and outreach.
Cooperative-Based Approach: Uphold a model that ensures community ownership, sustainability, and collective empowerment.
Sustainability and Climate Responsibility: Align all adaptation and mitigation strategies with environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly practices.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensure that informal sector workers and marginalized communities have a voice in shaping policies and initiatives.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Foster synergy between academia, private industry, and governance to drive holistic solutions.
Evidence-Based Action: Ground all policies and strategies in data-driven insights and continuous impact assessment for maximum effectiveness.
Collaborative Shift and Markers
The urban collaboration shifts from isolated efforts to a collective framework, integrating climate resilience and informal sector empowerment. Key markers include impact of climate assessment for the informal sector, scaling climate resilience practices, circular economy integration, and mobilizing investments. Success is measured by improved livelihoods, sustainable practices, policy influence, and technology adoption for long-term urban impact.
All the shifts mentioned in the table below encompass
Mental,
Structural,
Systemic,
Mode Engagement, &
Measurable Growth dimensions.
Shifts
Markers
Climate Resilience Moving from vulnerable, disaster-prone informal settlements to climate-resilient urban habitats.
What we’re trying to shift. From fragmented, project‑by‑project responses to city systems that embed people’s voice, climate resilience, and dignified livelihoods—especially for the urban informal sector.
What we did. Through structured dialogues and design exercises, participants:
Clustered systemic challenges into three problem arenas: Climate Change, Unsustainable Urbanisation, and Urban Governance.
Affirmed non‑negotiables across all work: deep community engagement, safe inclusion of women and marginalised groups, and decision‑making anchored in people’s voice.
Adopted the 3P frame—Policy, Partnership, Practice—to link evidence and pilots to systemic change.
Translated insight into intent by forming four Task Forces, including Strengthening People’s Institutions (People’s Voice & Accountability), to ensure organised community leadership.
Key outputs from the convening.
A preliminary roadmap with Year‑1 focus, TF mandates, and governance architecture (Secretariat and Steering Committee).
Agreement to finalise TORs, nominate SC representatives, and begin one innovation, one pilot, and one research stream per TF in Q3.
A commitÂment to common documentation standards, a shared evidence repository, and regular update cadence (bi‑weekly briefs; monthly synthesis).
Why this matters. The collaborative model intentionally weaves people’s institutions, civil society, academia, and city systems—so pilots and practice inform policy, scale, and durable community ownership.
Steering Committee Meeting: Convened to review progress and next steps across Task Forces. Agenda covered naming, protocols, project pipeline, website, and reporting methods.
Protocol for Project Approvals: Initial structure discussed and drafted. Flow includes submission (via template), Secretariat screening, Task Force peer review, Steering Committee decision, and reporting cadence (monthly/quarterly + midline/endline).
Website Draft: First outline of sections (About, Task Forces, Projects, Resources, Join Us) prepared and circulated. Content owners identified; members requested to provide feedback and upload content/visuals by the deadline.
Collaborative Name: Finalised as Urban Resilience Collaborative after reviewing the shortlist of five options. This name will now be used across all communication and website material.
Project Proposal & Reporting Templates: Simple drafts prepared and shared. Proposal format includes Project Name, Description, Shift(s) & Marker(s), Implementation Lead & Partners, Targets/Metrics, and Reporting Frequency. Reporting format includes progress vs targets, outcomes, evidence, risks, budget summary, and next-period plan.
Next Steps
Task Forces to finalise project concepts and share requirements (using the templates) for approval at the next Steering Committee meeting.
Members to review website draft and contribute text, visuals, and feedback for their sections.
Secretariat to circulate finalised project approval protocol for adoption.
All reporting to align with agreed cadence: monthly summaries, quarterly deep-dives, and midline/endline reports for longer projects.
Project agreements have been shared with partners, and initial project implementation has commenced
This marks a transition from planning to on-ground execution across identified opportunity areas
5. Climate Resilience Projects – Implementation
Implementation of initial climate resilience pilots has begun on the ground
As part of this, a prototype roof upgradation at coomunity house has been initiated, focusing on improving thermal comfort and reducing heat stress in informal housing conditions
The intervention is being used as a live demonstration model, combining design, material innovation, and performance monitoring
Learnings from this pilot will inform scalable retrofit solutions for similar households across informal settlements
