28th - 31st July, 2025: WRI India team participates in global workshop for peer learning on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL)
Global MEL team and WRI India MEL team come together for internal capacity building workshop
As part of a capacity-building initiative, WRI’s Global Monitoring and Evaluation (MEL) team engaged with the India MEL team to share learnings for effective MEL. The discussions focused on specific processes and frameworks for monitoring, evaluation, and learning, with key takeaways including crafting Theory of Change guidance and a stronger emphasis on learning. Internally, WRI is encouraging teams to pause, reflect, and systematically capture on insights from programmes and working with stakeholders on ground.
18th August, 2025: Eco-City Regions Team Participates in Uttar Pradesh Urban Governance Consultation
On 18th August 2025, the Eco-City Regions team participated in the Uttar Pradesh Urban Governance Consultation organized by Praja Foundation. The event was attended by senior officials including the Director, DULB, Special Secretary IAS Arun Prakash (UDD), Finance Assistant Director Mr. Akhilesh, Chairman of TCPO Lucknow, Sudhir Kashyap and representatives from Praja Foundation, Janagraaha, IQVIA, Shelter Associates, UDRI. Elected representatives (parshads) from multiple cities including Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Basti, and Kanpur, as well as the Mayor of Gorakhpur, also participated. The discussions revolved around urban governance challenges and opportunities, providing valuable insights into the ground realities and differentiated requirements within urban and peri-urban cities.
20th August, 2025: WRI India Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Srinagar Development Authority as Knowledge Partner
Thriving Eco City-regions team meets Mohammad Rafi, Vice Chairman of Srinagar Development Authority
On 20th August 2025, WRI India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), formalizing its role as SDA’s knowledge partner. Through this partnership, WRI India will provide guidance and technical support across several key areas, including offering technical inputs for master planning, flagship projects, and schemes; developing frameworks for workshops, seminars, stakeholder consultations, and public engagement; delivering research insights, reviews, and capacity-building support on SDA’s priority tasks; and facilitating regular discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions to track progress and identify new opportunities for collaboration.
21st to 23rd August, 2025: Neha Lal Co-Facilitates Session on “Deepening Understanding of the Urban” at U-CAN Annual Forum
Neha Lal from the Eco-City Regions team co-facilitated a session titled “Deepening Understanding of the Urban” organized by the Urban Collective Action Network (U-CAN). The forum brough together member organisations, elected representatives, government officials at state and national level, media, researchers and practitioners to connect, collaborate, and communicate about the future of urban transformation in India, grounded in the realities of India’s Tier II and III cities. At the Forum Annual Workshop, Neha co-led this interactive session, which invited participants to explore and exchange perspectives on priority sectors, governance processes, and the universal needs that shape our cities.
28th August, 2025: WRI India supports Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar in financing Sponge cities efforts under AMRUT 2.0 and SSASCI Scheme provisions
Eco-City Regions team virtually participated in the SSASCI meeting to review state-level status updates, led by MoHUA Secretary D. Thara and Director Rohina.
Under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme, the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar (MCJ) submitted proposals to state level authority PMIDC. For the State Support for Achieving Sponge Cities Initiative (SSASCI) scheme, discussions were held with multiple stakeholders, including the Joint Commissioner, SDO (O&M Department), Urban Planner, WRI India team members. Based on these consultations, WRI India team supported in collating baseline data for submissions under AMRUT 2.0 under the scheme component that finances works towards “Creation of Sponge Cities.”
31st August, 2025: WRI India Submitted Final Report on Peri-Urban Mapping and Sustainable Urban Management in Tamil Nadu
Snippets of the “Mapping of Peri-Urban Areas in Tamil Nadu and Development of Sustainable Urban Management Framework of Peri-Urban Areas” report in print.
Our team submitted the final report titled “Mapping of Peri-Urban Areas in Tamil Nadu and Development of Sustainable Urban Management Framework of Peri-Urban Areas,” to Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission after incorporating their feedback. The report focuses on developing implementation frameworks for sustainable urban management in peri-urban areas, adopting a holistic and sustainability-driven approach that combines spatial analysis, policy review, secondary literature, and stakeholder consultations to better understand peri-urban transitions. Building on this foundation, a proposal to develop a white paper on this theme is currently being prepared, with the objective of advancing this work towards a comprehensive Rural-Urban Transition Policy for Tamil Nadu.