Urban & Infrastructure Policy
Urban and Infrastructure Policies
Urban and infrastructure policies aim to manage rapid urbanization by improving city liveability, sustainability, and economic productivity through targeted development, such as India’s AMRUT, PMAY, and Smart Cities Mission.
These policies focus on upgrading core services, ensuring gender-inclusive planning, and fostering Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to address the high financial deficit in municipal infrastructure.
Key Aspects of Urban & Infrastructure Policy
- Core Missions (India Context):Key initiatives include the Smart Cities Mission (technology-driven improvements), AMRUT (water supply and sanitation), and PMAY (affordable housing).
- Infrastructure Components:Focuses on upgrading transportation (mobility), water supply, sanitation, energy, and community facilities like parks and schools.
- Financing Challenges:With an estimated 80% infrastructure financing gap, policies emphasize private sector involvement, municipal bonds, and, in some cases, public-private partnerships (PPPs).
- Sustainability and Resilience:Modern policies prioritize environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and, in some contexts, gender-inclusive infrastructure (e.g., better lighting and transport safety).
- Governance & Planning: Involves decentralization, enabling local bodies (municipalities) to handle urban planning, along with land use and slum redevelopment.
Key Policy Frameworks
- National Urban Policy Framework (NUPF):Provides a comprehensive approach focusing on integrated planning, rather than top-down mandates.
- Asset Management:Emphasizes not just creating new assets but also maintaining, modernizing, and replacing aging infrastructure to prevent service failures.
- Gender-Inclusive Policy:Aims for safe public spaces through gender assessments (GIAs) in project design and increased representation of women in planning committees