URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA: CHALLENGES.IMPACT.SOLUTIONS- WITH SONALI RASTOGI AND GOONMEET SINGH CHAUHAN

India is at the cusp of rapid urbanisation. According to studies, by 2030, India’s urban population will reach 600 million people.

- Seema Sreedharan

The growth trajectory has been unprecedented and often chaotic, and the relentless pace comes with a myriad challenges—environmental degradation, housing shortages in response to waves of distress migration, and a highly incoherent built environment. The role of an architect or an urban planner becomes even more pertinent in this scenario. Architecture, as a critical component of urban development, plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, offering innovative solutions that can lead to more sustainable, equitable, and liveable urban environments. In that sense, Architecture as a discipline, has the responsibility of building cities that can mitigate the challenges they’re facing now, and anticipate the challenges they may encounter in future. Architecture is the only profession that can actually make a physical, tangible difference or alleviate the current situation. From environmental sustainability, critical challenges posed by urbanisation to the social dimensions of urbanisation, architects can make a considerable impact.

In this segment of Design Dialogues, we bring together two visionaries from the realm of architecture to discuss and propose a blueprint for the future. Architect and Urban Planner Sonali Rastogi, Founding Partner, Morphogenesis and Architect and Futurist Goonmeet Singh Chauhan, Founding Partner, Design Forum International come together to create a roadmap for the future of urban design in India. Read on, as they discuss the imminent roadblocks on the path to urbanisation and deliberate on the solutions.

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA: THE CURRENT SCENARIO