While Indian cities have grown manifold in the past several decades, and there is expectation that the pace of urbanization would accelerate in the future, problems of water supply, sewage disposal, municipal wastes, power supply, open landscaped spaces, air pollution, and public transport, have assumed stark proportions in many urban areas. These are linked, in turn to several causal factors, some obvious or proximate, such as inadequate and improper land-use planning, and others which lie at a deeper level.

This report on Development of Sustainable Habitat Parameters in the field of Urban Planning has been prepared by a Sub-Committee constituted by the Ministry of Urban Development under the National Mission for Sustainable Habitat (HMSH), one of the missions of the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC). The report outlines a vision combined with a set of recommended actionable/measurable indicators for the sustainable development in the country.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy entrusted ADaRSH with the formulation and development of guidelines and benchmarks for Large Developments including educational institute campuses, housing societies and townships, residential campuses, etc.

The Task Force on Urban Development was constituted in June 2010 by the Planning Commission, Planning and Development Division, Government of Pakistan, to review existing urban conditions in the country and establish broad principles for formulating a national urban policy. Headed by Mr. Arif Hasan, the Task Force, comprising eminent professionals from various urban development disciplines, has explored major challenges confronting the cities

The Asian Coalition for Community Action Program (ACCA) is a three-year program of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), and the program’s target is to support a process of city-wide upgrading in 150 Asian cities. Community people are the primary doers in planning and implementing projects in which they tackle problems of land, infrastructure and housing at scale in their cities, in partnership with their local governments and other stakeholders.

Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority assesses the state of infrastructure in the United States and around the world, examines what the next few years are likely to hold, and provides recommendations for moving forward on the infrastructure investments and strategies that are needed for regions and countries to continue to prosper and grow.

This Asian Green City Index, commissioned by German firm Siemens is an analysis of the environmental sustainability of 22 major cities in Asia with respect to environmental and climate protection.

This new book by Sustainable Sanitation Alliance focuses on sustainable sanitation systems in cities and shows how this can be achieved within the constraints and complexities of the urban environment.

The UN-HABITAT developed this guide for city planners and other allied professionals to better understand, assess, and take action on climate change at the local level.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have released a preview of guidelines titled “Are We Building Competitive and Liveable Cities?”  The guidelines address the development of eco-efficient and sustainable urban infrastructure in Asia and Latin America.