How to Build Climate-Resilient Cities

Attention: Last day to register is 9th October 2025.

Climate change is making our cities vulnerable, with far-reaching consequences for infrastructure, lives and livelihoods, and environmental well-being. A United Nations report warns that at 1.5°C warming, 2.3 billion people could suffer severe heat waves. The report also predicts a potential 4°C rise in warming in cities by century-end if greenhouse gas emissions persist at current levels. 

Elevated temperatures in cities can lead to severe thermal discomfort, heat-related illnesses, increased cooling energy demand, and associated economic consequences. This dire situation is exacerbated by shrinking of green spaces and waterbodies in and around cities, heavy concretisation, use of carbon-intensive and thermally inappropriate construction materials, lifestyle changes, and over-reliance on air conditioning.

There is an urgent need to tackle challenges posed by heat within cities. This can be done through increasing green-blue infrastructure, innovative building design, integrating use of low-carbon climate-responsive materials, and retrofitting urban spaces for outdoor thermal comfort. Planners, urban designers, architects, developers and the wider construction community all play a crucial roles towards climate-proofing our cities and reducing vulnerability in urban spaces. 

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi and the Institute of Urban Designer’s India (IUDI)-Karnataka Chapter, Bengaluru have come together to convene a regional forum to discuss climate resilience in Indian cities, and ways to sharpen their capacity to withstand the crisis. Practitioners, urban designers, planners, architects, academicians and industry representatives are expected to attend. 

For more information, please contact: 

Sugeet Grover
Programme Manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE
sugeet.grover@cseindia.org 

Srikanth K S
Secretary, IUDI-Karnataka Chapter
iudikarcontact@gmail.com