M Ramachandran

London is a good example of how integrated and proactive decision making can ensure an organised transportation system in a large city

Much more remains to be done to make life and living better for our urban residents. The earlier these issues are addressed, the better managed our cities will become

India needs an urban water management strategy which ensures that each city meets its basic water needs for the next 30 years, without becoming a victim of deficit rainfall and depleting water levels

Chennai's new airport terminal was built on the floodplains of the Adyar; pictures of aircraft stranded in water provide proof of what happens when nature's path is tampered with

The government is not prescribing any particular model for smart cities. Each city has to formulate its own concept, vision, mission and plan

London's problems relating to public transport, affordable housing, road safety hold out lessons for India's big cities as well. Failure to address them will turn them into crises

Carry out independent assessment of the nature of urban reform so it is not mechanically reported as being completed

Since vast sums of money are to be spent on recasting India's city landscape over the next five to six years, this is the right time for the Centre to take the initiative in bringing about big changes

The Centre and states will not be able to find the resources required for making our cities smart. Each city will have to plan its own agenda. So, empowering the elected systems of city bodies has to

The states must respect the principle of devolution and empower urban local bodies and provide them with more resources. The Constitution allows only state legislatures to assign functions to local bo

A housing strategy will have to look at a hierarchy of people who need it the most. Of the 4,041 statutory towns in the country, 63 per cent have slums. India has 13.75 million slum households, and th

One thing is common to all the city governance improvement initiatives: the systems that have been brought in have done away with the problems of dealing with officialdom

There is enough evidence to show that smart cities can change the urban way of life. They can provide more safety, better management of traffic congestion, a low-carbon environment and better services

The National Transport Development Policy Committee's attention needs to seep down to local bodies

What could be the basic outline of urban reform and renewal for India?

While a change has come about in grievance redressal, more needs to be done to make people feel comfortable about their interface with governmental systems

Water and sanitation are closely linked. Without water, sanitation cannot be hygienic. Unsafe sanitation is a leading cause of water contamination and disease