International Workshop on Sustainable Urbanization in South Asia (June 15, 2025)
On June 15, 2025, the Institute successfully held the International Workshop on Sustainable Urbanization in South Asia in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This transdisciplinary workshop allowed researchers, urban policymakers, development practitioners, and multilateral agency representatives to evaluate the current and future trends of urbanization across South Asia. Particular focus was placed on the necessity of urbanization that is sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient given the pressures anticipated demographically and environmentally from within the region.
The workshop sought to evaluate population growth and infrastructure development as attributes of urbanization. For example, mega-cities such as Delhi, Dhaka, Karachi, and Kathmandu are increasing, revealing certain paths for economic development, yet at the same time, exposing vulnerabilities in climate change, energy waste, and informal settlements. Interdisciplinary panels sought to address potential solutions for sustainable means of infrastructure development, accountability of governance, and inclusive arenas of policymaking.
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Anjali R. Kapoor, a leading expert on the political ecology of urban agglomerations. Her esteemed background lent the workshop a data-rich context from which cities undergoing hyper-urbanization operate and what policy trade-offs may be assessed. For example, development driven by property acquisition tends to yield economic gains, yet Dr. Kapoor suggests that cities that undergo such rapidity of change often forfeit decision-making on issues related to environmental law that have contentious implications for the ability to retain quality of life.
Furthermore, in addition to Dr. Kapoor’s findings, members of local government, civil society, and urban planning practitioners provided lessons learned and recommendations from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. For example, those from Dhaka, Kolkata, and Lahore provided insights into air and water pollution, stresses on sustainability in infrastructure, and uneven realities of spatial equity. While some offered successful examples of localized engagement through decentralized governance, others lamented successful socio-environmental stressors that irrefutably impact decision-making.
By the close of the workshop, it was agreed upon by all that a working group in conjunction with UNEP and the Institute would be positioned to undertake longitudinal region-based comparative studies and policy experiments. Therefore, this workshop helped set the tone for future international cross-talk based on empirically supported findings gleaned from ecologies of South Asian urban centers.