CapaCITIES Marks 10 Years of Building Climate-Ready Indian Cities

India's efforts to make cities more climate-resilient received a fresh push as policymakers, urban planners, financial institutions and city leaders gathered in New Delhi to celebrate the achievements of the CapaCITIES programme, a decade-long initiative focused on embedding climate action into urban governance. The event, titled "Scaling Urban Climate Resilience: The CapaCITIES Legacy and Way Forward," was organised by ICLEI South Asia and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) at the India Habitat Centre on 14 July.

The gathering reflected on how the programme has helped Indian cities move from climate planning to practical implementation by strengthening institutional capacity, creating city-level climate action frameworks and supporting projects that reduce emissions while improving the quality of urban life.

Launched in 2016 with funding from the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, the Capacity Building Project on Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India, better known as CapaCITIES, has supported India's journey towards its 2070 net-zero emissions target by aligning local action with national climate missions and state priorities.

The programme was implemented by ICLEI South Asia in partnership with South Pole and econcept, with NIUA serving as the knowledge partner. It worked closely with cities including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Udaipur, Siliguri, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Tirunelveli, while also supporting the governments of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Leaders call for climate action to become part of everyday city governance

More than 30 cities, representatives from six state governments, financial institutions and technical experts participated in the event, where discussions centred on expanding successful climate models and making them a permanent part of urban planning systems. The inaugural session featured Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Gopal Prasad, Switzerland's Ambassador to India and Bhutan Maya Tissafi, NIUA Director Dr Debolina Kundu, ICLEI Deputy Secretary General and Executive Director of ICLEI South Asia Emani Kumar, along with elected representatives from Vadodara and Rajkot.

Speakers stressed that climate resilience cannot remain limited to policy documents and pilot projects. They argued that local governments need stronger institutions, dedicated technical teams and sustained financial support to integrate climate considerations into every stage of urban development. Gopal Prasad said India has already demonstrated that climate action can be linked with urban planning, but the next challenge lies in ensuring that cities know how to implement those ideas on the ground. He noted that the framework created under CapaCITIES could serve as a model for cities across the country and urged urban local bodies to establish dedicated climate cells capable of incorporating climate priorities into planning, budgeting and project execution.

Swiss Ambassador Maya Tissafi described the programme as an example of the strong partnership between India and Switzerland over the past ten years. She said the collaboration was designed to strengthen institutions, develop local expertise and help city governments integrate climate considerations into planning and financial decision-making, adding that the anniversary marked a decade built on trust, cooperation and shared learning.

Dr Debolina Kundu said the programme had shown that climate action delivers benefits extending far beyond emissions reduction. She explained that many projects created new livelihood opportunities, encouraged community participation, supported women, restored ecosystems and produced practical models that other cities could replicate. According to her, the participating cities now have the potential to guide many more urban centres as India moves towards its vision of Viksit Bharat.

Emani Kumar described the event as the beginning of the programme's next phase, saying ICLEI South Asia remains committed to supporting national initiatives including Mission LiFE, the Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and the Urban Challenge Fund while helping cities become more resilient and future-ready.

Pilot projects and investment plans create a roadmap for future cities

Technical sessions explored ways to integrate climate considerations into urban master plans, expand successful city-level projects through programmes such as CITIIS 2.0 and the Tamil Nadu Climate Resilient Urban Development Programme (TNCRUDP), and attract investment for sustainable infrastructure through innovative financing models.

Officials from participating states and municipal corporations shared practical experiences from projects already underway, highlighting the lessons learned during implementation and the impact these initiatives have had within local communities.

The event also witnessed the launch of four major knowledge resources designed to help cities across India strengthen their climate planning efforts. These included the Net-Zero Climate Resilient Cities Methodology Toolkit, Energy Transition for Urban Local Bodies in India: A Practitioner's Guidebook, the white paper Facilitating the Transition of Cities in India Along a Low-Carbon Pathway: Enabling the Flow of Finance, and a new video-based training series on preparing and implementing Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans, now available through the National Urban Learning Platform.

An exhibition showcased the programme's achievements through stories from participating cities, practitioners and communities, illustrating how climate planning has translated into visible improvements on the ground.

Over the past decade, CapaCITIES has delivered several measurable outcomes that demonstrate its growing influence on India's urban climate agenda. The programme pioneered Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans across eight cities, established permanent climate action cells in six urban local bodies, and supported projects including Ahmedabad's solar-powered electric bus charging station, Coimbatore's floating solar plant, Rajkot's Green Mobility Zone with subsidised electric autorickshaws, Tiruchirappalli's lake restoration initiative, Tirunelveli's flood early warning system and Vadodara's Miyawaki urban forest.

Its influence has also expanded beyond India's borders through capacity-building efforts in Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, helping strengthen climate planning across the Global South.

The programme's broader impact reflects its scale. More than 35 cities now use the Climate Resilient City Action Planning methodology, while over 34 cities have benefited from the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework. More than 1,000 professionals have received training in climate planning, finance and implementation, 12 Climate Action Plans have been prepared, 25 quick-win projects have been completed, and 24 bankable projects have been conceptualised, supported by 16 detailed bankability reports and over 25 technical studies.

The investment pipeline created under the initiative is equally significant. Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans have identified climate investments worth ₹7,142 billion, while ₹120.52 million has already been invested through pilot projects, ₹40.52 million has been mobilised through government co-financing and ₹3.84 billion has been committed for future scale-up projects.