The Integrated Approach Towards Inner-City Sustainability in Today’s Context: Nagpur, India

Abstract

Cities are the most valuable demonstration of human activities on the surface of earth. These cities present an abundance of options for employment, business, entertainment, leisure, education and healthcare as well as these cities have unique characteristics and a cultural identity. Cities are a major product of paced urbanization which is closely linked to sustained economic growth, as nations’ share of GDP and employment moves from agriculture to industry and services, sectors that benefit from agglomeration in urban centers. Urbanization is projected to increase further in the near future which in turn will also bring certain challenges with it. In past few decades, the adverse impact of urbanization on environment has initiated the need of sustainable development. Sustainable development is a vital concept that can be put into use in many different ways. However, the essential and most important thing is to improve the quality of life in our city. This paper highlights the change in urban form over the years. In order to improve and develop the urban areas and to enhance the accessibility of the inner areas of old cities, the cities’ attributes should be recognized, capitalized and built upon rather than abandoning or disregarding the cities. This paper also suggests that it is important to recognize and support the content, character and individuality of cities before modern economic and political trends destroy their spirit through commodification and standardization.