The Ecological Future of Cities

Abstract

Development in India is placing excessive stresses on the ability of urban landscapes to provide sociocultural and ecological benefits. The rate of development can be seen to support economic prosperity as its primary goal, which has limited the ability of government, and the environment sector, to invest time and/or funding in green infrastructure (GI). To evaluate whether this process can be mitigated, Ahmedabad and the New Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) are discussed to establish whether an ecological networks perspective to development offers valid solutions. It proposes that an ecological networks perspective, grounded in GI theory and practice, can provide alternative investment/management mechanisms to invest in more sustainable forms of urban development.