Urban

Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This study examines unstructured independent play among children aged 6-12 in Chennai’s urban commons. The research highlights the decline in outdoor play due to structured activities and screen time, emphasizing the importance of blue-green spaces for child development. It aims to analyze play spaces in Chennai’s ecological and civic commons, identify barriers, and develop policy recommendations for sustainable child-friendly urban planning. The study focus on selected zones within the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Institution: M Babu Abdul Khadeer ., IRPS

Overview: The study was carried out jointly by the Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board and the London School of Economics and Political Science under the MSc Cities programme. The report highlights Black Soldier Fly (BSF) bioconversion technology as a high-efficiency, climate-resilient alternative to conventional methods capable of converting organic waste into high-value protein and fertilizer in a shorter cycle with significant advantages. This includes reduced land requirement, lower capital expenditure, and near-zero methane emissions. Further, the report outlines a phased deployment of BSF technology, beginning with municipal pilot projects and eventually scalling up across Tamil Nadu. This initiative is strategically aligned with Tamil Nadu’s Net Zero pathway, aimed at transitioning urban waste management into a productive waste-to-resource economy, establishing the State as a national benchmark for sustainable waste management.

Institution: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras

Overview: The Peri-cene Tamil Nadu study, led by the IIT Madras and funded by the Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board under the State Planning Commission, examines the rapidly expanding peri-urban regions of Coimbatore and Madurai. The study shows that peri-urban areas are dynamic spaces shaping water security, food systems, energy use, waste management, and climate resilience. In Coimbatore, industrial expansion has intensified groundwater stress, flood risks in the Noyyal basin, and land conversion, while in Madurai, growth along highways and airport corridors has increased pressure on the Vaigai River and traditional tank systems. The report introduces the Peri-cene Framework and uses Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data to identify growth hotspots. It also presents the Peri-Urban Knowledge Tool (P-UT) to support data-driven planning. Through advanced modelling methods, the study demonstrates that coordinated governance can significantly reduce climate and resource risks, positioning both cities as models for sustainable peri-urban management in Tamil Nadu.

Institution: World Resources Institute (WRI) India

Overview: The study highlights that Tamil Nadu is experiencing complex and rapidly evolving growth at the rural–urban interface, which is not adequately captured by conventional rural–urban classifications. Using spatial approaches such as the Degree of Urbanisation (DEGURBA) and Contiguously Built Urban Agglomerations (CBUA), it reveals that most districts exhibit peri-urban characteristics, with a substantial share of built-up areas lying outside statutory urban boundaries. A detailed analysis, including a case study of Coimbatore, identifies key challenges such as unplanned land-use change, infrastructure and service delivery gaps, environmental degradation, and institutional limitations. The study emphasizes the need for legal recognition of peri-urban areas, governance and planning reforms, integrated regional approaches, climate-sensitive interventions, inclusive socio-economic strategies, and targeted financial mechanisms to enable sustainable and well-managed peri-urban transitions in Tamil Nadu.

Institution: GIZ India and CUBE ( IIT Madras)

Overview: Tamil Nadu, undergoing rapid urbanization and environmental stress, faces growing challenges from climate change, including urban flooding, heatwaves, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity. Recognizing the urgent need for sustainable and resilient urban development, the State Planning Commission, with technical support from GIZ India, CUBE (IIT Madras), and the Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board, has developed the “Framework for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Enhancing Urban Resilience in Tier 2 Cities of Tamil Nadu.”
The report positions NbS as a transformative approach that leverages natural ecosystems to deliver climate resilience, ecological restoration, and inclusive development. Rooted in the State’s broader climate agenda including the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and State Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC) 2.0 the framework proposes a structured six-step approach: vulnerability and risk assessment, spatial mapping, stakeholder consultations, selection of context-appropriate NbS, identification of financing models, and embedding NbS within institutional and governance systems.
Drawing from successful examples in Tamil Nadu and global practices, the report showcases case studies such as wetland restoration in Chennai and Coimbatore, mangrove regeneration in Pichavaram, and green infrastructure in smaller cities. These illustrate the potential of NbS to reduce disaster risks, improve urban liveability, and restore ecosystem services. The report emphasizes the importance of early intervention in Tier 2 cities to avoid unsustainable development lock-ins, and highlights key enablers including integrated planning, community engagement, capacity building, and digital tools and GIS-based vulnerability indices. It also identifies barriers such as fragmented policies, limited funding, and low awareness and proposes an actionable 10-point agenda, including policy reform, pilot projects, and the establishment of a State NbS Cell under the State Planning Commission. Ultimately, the report envisions the institutionalization of a Tamil Nadu NbS Mission to scale up nature-based urban resilience, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and Tamil Nadu Vision 2030.
The report was submitted to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 07.07.2025.

Institution: British High Commission

Overview: The First consultation meeting was held at SPC on UK PACT Skill share project in collaboration with Deputy British High Commission and CENEX, UK. The stakeholder departments took participation in the meeting. CENEX made the presentation on the objectives and the key activities of the project. A consultative & Skill Share Workshop on

Low Emission Zoning was held on 09.10.2023 at 3:00 PM at Hotel Taj Connemara, Chennai, which was presided by the Vice Chairman, State Planning Commission. Mr. Oliver Ballhatchet British Deputy High Commissioner delivered the key activities of the UK PACT programme. A power point presentation was made by Mr. Steve Carroll, Head of Transport, CENEX on LEZ guidance and roadmap for its implementation in Chennai. A toolkit for Low Emission Zoning in Chennai has been crafted with the support of UK PACT programme by CENEX and the report was submitted to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS)

Overview: This research analyzes affordable housing dynamics in Chennai. Using secondary data, it explores housing shortage, demand, affordability, state and private sector roles, policy impact, and self-built housing outcomes. The study aims to inform an effective and inclusive affordable housing policy for the metropolitan area

Institution: Centre for Urbanization, Buildings and Environment (CUBE), IIT Madras

Overview: The project focuses on cohesive urban governance. Collaborating with diverse stakeholders, it analyzes policy tools for water, land, and waste management. This culmination report identifies institutional dynamics, provides strategic recommendations, and introduces an Agent-Based Modelling tool for informed decision-making. Through stakeholder engagement, it dissects challenges, roles, and necessary improvements for effective governance in Chennai’s urban context.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS)

Overview: The study aimed to provide a detailed comparative review of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to slum clearance implemented across selected international and Indian cities, to arrive at a framework for assessing slum clearance policies and practices in the city of Chennai.