Urban India

Density alone will not make India's cities globally competitive yet

India is economically urban but not productively so. The Economic Survey flags how weak institutions, not density itself, are holding back cities from realising agglomeration gains

Urban India may account for 70% of GDP in FY26: Dun & Bradstreet report

Urban India to power 70% of GDP in FY26, with Tier-II and Tier-III cities emerging as new growth hubs, says Dun & Bradstreet report

India among top drivers of global urban growth in 2025, shows UN report

While megacities often draw attention, the UN report shows that most urban growth is happening in smaller cities

Global cities compete, Indian cities comply: Survey flags siloed governance

Calls for integrated city planning, land-use reforms, and disincentives on private vehicle use

Economic Survey flags supply-side gaps hurting India's urban potential

The Economic Survey 2025-26 says India's cities drive growth but suffer from daily stress due to poor planning, overuse of private transport and fragmented governance

Maharashtra civic polls: Delays and gaps hurting urban governance

Despite constitutional mandates, municipal elections across India face chronic delays, weakening local democracy and exposing political control over urban governance

Why designing with people in mind is now essential for India's urban future

As urban populations surge, the call is growing for cities built around people's lived realities, not outdated templates or top-down planning

India, ADB sign $125 mn loan pact to boost urban services in Assam

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125-million loan agreement with an aim to enhance urban livability and bolster climate resilience in six districts of Assam. The project will benefit 360,000 residents of Assam by delivering continuous metered water supply and upgrading storm water management systems, the finance ministry said in a statement. It also seeks to strengthen urban governance through institutional reforms and capacity building, it said. Key infrastructure investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and 800 km distribution pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari, it said. The project will also deploy a real-time monitoring system, aiming to maintain non revenue water below 20 per cent, it said. In Guwahati, the project will enhance storm water management in the Bahini Basin with flood

India's top metros double urban footprint in 30 yrs; Pune, Bengaluru lead

A new report shows India's biggest cities have grown fast in 30 years, with Pune and Bengaluru leading the way as they add new homes, offices, roads and become key growth centres

Urban renewal hinges on civic duty, not just infrastructure alone

Projections indicate that by 2036, Indian cities will have close to 600 million inhabitants, i.e. 40 per cent of the country's population

Weak urban demand, inflation likely to hit FMCG volumes in Q4FY25

Dabur India, maker of Hajmola candy and Real fruit juices, said that its India FMCG business is likely to decline to mid-single digits due to delayed and truncated winters

Only 6% urban homes receive safe tap water, most rely on filtration: Survey

Only 30 per cent of urban households said that the quality of piped water supplied to their homes was 'good', while 14 per cent said it was 'very good'

Full market potential of digital space a long way to harness: Report

Geographical divide between urban and rural India far sharper than gender divide, it says

Rural India spending more time on education than urban India: Survey

Time spent by women on 'learning' remained unchanged at 84 minutes during five years, while the time spent by men declined to 94 minutes from 102 minutes

Rent taking up larger share of urban income, travel expenses rising

The numbers also reflect a growing divide between rural and urban India when it comes to rents

Access to capacity: Public transport in urban India has miles to go

It has been pointed out that metro train networks are expensive and not ideal unless commuting distances are long

Most urban Indians aspire to own homes, prefer home loans: Report

52 per cent of people prefer apartments, according to Business Standard-Knight Frank report

Awareness about retirement planning rising in urban India: Report

Awareness about retirement planning has been rising in urban India with growing number of people feeling the need to start planning for their post-work life early, a report said. As much as 44 Indians consider the right age to start planning for retirement is before 35 years, as per the India Retirement Index Study (IRIS) released by Max Life Insurance. Encouragingly, 63 per cent respondents have already begun investing for retirement, leading to reduced concerns about meeting both basic and luxury needs, as well as securing their children's futures, it said. A notable 68 per cent of urban Indian working women have begun investing for retirement, it said. The study also highlights regional opportunities in retirement planning across India, with the east zone leading in overall preparedness, the west zone showing financial and health progress but needing emotional focus, and the north and south zones improving in health preparedness index, it said. "Although urban India's retiremen

Urban India's retirement index rises to 49; women lead with 50: Max Life

The retirement index comprises three indices with the following weights: financial index (31 per cent), health index (61 per cent), and emotional index (8 per cent)

Urban India likely to spend Rs 1.85 trillion during festive sales: Survey

70% of urban Indian household surveyed likely to use stores and market for shopping