India has completed a decade of the CapaCITIES program, a national initiative designed to strengthen urban climate resilience and support low-carbon development. The milestone was marked at the event, "Scaling Urban Climate Resilience: The CapaCITIES Legacy and Way Forward," held in New Delhi on July 14. The event brought together government officials, city leaders, financial institutions, and climate experts to review the program's progress and discuss future urban climate strategies.

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 (CapaCITIES) has worked to integrate climate action into urban planning. The initiative has been implemented by ICLEI South Asia in partnership with South Pole and econcept, with the National Institute of Urban Affairs serving as the knowledge partner.

Cities Build Climate Planning Into Urban Governance

During the inaugural session, officials highlighted the importance of moving from climate policy to practical implementation. Gopal Prasad, Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said climate considerations should become a permanent part of city planning through dedicated climate action cells. Swiss Ambassador Maya Tissafi described the program as a decade-long partnership focused on strengthening institutions and improving local planning capacity.

The program supported cities including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Siliguri, and Udaipur. According to program data, six cities established permanent climate action cells, while 12 Climate Resilient City Action Plans were prepared to guide long-term urban development.

Knowledge Products Aim To Expand Climate Action

The event also launched three technical publications: the Net-Zero Climate Resilient Cities Methodology Toolkit, Energy Transition for Urban Local Bodies in India: A Practitioner's Guidebook, and a white paper on climate finance. A new video training series on preparing Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans was also released through the National Urban Learning Platform.

These resources are intended to help more cities adopt standardized approaches to climate planning, financing, and implementation.

Investment And Pilot Projects Highlight Program Impact

Over the past decade, CapaCITIES introduced projects including Ahmedabad's solar-powered electric bus charging station, Coimbatore's floating solar plant, Rajkot's green mobility initiative, Tiruchirappalli's lake restoration, Tirunelveli's flood early warning system, and Vadodara's urban forestry project.

Program figures show that more than 35 cities are using its Climate Resilient City Action Planning methodology, while over 1,000 officials and practitioners have received training. The initiative identified climate investment opportunities worth approximately INR 7.142 trillion, with INR 3.84 billion committed for scaling up projects. The framework has also been extended to neighboring countries, including Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, supporting wider regional cooperation on urban climate resilience.