Praja

The Role of Spatial Planning in Building Future-Ready Cities

Well-planned cities consistently perform better economically, socially, and environmentally.

As India urbanises rapidly, the lack of effective spatial planning is resulting in fragmented growth, inadequate infrastructure, and missed opportunities for sustainable development.

In this video, we break down Spatial Planning — a fundamental tool for building future-ready cities.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

🔗 Watch the video here:

The Role of Spatial Planning in Building Future-Ready Cities Well-planned cities like London, New York, and Bangkok consistently perform better economically, socially, and environmentally.As India urbanises rapidly, th...

Maharashtra’s urban future took centre stage as Praja Foundation, in collaboration with the Urban Design Research Institute - UDRI, brought together mayors, elected representatives, urban practitioners, researchers, and governance experts for the “Maharashtra Urban Governance Consultation: Strengthening Deliberative Structures & Citizen Participation, Spatial Planning and Municipal Finance in Cities of Maharashtra.”

The consultation served as a platform to discuss how cities in Maharashtra can become more participatory, financially resilient, and better planned in the face of rapid urbanisation.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

Aviral Narayan | Asif Khan | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pratiksha Deolekar | Dipesh Jadhav | Adithya Kamesh | Soham Joshi

ATE Chandra Foundation | Rainmatter Foundation | H T Parekh Foundation | Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies | Madhu Mehta Foundation

Abu Asim Azmi | Himgauri Aher - Adke / हिमगौरी आहेर - आडके | Ajiv Patil | Harshali Vijay Chaudhari | Dhruvkishor Patil

Praja Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), hosted a National Consultation on the Fiscal Empowerment of City Governments 2026.

The consultation featured two insightful panel discussions on “Strengthening Own Sources of Revenue of Cities” and “Innovative Financial Mechanisms in Cities,” fostering enriching conversations on the future of municipal finance and urban governance in India.

National Institute of Urban Affairs

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

Aviral Narayan | Asif Khan | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pratiksha Deolekar | Dipesh Jadhav | Adithya Kamesh | Soham Joshi

ATE Chandra Foundation | Rainmatter Foundation | H T Parekh Foundation | Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies | Madhu Mehta Foundation

Yogesh Sagar | Sushma Kharkwal | Shiny Mathew | Chandradeep Kumar | Ravikant Joshi

Sulochana Das | V N Alok | Sofia Dahiya | Meenal Choubey

Praja Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), launched the Fiscal Empowerment of City Governments 2026 report.

The report examines key trends in municipal finance, including Own Sources of Revenue, Tax and Non-Tax Revenue, Grants, and Municipal Expenditure across 43 cities in 28 States and 2 Union Territories.

Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dGYCwu9S

National Institute of Urban Affairs

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

Aviral Narayan | Asif Khan | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pratiksha Deolekar | Dipesh Jadhav | Adithya Kamesh | Soham Joshi

ATE Chandra Foundation | Rainmatter Foundation | H T Parekh Foundation | Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies | Madhu Mehta Foundation

We are pleased to share the latest edition of our newsletter, Urban Governance, capturing the second meet of Praja Foundation’s Leadership Programme—an initiative aimed at strengthening urban leadership through collaboration, peer exchange, and continuous engagement.

The sessions during the second meet focused on Design Thinking, offering participants valuable insights into citizen-centric problem-solving, innovation, collaboration, and practical approaches to addressing complex urban challenges. Urban Leaders also worked on the preparation and presentation of their Individual Action Plans, translating their vision for better cities into structured and actionable strategies.

Read the full newsletter — Link in bio.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pratik Jagtap | Abhigya Ambastha | Adithya Kamesh

Abhishek Gupta | Ajay Rai | Anurudh Kumar Singh | Arup Deka | Ashish Kumar Sinha | Lanutoshi Steven Yaden | Mahesh Kumar | Mamta Choudhary | Dr. Manglesh Kumar Srivastava | Manoj Kumar Nath | Monuj Dutta | Mukesh Kumar | Naziya Danish | Nirupa Dutta | Prayashi Goutom | Ranjeet Singh | Sandeep Khare | Sanjeev Vijayvergia | Sasanka Deka | Seema Verma | Shahina Firdaus | Shailendra Verma | Simanta Baruah | Sonia Yadav | Temjenrenla Kechu See less

Praja Foundation is looking for an Accountant who can go beyond bookkeeping to strengthening our mission through accuracy and integrity.

If you love numbers and want your work to drive real impact, this role is for you.

Know more about the role at the link in bio.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Benaifer Reporter | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

Urban governance in India is shaped by a diverse set of laws and regulations that determine how cities are administered, planned, and managed. Frameworks such as Municipal Acts, Corporation Procedure Rules, State Town Planning Acts, Building Bye-laws, Solid Waste Management Rules, and Development Control Regulations influence everything from service delivery and infrastructure development to public health, land use, and local accountability. A strong understanding of these legal frameworks is essential for informed decision-making and effective urban governance.

Read the Newsletter from the link in bio.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

Data is important for keeping systems accountable.

Civic systems grow stronger when citizen complaint trends are tracked and response times are measured.

For 15 years, through our Report on the Status of Civic Issues in Mumbai, we have consistently documented grievance redressal data to enable responsive and accountable local governance.

Did you know? Complaints in Mumbai rose by 70% since 2015, from 67,773 to 1,15,396 in 2024, indicating greater civic engagement.

Read our Status of Civic Issues in Mumbai reports from the Link in bio.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar

And that's a wrap on the Assam Urban Governance Consultation 2026!

Over two days, elected representatives and officials from Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar, and Nagaland came together to deliberate, learn, and reimagine what stronger urban governance can look like.

The consultation was enriched through on-ground experiences as well.

On Day 1, we took the participants to the Brahmaputra Riverfront Development Project.

Day 2 saw participants visit the Guwahati Municipal Corporation where they received firsthand insights into GMC's GIS mapping initiative, the Poura Sakhi programme that has significantly improved property tax collection, and an insightful orientation on the Mayor-in-Council system from Sasanka Deka, two-time ward councillor and Chairperson of the MIC Finance Committee.

As we conclude, we feel a deep sense of purpose. This consultation has helped lay the groundwork for stronger, more meaningful urban reforms across Assam and the rest of Northeast India as well.

Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pooja Verma

Praja Foundation hosted the Assam Urban Governance Consultation 2026 in Guwahati, bringing together elected representatives, administrative officials, urban experts, and civil society.

The consultation focused on three critical themes — Urban Governance Reforms, Fiscal Empowerment of City Governments, and Climate Monitoring through the Environment Status Report.

The enthusiastic participation and thought-provoking discussions were a strong indication of a collective resolve to drive meaningful urban governance reforms across the state of Assam.

Guwahati Municipal Corporation

Nitai Mehta | Milind Mhaske | Priyanka Sharma | Meghna Bandelwar Indurkar | Kunaljit Bhatta | Pooja Verma