World Bank Calls For Climate Resilient Cities In India, Expects Urban Population To Double By 2050

A World Bank report on resilient and prosperous cities in India makes the case for increased and urgent investment in climate resilient cities.

With a doubling of the urban population expected by 2050—from 480 million in 2020 to 951 million—more than half of urban growth, in terms of new infrastructure, buildings and urban services is still to come, states the report.

This gives Indian cities a huge opportunity to plan for resilient urban development and avoid large future damages and losses from climate and disaster impacts. The report is based on analytical work conducted between September 2022 and May 2025.

"Given that the building and infrastructure retrofitting is very costly, there must be an immediate focus not only on better preparing cities for climate impacts, but also on shaping urban growth in a climate-resilient manner, necessary for improving quality of life and achieving vibrant economic growth," the report states.

Timely interventions will help India's cities continue to flourish as economic hubs, contributing massively to the country's economic and social development. Already these cities are powerhouses of innovation, helping the country achieve its current third rank among the world's start-up ecosystems.

Climate change is affecting rainfall patterns and intensity, increasing heat stress, and contributing to flooding. It is projected that urban pluvial or stormwater flooding-related losses, which currently cost between 0.5 and 2.5% of GDP annually, will double under a global high-emission scenario, according to the report.

"Urban Heat Island" effect compound the impact of increasingly frequent and severe heat waves. If nothing changes, it is projected that heat-related deaths in Indian cities will double by 2050, cautions the report. Indian cities will be unable to reach their full potential if they stay on their current development trajectory. They are highly vulnerable to climate impacts because of the heavy concentration of people and assets, and they have limited capacity to manage these impacts. Urban planning and management systems are unable to keep pace with rapid urbanisation, growing climate impacts, and rising demand for urban development and services, as per the report.

Cities also face higher impacts, compared to rural areas, from climate impacts and disaster shocks as they are highly interconnected systems; when key infrastructure assets break down, it can cause a chain reaction and cities can become paralyzed or experience cascading infrastructure failure. For example, flooding can cause road closure and disrupt traffic flow, affect electricity lines, and lead to damage and economic losses.

Climate change effects are likely to prove ever more challenging but timely actions can help avert large potential impacts. Given rapid urbanisation, time is limited to undertake the necessary planning and to scale up investment in resilient urban development, which is essential not only to make cities more efficient and livable, but also to reduce future climate and disaster impacts. Better managed and resilient urban development has the potential to further improve access to urban amenities such as parks and recreational areas, the report added.