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applied across the cities-especially urban areas across the developing world. The ACCCRN network partners
focus on developing city level climate resilience, while sharing and advocating the success stories and lessons
to country, regional and global levels. This network aims to expand and deepen the base of urban climate
change resilience practice that can be contextualised to other cities in the developing world.
In India, the ACCCRN Phase I 2008 identiied and shortlisted a set of three core cities for developing
resilience strategies and demonstrate them. Surat, Indore and Gorakhpur were selected based on criteria
of rapid urbanization, poverty and vulnerability to climate change impacts and interest to engage
with ACCCRN. During the Phase II 2009-2010, the team worked with city level stakeholders to deepen
the understanding of current city level risk and vulnerability, potential climate change impacts and
possible impacts over different sectors. The city stakeholders undertook several sector studies and pilot
projects, which facilitated learning and capacity building of city stakeholders. This process led to development of
city resilience strategies and action plans. The Phase III 2011-2014 focuses on implementation of urban
resilience strategies through active participation of local partners in implementing demonstration projects
and to disseminate the lessons and success stories with national and international partners. In addition a
large number of cities are part of the replication efforts of Bashirhat, Bhubaneswar, Gorakhpur, Indore, Jorhat,
Leh, Mysore, Panaji, Saharsa, Shillong, Shimla, Surat and Guwahati.
1.2 AUDIENCE
This synthesis report forms deliverable of Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network ACCCRN, www.
acccrn.org India Phase III. This is the irst synthesis report produced under ACCCRN India programme. It is
intended mainly for urban local bodies, policy makers, business, community based organizations, individuals
and researchers engaged in the subject of urban development and management, climate change and
urban resilience.
1.3 REPORT PRESENTATION
ACCCRN works at the nexus of climate change, vulnerable and poor communities, and urbanization.
ACCCRN programme through its collective knowledge and evidence pooling had built an emerging practice
area of urban climate change resilience UCCR. This synthesis report considers the effort undertaken in
India during the last ive years and also showcases the evidence from cities involved in developing the
City Resilience Strategy and practical interventions adopted to create urban resilience. Synthesis Report on
ACCCRN India is brought out in two volumes. Volume 1 contains ive chapters. This chapter lays out a brief
overview of the current urban situation and outline of the report. Continuing with the analysis of Urbanization
- Poverty- Climate change challenges, the second chapter explains the urbanization trends in the country
and prognosis. It explores the trends in terms of size and distribution of Indian cities and their expected
expansion over coming decades. It explores the trends in terms of size and distribution of Indian cities and
their expected expansion over coming decades. It also analyses the main challenges of urbanization including
resources, governance, infrastructure and services situation and emerging challenges that cities will face
in the future. The third chapter discusses the Future scenarios of urban growth and challenges. The Fourth
chapter discusses on the vulnerability of Indian cities towards climate change. It gives an overview to the
factor which increases the vulnerability of the cities for example poverty, gender, age composition and illiteracy.
Beside this the chapter also discusses other factors like the soft nature of the state and behaviour aspects
of the population which impact the vulnerability of the cities.
Volume 2 of the Synthesis Report is a collection of City Resilience Strategy CRS from core ACCCRN Cities
Gorakhpur, Indore, Surat and one Replication City Guwahati. The information to Volume 2 is provided
by key ACCCRN partners engaged with the local government and city institutions in the development of
CRS. The subsequent version of the synthesis report will bring in information from cities of Bashirhat,
Bhubaneswar, Jorhat, Leh, Mysore, Panaji, Saharsa, Shillong and Shimla.
The complete list of activities under ACCCRN is available in the website www.acccrn.org.
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1.4 USE OF TERMS
