Future Proofing of an Indian City: Lessons from Madurai

The document details the development of the Madurai Action Plan for Blue-Green Infrastructure, a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to mitigate climate-related hazards like flooding and extreme heat. It emphasizes the role of intermediary organisations, such as the DHAN Foundation, in bridging the gap between government authorities and local communities through participatory methods like 'water walks'. The plan consists of 14 projects across six themes, focusing on sanitation, waste management, and the restoration of water bodies. The case study highlights the importance of integrated, long-term planning over sector-specific approaches and suggests that this model can inform the development of 'smart cities' in India by prioritising natural and cultural heritage alongside urban growth.

• The 'future proofing' approach in Madurai focuses on strengthening 'blue-green infrastructure', which comprises the city's networked water systems (blue) and land-based natural habitats and urban green spaces (green).
• Madurai faces significant climate-related hazards, specifically flooding caused by the encroachment of slum communities around water bodies and the blockage of storm water carriers. The city's water tank capacity has severely declined, with only seven of the original 46 tanks remaining in use.
• The Madurai Action Plan for Blue-Green Infrastructure consists of 14 projects organised across six themes and three dimensions: enabling infrastructure improvements, policy regulatory improvements, and strengthening social capital and governance.
• Intermediary organisations, specifically the DHAN Foundation, were essential for facilitating stakeholder engagement and building platforms between urban local bodies, state government, and grassroots communities.
• Participatory tools such as 'water walks' (Nathivalam) were used to move away from top-down planning, allowing community members and government representatives to collectively diagnose issues in the degraded river corridor.
• The project identifies that future proofing requires a shift from sector-focused planning to an integrated approach that recognises the interdependency of climate risks, resource scarcity, and urban growth.

APA

Kumar, A. M., & Vasimalai, M. (2016). Future Proofing of an Indian City: Lessons from Madurai. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Madurai-India_Inside_Story-Final-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Kumar, A. Madhan, and M.P. Vasimalai. Future Proofing of an Indian City: Lessons from Madurai. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Madurai-India_Inside_Story-Final-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kumar |first1=A. Madhan |last2=Vasimalai |first2=M.P. |title=Future Proofing of an Indian City: Lessons from Madurai |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=June 2016 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Madurai-India_Inside_Story-Final-WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kumar2016future, author = {Kumar, A. Madhan and Vasimalai, M.P.}, title = {{Future Proofing of an Indian City: Lessons from Madurai}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Madurai-India_Inside_Story-Final-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }