wrr_case-study_pune_0814-19a16f9768f90391.pdf

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the efforts toward transformative urban change in Pune, India, between 1992 and 2018. It focuses on the roles of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in implementing sustainable transport and solid waste management systems, while analyzing the structural governance and financial barriers that hinder durable transformation.

• Pune has implemented sustainable transport initiatives, including India's first bus rapid transit system (BRTS) and pro-pedestrian street designs, though these have been undermined by the construction of flyovers and road widening.
• The city's solid waste management (MSWM) transformation centered on the integration of waste pickers through the SWaCH cooperative, India's first fully self-owned waste-pickers cooperative, which expanded coverage to approximately 50 percent of city households.
• The sustainability of the SWaCH model is currently threatened by the corporatization and profitability of the waste economy, leading the PMC to consider centralized, technology-based collection models that exclude waste pickers.
• Civil society organizations (CSOs) have provided intellectual leadership and technical advice, leveraging national and state policies to nudge the PMC toward sustainability, though they lack executive power.
• The introduction of the Smart Cities Mission in 2014 shifted governance toward special purpose vehicles (SPVs), which the document argues has disempowered elected politicians and privileged private consulting firms over CSO-led visions.
• The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has experienced a significant decline in financial autonomy following the abolition of the octroi tax on April 1, 2013, and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017.
• The document concludes that while Pune is on a trajectory toward urban transformation, it has not yet achieved it in a durable way due to weak municipal financial, planning, and governance systems.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). wrr_case-study_pune_0814-19a16f9768f90391.pdf. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRR_Case-Study_Pune_0814.pdf#page=[13]

Chicago

World Resources Institute. wrr_case-study_pune_0814-19a16f9768f90391.pdf. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRR_Case-Study_Pune_0814.pdf#page=[13].

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=wrr_case-study_pune_0814-19a16f9768f90391.pdf |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRR_Case-Study_Pune_0814.pdf#page=[13] |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendwrrcasestudypune081419a16f9768f90391pdf, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{wrr\_case-study\_pune\_0814-19a16f9768f90391.pdf}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/WRR_Case-Study_Pune_0814.pdf#page=[13]}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }