Integrating blue-green infrastructure in urban planning for climate adaptation: lessons from Chennai and Kochi, India

Abstract

Nature-based solutions, such as reviving blue-green infrastructure (BGI), for climate adaptation in cities have been gaining global attention. In the case of India, the rapid urbanization since the end of the twentieth century has exacerbated the impact of climate change at significant environmental, social, and economic costs. Coastal cities in India commonly face climate change related hazards of flooding, rise in sea level, and urban heat islands. This article has assessed the usefulness of scientific information and community knowledge in planning, reviving, and maintaining BGI to make it a successful climate adaptation practice in coastal cities. The existing waterways and water bodies in India's coastal cities are a network linked to the green infrastructure that has been altered by sprawling urbanization. In response to Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 13, the cities of Kochi and Chennai have begun a process of recovering their BGI for greater resilience. This research has detected a shift in the social and administrative perception of BGI as a valuable resource for climate adaptation in recent times. Actions in backwaters and canals, promoted by Chennai and Kochi municipal corporations, present new steps toward mainstreaming adaptation of BGI into the local regulatory framework.