sustainable cities

Once plagued by severe monsoon flooding, Gorakhpur has transformed its disaster response. With support from the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation and tech solutions by Canarys, the city’s flood warning system now helps residents act within two hours — instead of 12.

From reviving forests to reimagining cities, sustainability in India is being redefined by bold, everyday action. As part of Optum Presents The Better India Showcase, supported by the M3M Foundation, here are five changemakers leading the way.

Mumbai’s Dadar Parsi Colony, the world’s largest enclave of its kind, shows how a century-old vision still offers timeless lessons in green, liveable city life.

Environmentalist Vikrant Tongad, founder of non-profit SAFE, turned a four-acre dumpsite in Greater Noida into a thriving green zone with 3,000 native trees. Here’s how he and the community prevented another Ghazipur-like landfill disaster.

Chennai launches India’s first air-conditioned rest lounges for gig workers, offering food, grocery, and parcel delivery personnel a safe, dignified space to rest, recharge, and access essential facilities, setting a new standard for inclusive urban planning.

In a city with less than 8% forest cover, one patch of green still cools the air, recharges water, and shelters a near-threatened parrot. This is the story of Dol Ka Badh — and the people keeping it alive.

From citizen-led air monitoring in Aligarh to climate justice conversations at COP26, Dr. Ashish Sharma shows how everyday Indians are leading change. Grounded in empathy, behaviour, and community science, this narrative calls for systemic reforms, co-created solutions, and inclusive policies that centre the most vulnerable in India’s fight for clean air.

In the hours after every IPL match, when thousands have left the stadium, Bengaluru’s Team Saahas and SWMRT get to work—clearing the waste, sorting recyclables, and showing how citizen-led action can fill systemic gaps.

Cities worldwide are tackling pollution and heat with fast-growing pocket forests. Can India adopt this eco-friendly solution for greener, cooler urban spaces?