Cities in balance

Extreme heat is no longer a distant threat, it is already shaping how we live, work, and build. CEEW’s analysis shows that rising temperatures, hotter nights, and shifting humidity patterns, combined with existing social and health vulnerabilities, have pushed nearly 57% of India’s districts into high or very high heat risk. Today, three out of four Indians are experiencing this reality firsthand. Urban areas are suffering even more, with the urban heat island effect driving temperatures far higher than their surrounding regions.

To respond meaningfully, cities need solutions that protect people, conserve ecosystems, and align with long-term sustainable development. This requires shifting the narrative from identifying the problem to actively practising resilience, a shift best driven through collective learning and shared experience.

Through best practices from India and beyond, the session will explore innovations in nature-based cooling, climate-sensitive urban design, water-focused planning, and green infrastructure and, importantly, how these ideas can be implemented and scaled to build cooler, healthier, and more resilient cities.