Title: A STRONGER, URBAN CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENT SURAT: A CASE OF INDIAN CITY

Biography:

Bhavna Vimawala is an Architect from School of Architecture, CEPT Ahmedabad (1983), also a Planner and an academician for the past 25 years. Currently appointed as a DEAN, in-charge Principal, and a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, SCET, now known as IDPT- SCET (Institute of Design, Planning & Technology) of Sarvajanik University, Surat, India. Actively involved in teaching M. Arch. (Urban Design) and also was program coordinator of the school of Interior Design (SSID), SCET, Surat. She has received many awards for academic and research work.

Abstract

Climate change is no longer a distant possibility but a current reality. Urban climate change resilience (UCCR) embraces climate change adaptation, mitigation actions, and disaster risk reduction while recognizing the complexity of fast-growing urban areas and the uncertainty associated with climate change. Urban resilience to climate change describes a city that is resilient on three levels. First is the urban systems of how a city work and survives shocks and stresses; second is the direct and indirect impacts of climate change and able to manage these stresses in their day-to-day decisions, and third is that the city’s institutional structures continue to respond and support the capacity of people and organizations to fulfill their goals. This particular paper highlights the efforts carried out to address the climate challenges and initiatives to make city resilience refereeing the case illustration of the Indian city of Surat. Surat is among the fastest-growing cities in the world, city has seen unprecedented growth, recording one of the highest growth rates in the country. Its population grew a gasping 68 percent in the decade from 2001 to 2011. Its population has increased from 46.5 lac in 2011 to 74.9 lac in 2021. The city plays a key role in the economic development of the nation with its important contribution to the national GDP and overburden on infrastructure, air pollution, mobility, social cohesion, an undiversified economy, and lack of public health facilities. Climate change has become one of the crucial challenges for policymakers, industry, and civil society, and it is a development, investment, economic, and social issue, which affects most sectors. Concluding observation: There are favorable situations for the city impending. The most optimistic approach is a dynamic economy and decentralized management of resources. There is no single action that will make a city resilient to climate change. Resilience is instead achieved through several actions, building upon each other over time. These actions would be enhanced and progress as people and institutions learn from past experiences and apply them to future decisions. The word ‘resilient’ implies owning inner strength and resolve. For cities like Surat, resilience is enhanced by knowledge of risks and tools and resources available to deal with threats and build on opportunities. A resilient city can sustain itself through its systems by dealing with issues and events that threaten, harm, or try to abolish to make a much stronger, urban climate change resilient Surat.