ABSTRACT
While the Indian government is structured along federalist lines, the Indian constitution only outlines powers for the central and state governments, leaving the three-tier federalist structure incomplete. Although state governments may devolve power over urban development and planning to local governments, most have chosen not to. The mandate for planning and governance is typically a fractured one, distributed across a range of city, parastatal and state-level agencies. There is little clarity within urban local bodies regarding environmental governance and the extent to which they are responsible.
Focusing on two states in India, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the primary urban regions in these states, Bangalore and Chennai, this paper examines if and how environmental governance processes are being implemented at the local (city) level, investigate the outcomes where this has been implemented and analyses the implications of doing so. The focus of this paper is particularly on climate planning processes that are underway in India, and on the capacity, ability and willingness of city governments, agencies and officials to develop and implement policy.
