Book Review – Climate Resilient, Green and Low Carbon Built Environment

Climate change has become an imminent reality with a rise in temperatures, intense heat waves, and carbon emissions. The United Nations under the Paris Agreement has committed to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius. This necessitates reducing the use of fossil fuels and replacing them by new sources. This also involves a paradigm shift towards urban planning which integrate the ecology, built environment, service networks, transport and heritage.

Christopher Benninger in his Foreword states: The book Climate Resilient, Green and Low Carbon Built Environment owns up to the responsibility of fixing integrated urban systems in an organic, yet correctly technical manner. The book emerges as a “manual for urban planning and management,” that every urbanist should read and understand. A.K. Jain brings into play profound personal attributes that no other urban thinker in Asia holds. He is India’s most experienced urban planner and policy maker, nurtured through his years in public service. He has enriched this saga of experience, with the devoted curiosity of a true guru, with unbound intellectual energy and passion, sharing his thoughts through his years of writing.”

According to the author, the plans of built environment should adopt a circular loop integrating the nature (climate, greens and low carbon), the people (socio-economic, circular economy, culture, education, health, mobility, community participation) and fourth industrial revolution (digital planning, smart, intelligent and interconnected processes, SCADA, blockchain, discreet optimisation, algorithm, AI, big data, etc.). The breakthrough in digital technology and informatics can help in the engagement of citizens for on-line participation and services by adopting the GIS, SDI, big data analytics, ERP solutions, digital dashboard, blockchain, AI, ML DL, etc. According to the author, for a transition towards a climate resilient, net zero and low carbon urban development, digital processes Smart chips can be embedded almost in every urban services. With digital chips, cities are increasingly getting digitally scripted and coded. The urban plans should converge with the recent flagships of Government of India, viz. Sustainable Urban Networks for Dynamic and Resilient (SUNDAR) India and Lifestyles for Environment (LiFE) Missions.

A.K. Jain suggests a compact urban pattern which reduces the need to travel, a finer grid of roads and closely spaced cycle track and pedestrians’ walkways. It is also necessary to digitise all the parking spaces including under stilts, adoption of single ticketing and restructuring of land uses with a compact urban pattern by transitoriented development.

According to the author, air quality and reduction in carbon emissions are significant in minimising air pollution. For this, it is essential to identify the sources and chalk out the options to check air pollution. Airshed planning, use of cooler and light shaded surfaces/materials, prefabricated and recycled materials can help in reducing urban heat, air pollution and dust.

In conclusion, it is worth quoting Dr. Malti Goel, who states ‘A. K. Jain, has a rare quality of forging his vast practical experience with academics, and his intellectual discourse draws attention to various challenges for taking climate action relating to the built environment. The book is a fantastic encounter for the planners, engineers, and developers engaged with achieving Sustainable Development Goals. It will be a valuable addition to the list of seminal books on the subject’.