To develop city-systems that rival those of global benchmark cities such as New York and London, we need a two-pronged approach; building capacities and increasing resources – both human and financial. The heart of creating impact lies in execution, and without preparing our cities adequately to handle the proposed onslaught of reforms, we can hardly expect a transformation in our urban areas.While the wallets of our cities are influenced by the State and the Centre, a closer look at the expenditure of the municipal corporation – the main steward of the city – gives a true picture of the urbanization crisis.



Reports by McKinsey and the High Powered Expert Committee (set up by the MoUD) indicate that the investments in urban infrastructure and services could be anywhere between $800 billion to $1 trillion over the next two decades. India’s commercial and financial capital, Mumbai, has always enjoyed a relatively bigger budget compared to other Indian cities.