Alongside ARISE Cities Forum
Location: The LaLiT New Delhi – Barakhamba Avenue, Connaught Place, New Delhi, India
Date: 7 October 2025
Registration: Register on the UTMC platform
The Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) and The Urban Transitions Mission Centre (UTMC) will host a regional event dedicated to UTM cities in India. Organised in collaboration with ICLEI South Asia and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructures (CDRI), this event aims to support UTM cities in India and advance their transitions to net-zero, resilient and inclusive futures.
Organised as a Strategic Foresight workshop, the event will enable interactive discussions and the participants will be accompanied to scan current challenges and trends, and continue to develop and accelerate urban climate resilience scenarios and/or pathways, towards climate neutrality.
Strategic Foresight workshop concept:
- Macro-Level Focus: The workshop will focus on exploring broader drivers of change, identifying major challenges Indian cities will face due to the climate crisis.
- Depth of Insights: The goal is to land somewhere between high-level themes and actionable strategies—focusing on strategic directions rather than specific tactics.
- Integration with Strategic Planning: The outcomes can be both exploratory and directive.
- Research Question: Which major challenges will Indian cities face by 2035?
- Number of participants: ±30
- Time horizon: A decade, 2025-2035
- WS duration: ±4hours
Target audience:
- Mayors and representatives from cities in India, especially Ahmedabad, Indore, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Panaji, Pune, Surat, and Varanasi
- Policymakers and government officials involved in urban planning and sustainability
- Youth Foresight representative
- International organisations, partnerships, and NGOs working on sustainability and urban development
- Academia and researchers contributing to urban innovation and climate resilience
- Related stakeholders
Agenda
Time and content | Session | Speakers |
13.00-14.00 | Get together |
|
14.00-14.20 Welcome
| Ø Presentation of the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) and the engagement of cities in India Ø Urban climate resilience pathways for cities in India | Welcome: Elli Stepanovic, FFG, Coordinator Urban Transitions Mission Centre Giorgia Rambelli, Director, Urban Transitions Mission ICLEI tbc, CDRI tbc |
14.20-15.30 Session I Strategic Foresight WS
| Ø Introduction (20 min) Ø Megatrend Impact Assessment (50 min)
| Strategic Foresight WS: Epaminondas Christophilopoulos, UNESCO Chair Introduction: A brief overview of foresight, key concepts, and terminology Megatrend Impact Assessment: Discussion and evaluation of the impact of major megatrends on the future of Indian cities |
15.30- 17.30 Session II Strategic Foresight WS | Ø Horizon Scanning (60 min) Ø Scenario Building (60 min)
| Horizon Scanning: Identifying additional drivers of change, emerging trends, and uncertainties affecting Indian cities Scenario Building: Developing multiple future scenarios (using either the Manoa Method or the 2×2 scenarios) to explore possible urban challenges and strategic priorities |
17.30-18.10 Session III Strategic Foresight WS
| Ø Identification of challenges and prioritization (30 min) Ø Reflection and Discussion (10 min) | Identification of challenges and prioritization: Dotmocracy Reflection and Discussion: Facilitated discussion, potentially including a voting process to prioritise key insights |
18.10-18.30 Living Labs | Living Labs – Grounding Strategic Foresight through Practice | Living Labs: Mariem Chakroun, ENoLL, Europan Network of Living Labs |
