Applications Invited for India-UK PACT: Urban planning and mobility

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About the Organization

UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) is a flagship programme under the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) portfolio. The programme is jointly governed and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The UK is committed to tackling climate change and is investing £11.6bn via ICF over the five years to March 2026.

About the Grant

T India is a rapidly urbanising country. The population of urban India is expected to double (from 2014 levels) by 2050. Approximately 70% of the required urban infrastructure for 2030, is yet to be built. About 75% of country’s GDP in 2030 will be generated by urban regions. Indian cities are vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Roughly 44% of India’s GHG emissions are sourced from urban areas with the transport sector accounting for about 13% of country’s energy related GHG emissions. Increasing demand for transport and related infrastructure in expanding cities, is expected to result in GHG emissions from the sector increasing by 4%-6% per year.  

Road transport in Tier-2 cities are still primarily dependent on fossil fuel-based energy sources and is also the major source of air pollution. The challenge of urban planning and mobility is acute in Tier-2 cities, which are rapidly expanding with a limited focus on integrated planning that accounts for climate risks and impacts. 

Cities have significant opportunities to reduce GHG emissions while simultaneously developing as centres of economic growth and human well-being. This has been recognised by both the Government of India (GoI) and the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Specifically, the GoI has identified sustainable urbanisation as one of the seven pathways to achieve the goal of Net-Zero by 2070.  

In consultation with key stakeholders including government counterparts, development partners and civil society, Tier-2 cities with expansive opportunities to strengthen institutional capacity for integrating climate considerations into urban planning, governance and delivery were identified for direct support. The urban planning and mobility sectors are one of the UK PACT India's thematic priority areas. Through this thematic area, we aim to work at the systemic level to embed climate mitigation strategies into a city’s long-term urban planning. This will involve leveraging data-driven decision-making, particularly in the mobility sector, and fostering an enabling environment that enhances the city’s ability to access accelerated climate finance. 

Following a detailed scoping process and in consultation with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Tamil Nadu is one of the two states identified for direct support. Additionally, in consultation with the state government, Erode and Thoothukodi have been selected for direct support in urban planning and the mobility sector, aligning with their vision to become hubs of sustainable economic growth and enhanced human well-being.

Both cities aim to integrate climate considerations into their long-term urban planning processes, governance, and delivery mechanisms, while implementing low-carbon, environmentally friendly initiatives to climate-proof their development trajectories.

Both cities are already implementing several ongoing programs and initiatives, and the proposed support will complement and strengthen their sustainable development trajectories, with a focus on climate mitigation and adaptation.

Through these topics, UK PACT aims to fill gaps and achieve the following: 

• Climate integrated urban planning, governance and delivery: this will ensure each city’s development trajectory is climate-proof and sustainable; 
• Improve understanding, knowledge, capacities and use of climate-integrated data for city-level decisions and investments for urban development with focus on urban mobility;
• Improve environment and capacities to access accelerated climate finance from different sources to adopt low carbon and environment-friendly solutions, at scale. 

We are looking to award grant funding to initiatives that integrate climate into urban planning, governance and delivery with special focus on urban mobility in Erode and Thoothikudi. These projects should be in line with government strategies and policies, provide benefits to the public, contribute positively to integration of climate consideration into urban planning and mobility, facilitate implementation with the aim of strengthening the city’s sustainable development trajectory. The overarching goal is to mitigate GHG emissions and improve the productivity and liveability in these Indian cities, including well-being of citizens and accessibility for women and the most vulnerable, and to apply successes and learning to support other cities. 

To achieve this, we have identified three key project themes:

• Theme 1- Integrating climate into city level urban plans: develop a climate-integrated urban planning and governance strategy across sectors, to be prioritised by the city administration, which maximises climate mitigation goals along with adaptation co-benefits, while also supporting capacity-building of key city departments for enabling institutionalisation.
• Theme 2- Climate data-driven approaches to urban planning and mobility: develop a climate-integrated data-driven urban planning and mobility framework across key public (municipal) services for city-level decisions, leveraging existing data-related infrastructure such as the integrated command and control centres.
• Theme 3- Access to accelerated climate finance: technical assistance for strengthening city’s financial planning and budgeting process to maximise climate mitigation benefits and adaptation co-benefits and designing innovative financial/business models that can access climate finance for delivering climate integrated priority projects.

Eligibility

• We are looking for a consortium that has the relevant knowledge, skills and experience. This typically can include think-tanks, consultancies, NGOs, research institutes or similar organisations. International organisations that have complementary skills and experience are welcome to apply
• Profit and non-profit organisations can apply but all projects must be on a not-for-profit basis. The consortium lead can either be a non-profit or a for-profit organisation.   
• All consortia must have at least one local partner. The local organisation does not need to be the consortium lead. Local partner refers to applicants who work in the project geography, have an understanding of the local context, existing relationships with key counterparts and the ability to obtain information as needed to achieve the proposed outputs and outcomes.
• Public entities, government agencies and/or departments (including sub-national governments) are not eligible to apply either as a lead organisation or partner in a consortium.

How to Apply

The India-UK PACT urban planning and mobility Call for Proposals is now open. The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 November 2024 at 18:00 IST/ 12:30 UTC.

Click here to Apply

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Tags Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Others