Blue-Green Framework Workshop, Mumbai
Mumbai faces rising climate risks- water pollution, frequent flooding, and heat stress, that strain infrastructure and disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. In response, there is growing momentum to integrate Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into urban planning. The Blue-Green Framework (BGF) Workshop, held in October 2024, provided a platform to explore how these approaches can support a more resilient and inclusive city.
The Blue-Green Framework (BGF) Workshop was envisioned as a platform to document existing nature-based practices across Mumbai, enable knowledge sharing among practitioners, and initiate a dialogue on how these approaches can be scaled and embedded in the city’s development agenda. Organized by WRI India, the workshop brought together over 25 practitioners, researchers, and urban stakeholders to reflect on emerging interventions across diverse contexts and geographies in Mumbai.
The workshop highlighted a range of on-ground efforts- from community-led restoration and urban farming to waterbody rejuvenation and participatory placemaking, demonstrating the diversity and creativity of NbS approaches in the city.
Key themes explored included:
- The role of community ownership and institutional collaboration in enabling successful implementation.
- Challenges related to land tenure, inter-departmental coordination, and long-term maintenance.
- The importance of embedding NbS within larger climate, water, and development agendas.
These proceedings document the voices, experiences, and reflections of practitioners who are shaping the future of nature-led urban development in Mumbai. They also form the foundation for an upcoming practice book and Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) Framework that aims to serve as a reference for city governments, researchers, and civil society actors working on sustainable urban transformations.
