Meet the Mumbai urban planner who is championing climate solutions 

According to a 2018 report released by the United Nations (UN), 68% of the world's population will be residing in cities by 2050. As cities grow denser and the pressure on resources grows, the challenges of climate change will continue to amplify unless sustainable urbanisation is prioritised. Scientific research and countless reports including the 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have warned us of the devastating impact of climate change on urban centres such as Mumbai which are extremely vulnerable.

The United Nations in India launched We The Change, a campaign aimed at celebrating and curating sustainable, equitable, and innovative climate solutions being pioneered by Indian youth. Among the 17 climate warriors is architect and urban planner Bergis Driver from Mumbai who believes that green solutions will reduce disparities, improve accessibility and raise the quality of life in cities. Driver has worked extensively with government authorities to help Kandla SEZ secure its platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), which indicates the highest possible level of sustainability. Through his work, he also ensured that the development plans for Amaravati City, an upcoming city in Andhra Pradesh, prioritised sustainability and harmony with the existing environment.

Today, the 27-year-old works with Waatavaran, a Mumbai-based NGO that seeks to slow down climate change and its impact on vulnerable communities. Bergis' work is aimed at helping cities and human settlements become more resilient to climate change, and reduces their impact on their environment, which in a country like India, where 70% of its cities will be built in the next 10 years, cannot happen too soon. Mid-Day.com asked the young urban planner about sustainable development in Mumbai and rising climate action around the world.

Here are a few excerpts:

Sustainable environmental practices in the built environment still leave much to be desired. Which kind of strategies can be implemented to mitigate the impact of climate change in Mumbai?

At this critical time, cities and urban experts across the world are recognising the proven value of no-tech and low-tech solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. It is therefore imperative that these begin to find more legroom in the Indian context and our climate action plans, for here lies the golden opportunity for various sectors to uniquely re-define how citizens interact with urban infrastructure and natural spaces altogether.

This is important as the past five decades have highlighted a complete disconnect between physical infrastructure and ecosystem services in the case of Greater Mumbai. Health needs to be safeguarded now more than ever and water-sensitive infrastructure can play a major role by incorporating both natural and functional aspects together while reaping a palette of additional benefits for citizens. With the city moving beyond its peak development phase and 66% of Mumbai Metropolitan Region proposed to be developed by the next fifteen years, it is now very much in a position to begin introspecting upon opportunities to improve the natural environment. This can primarily be facilitated through the incorporation of nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, plot-level water and energy conservation interventions, solar transitions, green mobility, and integrated solid waste management.

According to you, what is the role of public spaces in a city like Mumbai? How important is it for people to engage with open spaces to connect with issues like climate change?

Place-making has a deeply rooted history in the development of Mumbai. Many iconic places in the city and their naming also reflect deeper connections with inherent geography, natural elements, water features, landmark events, public figures, and multiple activities. The demand for public space has increased globally, even after the waves of the pandemic. Open space for the most part has remained at the forefront of social interaction and recreation. It has remained an ambiguous terminology in the case of Mumbai as it also considers built areas of scale aside from parks, gardens, and natural spaces.

Planners need to break past the adoption of prescriptive density-based (area per capita) planning norms due to lack of monitoring and evaluation measures, especially for open spaces. With minimal studies to firstly understand what motivates recreational desire in our cities to begin with, additional interventions in reducing travel time and ensuring connectivity may hold little value. This presents more opportunities to study economic aspects and introduce layers of data and information more resonant to the Indian experience. For improving the quality of urban open spaces locally, stewardship initiatives can prove valuable at the ward level. By re-connecting and taking in natural experiences, citizens need to actively engage with not only the open spaces in their neighbourhoods, but also the wetlands, the national park, and natural terrains of the region to truly understand and value the benefits being provided through ecosystem services, especially now in the wake of climate change.

How receptive or proactive are institutions when it comes to sustainable practices and solutions? Additionally, what sort of innovative practices are being adapted across the city in order to cope with the damaging effects of climate change?

The city climate action plan does already cover many of these aspects to a great extent and while the 2036 regional plan also accounts for larger scale conservation measures, these will practically require a very heavy degree of localisation to execute and none of the aforementioned interventions can be successfully achieved or realised without giving greater legal weightage to civic participation and assuring accountability for the same. Prima facie, while major considerations have already being targeted, there still remain disconnects in ensuring that citizen voices are heard in matters of upcoming infrastructure: the recent cases of the proposed Coastal Road and Powai lake cycling track reflect this.

As new and welcome initiatives driven by governance continue to increase, interestingly enough, one must also note that the climate action agenda is not the first time that an institutional integration between multiple public departments is occurring. In the past, the expanding city was always prone to water scarcity, and augmentation efforts were managed not just through inter-departmental co-ordination, and stringent regulations but was also majorly enhanced through philanthropy and voluntary citizen contributions. The aspects of inclusivity, equality and diversity must continue to remain at the heart of Mumbai's story of growth and heading into the near future, for climate action.

What inspires you? Are there any defined goals you are seeking to achieve with your work in Mumbai?

I draw much of my inspiration from my ancient Zoroastrian faith. There is a legacy spanning thousands of years which has stressed on the protection, preservation, and promotion of the natural environment, resources and life, which I look up to and aspire to carry on in my own ways heading into the future.

The promise of being able to reach out and scale up climate action, to learn the truth behind the origins and contexts of sustainability, help navigate it favourably, and to be able to safeguard the weakest in the face of climate change, is what continues to motivate me in this journey.

My small steps and efforts in the environmental space have only motivated me to expand my canvas of thought beyond the urban, by continuing to foster awareness and practically executing ideations for the climate vulnerable.

Who do you look up to in the climate space?

I am mainly inspired by those who are a part of my everyday life: a few of my friends, teachers, employers and family members who have supported me in their own ways. The stories of Jadav Payeng, Rajendra Singh, Vishwanath Srikantaiah, Sundarlal Bahuguna, Kedarnath Rao Ghorpade, and a myriad of others continue to motivate me.

How are youth movements today shaping the climate change movement?

Between just 2017 and 2020, the number of climate litigations filed globally has almost doubled. As societies across the globe are moving well beyond the point of just awareness and are becoming more and more legally empowered for climate action, the youth have the most critical role of all to play in ensuring sustainable transitions. Education is empowering youth to call out and look well beyond the false narratives of green-washing. Young innovations are coming to entirely redefine our ways for the better. It is essential to extend support and financial resources towards youth movements across the villages and cities of our country in this regard.

Also Read: Say no to coal, yes to nature