As India’s cities expand at an unprecedented pace, the way they are designed and built will determine not only their economic productivity but also their environmental resilience and quality of life. Rapid urbanisation, rising energy demand, and increasing climate stress are placing immense pressure on urban infrastructure. In this context, the upcoming Union Budget presents a critical opportunity to shift focus from short-term construction volumes to long-term sustainability by investing in sustainable architecture as a cornerstone of India’s urban future.
Over the years, public spending on urban development has largely prioritised scale, housing numbers, road lengths, and transport corridors. While this approach has helped address immediate infrastructure deficits, it has often overlooked the environmental performance of buildings and urban spaces. Buildings today account for a significant share of India’s energy consumption and carbon emissions, particularly in cities where cooling demand is rising sharply. Without a deliberate push towards climate-responsive design, energy-efficient materials, and resource-conscious planning, India risks locking itself into carbon-intensive urban growth for decades.
Sustainable architecture offers a practical and scalable solution to this challenge. Design strategies that incorporate passive cooling, natural ventilation, daylight optimisation, and the use of local materials can significantly reduce energy demand while improving occupant comfort. Water-sensitive urban design, waste-efficient construction practices, and climate-adaptive building envelopes can also enhance urban resilience in the face of heatwaves, flooding, and water scarcity. However, despite their long-term economic and environmental benefits, such approaches are yet to become mainstream due to higher upfront costs and limited policy incentives.
This is where the Union Budget can play a transformative role. Budgetary support that incentivises green building adoption, through tax benefits, interest subventions, or faster approvals for projects that meet sustainability benchmarks—can accelerate market uptake.
Expanding funding for green certification systems, energy-efficient retrofitting of public buildings, and climate-smart affordable housing can also set strong benchmarks for the private sector to follow. Public procurement, in particular, can be a powerful lever in normalising sustainable architectural practices across urban India.
Equally important is investing in capacity building and education. Sustainable architecture requires skilled professionals who understand climate-responsive design, material innovation, and building performance analytics. Budget allocations for upgrading architectural education, supporting field-based learning, and encouraging research in low-carbon construction technologies can help bridge this skills gap. Such investments would not only improve design outcomes but also generate green jobs across the construction and allied sectors.
The Union Budget must also recognise the role of sustainability in urban renewal and retrofitting. Much of India’s urban building stock is already constructed, and improving its energy and water efficiency is as important as building new infrastructure. Dedicated budget lines for retrofitting government buildings, schools, hospitals, and housing colonies can deliver immediate efficiency gains while reducing long-term operational costs.
As India pursues its vision of becoming a developed nation, the quality and sustainability of its cities will be a defining factor. A Union Budget that invests in sustainable architecture would signal a shift from viewing buildings as isolated assets to recognising them as integral components of a resilient urban ecosystem.