Building Heat Resilience in India’s Growing Urbanscapes (BHRIGU)

Supported by the HT Parekh Foundation, CSTEP is undertaking the Building Heat Resilience in India’s Growing Urbanscapes (BHRIGU) project to address rising urban heat risks through data-driven insights and institutional strengthening. The project aims to map, monitor, and mitigate heat stress across India’s diverse urbanscapes—linking scientific evidence with policy and community action.

Key Objectives

• Develop a National Heat+ Risk Dashboard (NHRD) to visualise historical, current, and projected heat patterns across 4,000+ urbanscapes.
• Create Heat Risk and Adaptation Tools (HRATs) for representative cities to guide local adaptation and early warning systems.
• Build capacity of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), and frontline actors for heat-resilient planning.
• Integrate heat risk management into city-level climate and development policies.

Key Activities

• Urban heat risk mapping: Assess compound risks using climate data, land use, and socio-economic vulnerability indicators.
• Tool and dashboard development: Design open-access geospatial platforms for real-time monitoring and decision support.
• City pilots: Co-develop adaptation strategies and spatial tools for six representative urbanscapes.
• Stakeholder engagement: Conduct workshops and policy dialogues with national, state, and city authorities.
• Capacity building: Train government officials, health workers, and local communities on heat preparedness and response.

Expected Outcomes

1. A national heat risk database and city-level analytical tools for proactive planning.
2. Enhanced institutional capacity for heat resilience and urban climate governance.
3. Evidence-based policies for managing extreme heat and protecting vulnerable populations.
4. Stronger collaboration among public, private, and civil society stakeholders for climate-adaptive urban development.

This initiative aims to position India’s cities at the forefront of climate adaptation—enabling equitable, data-informed, and locally rooted responses to intensifying urban heat.