Integrated urban design

‘From Degradation to Regeneration’ Like many rapidly urbanizing Indian cities, Chennai has witnessed extensive loss and degradation of its natural green cover over the past three decades. During this period, the city’s built-up area is estimated to have increased from nearly 48% to over 74%, steadily replacing forests, scrublands, wetlands and open landscapes that once acted as natural green lungs. This large-scale transformation has accelerated land degradation, increased the risk of desertification, intensifying climate risks such as extreme rainfall, urban flooding, droughts, aquifer depletion and urban heat island effects. Among the most critical ecological systems of the Chennai region are its native biomes—for... More