Abstract
Realizing sustainable resource consumption and production patterns have always been a gargantuan challenge for our Indian settlements. The concept of Sustainable Resource Consumption and Production (as advocated by the UN Environment) has sought “decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation”, favoured “resource efficiency” in production of goods and services and has eventually upheld human well-being and a better quality of life. However, accomplishing these noble intentions is at times difficult on account of a rather conventional and rigid linear metabolic archetype that is demonstrated in most of our urban settlements. Urban Metabolism in the words of Christopher Kenned is ‘‘the total sum of the technical and socio-economic processes that occur in cities, resulting in growth, production of energy, and elimination of waste.’’ The definition thus explores the interface between the socio – technical and the socio – ecological contexts, thus analysing the resource flows within the urban realm, both passive and active resources, the mechanisms that regulate the flow and their accessibility, the delivery of goods and services and the processes of waste assimilation. The Sustainable Development Goals 2030 further support this noble cause. The Circular Economy, on the other hand, as advocated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is ‘‘an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design”. The concept emphasizes the need for ‘closing the loop’. The Circular Urban Metabolism (CUM) construct explores and underscores the tenets of reduce, reuse, recycle and recovery. Nature Based Solutions (NBS) that uphold the tenets of the CUM framework by conserving, restoring, rehabilitating and enhancing ecological infrastructure and supporting green infrastructure are the foundations for achieving Circular Urban Metabolism that enables delivery of ecosystem goods and services and promotes human well-being and better quality of life in the urban domain. The need for biodiverse and green roofs, vegetated urban spaces, water sensitive urban design, food forests and hydroponics and aquaponics are illustrations of regulation of material flow that offer resilience to the cities. This is realized through a plethora of policies, programmes and projects and potent regulatory framework. However, in order to implement these concepts in cities, they need to be mainstreamed with the urban planning process. In the current paper, the researcher had made a humble endeavour to explore the application of the concept through a thorough understanding of the Policy, Planning and Management Instruments that regulate the flow and use of passive and active resources across scales in the country and the existing Spatial Planning framework and the Master Planning Process in the national capital. Delhi, that supports a population of approximately 190 lakhs suffers enormously from unsustainable resource consumption and is plagued with pollution problems and issues of local water and food security. NBS, can enable closing the loop, minimize consumption of resources, reduce pollution, increase accessibility and availability and thus support human well-being and enhance biodiversity. The researcher has made an attempt to come up with strategies and guidelines that will enable the application of the concept.
