A city comprises, foremost, not its roads and buildings but its people. Urban planning in India, however, generally happens top-down. Citizens get no direct say at either the macro level (e.g. investments in public transport vs. road infrastructure) or the neighbourhood level (whether a lot becomes a community centre or a landfill). Citizens thus often feel alienated from their cities.

This is where visioning comes in. Visioning involves citizens as changemakers setting intentions for the future of their cities. Visioning is a deliberate and inclusive process, as opposed to the haphazard, top-down way in which the fate of our cities currently gets decided. Visioning invites citizens to articulate aspirations for their cities and unite to advocate for positive change.

What Exactly Does a Visioning Exercise Entail?

Last year, the People’s Urban Living Lab (PULL) at Transitions Research collaborated with the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) to develop the Net Zero Panaji: Vision Report 2050. Goa’s capital aims for net-zero by 2050. Our visioning exercise involved stakeholders in co-creating a vision for Panaji as a sustainable, equitable, liveable place. 

Climate goals often seem abstract and distant from our lived realities. What does it actually mean for a city to be net-zero – how does that affect how our buildings look and feel, our green and blue infrastructure, and our daily lives? Our visioning exercise sought to make climate goals concrete and personal, linking net-zero with improved quality of life via urban design. 

Through a series of open-to-all public events such as imagination walks, workshops and interviews, our Visioning exercises sought inputs from a wide range of citizens: native Goans and migrants; fisherfolk and affluent businesspeople; architects and conservation scientists; software engineers and representatives of several municipal and state-level government departments. 

The result is our Vision Report, coauthored by our colleagues Ashali Bhandari and Shantha Venugopal. “In 2050,” the report finds, “a net-zero Panaji is a culturally vibrant and sustainable city, where urban nature thrives and people are socially connected. Our distinct heritage and community values are alive and flourishing. The economy is driven by sustainable local businesses. People are encouraged to engage in civic life.”

Our aim was to create a document that addresses the trade-offs of climate goals, captures diverse perspectives, and presents an inclusive vision for a net-zero Panaji—ensuring that citizens’ interests are protected.

Outcomes: What do Citizens of Panaji Want in their City by 2050?

Content analysis of the numerous visions elicited from stakeholders suggest four key themes. 

1. A city that sustains its biodiversity, including its unique mangrove and khazan (salt flats) ecosystems; promotes a circular economy; and adapts to climate change. As a coastal city, Panaji is vulnerable to flooding; climate resilience was frequently cited as a priority. Citizens envision a future where traditional, typically low-impact methods of fishing and agriculture are made economically viable via thriving local markets.

Stakeholders argue that, for a net-zero future, almost every job will have to become more green. Publicly funded skills retraining will be key: e.g. upskilling and scaling up bicycle repair shops to accommodate the growing reliance on mechanical and electric bicycles. 

1. A city that preserves its vibrant historical neighbourhoods, distinct architecture, and local traditions. Many long-time residents expressed concerns around the impacts on the city’s infrastructure of soaring tourism and immigration.

Nostalgia for a greener, cleaner Panaji was balanced with a welcoming attitude to outsiders. However, to accommodate this influx, residents advocated for far-sighted urban planning – emphasising public transport and green and blue infrastructure. “Development and cleaning of creeks and waterways, e.g. the St. Inez Creek,” says Devkanya, a participant in our workshop, “should be key. Citizens should be able to use these waterways for leisure, boating, and water taxis.”

1. A city that connects “residents across age, occupation, and income through accessible public spaces, affordable transportation, and opportunities for civic engagement.”

As a midsized city, Panaji is ideal for walking and cycling. High citizen demand for safe pavements and bicycle lanes have run up against the nationwide privileging of motorised private transport. In their visions for the future, Panaji residents are almost unanimous in demanding the kind of walkable neighbourhoods that are slowly catching on in some Indian metros.

1. A city that prospers: “Residents envision a thriving economy for Panaji, centred around strong partnerships between local businesses and the community.” They hope for a city that promotes sustainable business practices, supports local entrepreneurs (e.g. local restaurants commissioning art from local artists, nudged by financial incentives from urban local bodies), and creates a vibrant urban environment that benefits both residents and businesses.

Residents’ visions for Panaji foregrounded the desire for connection and community across barriers. Stakeholders envisioned a city where neighbours trade home-grown produce, help each other get around (primarily using low-carbon public transport systems with high inter-modal interconnectivity), forge connections beyond the traditional networks of family and colleagues, and enjoy a strong social safety net.

The Step Forward:

India stands at a key moment. Our climate goals are ambitious, but progress has been uneven. Climate change is already threatening millions of lives, impacting our quality of life, and amplifying inequities. Our cities are key sources of emissions, as well as key sites of potential resilience and adaptation. But our cities, with their unique ecologies, histories, and architecture also represent generations of wisdom and local adaptation. They hold many of the keys for a path forward. 

Visioning documents like these can influence urban planners, architects, and citizens to recognise that current visions for our cities—marked by tall buildings, steel architecture, flyovers, and wide roads—often do not suit Indian climates or needs. Visioning helps acknowledge and honor local contexts, as well as the needs and knowledge of diverse stakeholders. 

For citizens, visioning offers the opportunity to dream of a better future and invites them to shape it collectively. For policymakers and government stakeholders, it serves as a guiding tool to build cities that serve all residents—rich and poor, human and nonhuman alike.