Odisha and UN Habitat partner on urban planning push

In the coastal state of Odisha, where ancient temples meet modern aspirations, a quiet revolution is taking shape. It's not happening in boardrooms or political halls, but in the very DNA of how cities will be built, lived in, and loved by the next generation.

Odisha’s urban population is projected to triple over the next decade. The scale of this shift is expected to place significant pressure on housing, infrastructure, public services, and climate resilience — posing both a challenge and an opportunity for the state’s long-term development.

To support this transition, UN-Habitat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Odisha’s Housing and Urban Development Department. The collaboration falls under the newly launched Atal Network for Knowledge, Urbanisation and Reform (ANKUR), aimed at reshaping urban development policy and practice across the state.

Launched this May, ANKUR is positioned as a platform for sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-led urban growth, in line with the broader development goals of Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat@2047.

As a key knowledge partner, UN-Habitat will provide strategic and technical support to the state government across four focus areas: capacity building, research and knowledge, implementation support, and innovation.

This builds on existing UN-Habitat programmes already active in Odisha, including:

• Urban RAASTA (Resilient and Accelerated Advancement with Sustainable and Transformative Actions) – a framework for climate-resilient urban planning.
• Young Gamechangers Initiative (YGI) – empowering urban youth with digital tools, participatory budgeting, and community co-design methods.
• Circular Economy for Plastic Waste – deploying frontier technologies to upcycle plastics and promote sustainability and livelihoods.

The partnership is expected to strengthen urban governance and planning systems in Odisha as it navigates one of the fastest urban transitions in the country.