Chennai's Sustainable Future: Unveiling the Greenprint Approach

With inputs from Aayushi Sharma

Floods in Chennai hit headlines, year after year as the bustling city comes to a standstill and images of the devastation flash across news and social media platforms. The year 2023 was no exception.

Tamil Nadu finished 2023, on an exceptionally rainy note, with Cyclone Michaung striking Chennai, early in December, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded and dead. The Indian Meteorological Department had forecast more rainfall after two weeks of destruction in Chennai. A cyclonic circulation over the equatorial Indian Ocean had caused high winds, which wreaked havoc on TN’s southern coast, inundating the districts of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari. The state ended up having a wetter-than-usual December with 124 mm of rain overall between December 1 and December 27, which is a 49% ‘excess’ over usual for the month and the south of the state experiencing isolated heavy showers (64.5 mm-115.5 mm) even on the last two days of the year.

A number of cities and metropolitan areas across the country have faced similar situations over the past few years and some are actively looking for ways to mitigate the challenge posed by floods. Haphazard growth of the cities lead to poorly networked drainage systems which inhibit the flow of rainwater thus leading to flash floods that inundate huge areas. These challenges present an opportunity of better planning and integration of nature based solutions and building climate resilient cities in the country.

Chennai has now trained its sights on the Greenprint Approach and is all set to be the first city in the country to implement this system. But what is the Greenprint Approach all about? Read on to know more about it.

What is the Greenprint approach? How does it lead to an overall climate resilient development?

A greenprint constitutes a strategic conservation blueprint acknowledging the socio-economic advantages derived from parks, open spaces, and operational lands within communities. These advantages encompass recreational prospects via parks and trails, safeguarding and linking habitats, ensuring clean water, preserving agricultural lands, and enhancing resilience against climate change.

In formulating a greenprint, stakeholders collaborate to recognize, map, and prioritize regions crucial for the preservation of flora and fauna, water resources, recreational amenities, and operational landscapes. The resulting greenprint mirrors communal priorities and cultural values. While predominantly shaped by technical and scientific insights, the creation of greenprints typically involves the active participation of the general public, local conservation groups, or municipal authorities.

Greenprinting aims to highlight the benefits that urban settings receive from natural habitats and demonstrates how to think of alternate development strategies that can meet the needs of both development and conservation goals.

The four step process for developing a greenprint

Chennai – The first city in the country to embed Greenprint in master plan

The third master plan for Chennai is already in the process of being developed. This masterplan, which will take effect in 2026, will direct the city’s growth for the ensuing 20 years. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) India is assisting the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CDMA) and the Housing and Urban Development Department in shaping the urban evolution of the city by creating a greenprint for Chennai.

Scenario planning, which enables the city to simultaneously evaluate the effects of diverse patterns of expansion and imagine several alternative routes for city growth, is a crucial part of greenprinting. Governments and the general public can evaluate and adapt dynamically to an uncertain future through the use of scenario planning.

The master planning process, which is presently in progress, will be shaped by the greenprint. This method will also assist in creating a spatial design that blends the preservation of river basins and watersheds with the integration of urban forests and wetlands. This will guarantee that when the new plan is implemented, the ecosystem benefits that nature provides to us—such as water security, reduced temperatures, enhanced biodiversity, and greater mental and physical health of people—are realized.

During the past few decades, urbanization in the Chennai region has resulted in a significant change in impermeable cover. The study’s foundation was created by analyzing this tendency to project future events.

Examples of successful implementation of the Greenprint Approach

Chicago city, Illinois, USA is one of the world’s brightest sustainable metro cities, consisting of 12,000 acres of Parkland: 8.5% of land area in Chicago is green space open to the public.

Cloudy skies reflected in a river against the backdrop of Chicago city’s skyline

A comprehensive strategy, the ‘Green Infrastructure Vision’ (GIV) tool for spatial planning is in place there to create enduring effects throughout the metro area. The GIV was first included by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning in both its regional planning and its technical support to smaller municipalities. CMAP started providing funding for small-scale GIV enhancements, such as enhanced GIS and modeling capabilities and the inclusion of ecosystem service assessment.

In Cape Town, South Africa, a business case advocated Nature-based Solutions to address the water crisis. It revealed that restoring ecological infrastructure in key sub-catchments is a cost-effective and sustainable method for boosting water resources in the Greater Cape Town Region. The case proposed that a $25.5 million USD investment in catchment restoration would generate annual water gains of 50 billion liters (50 Mm3), increasing to 100 billion liters (100 Mm3) annually within 30 years. Importantly, this is one-tenth of the government’s estimated $540 million USD spending on alternatives like desalination and aquifer drilling. Beyond enhancing water security, catchment restoration brought additional benefits, including job creation, community empowerment, reduced fire risk, native biodiversity restoration, and increased climate change resilience.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is another good example. There has been a concerted effort there to address urban environmental challenges through the development of an urban greening strategy. This initiative involves bringing together stakeholders from across the metropolitan area to collaboratively formulate a shared vision for the sustainable preservation of nature within the city. The strategy encompasses technical elements such as mapping urban nature, establishing greening objectives tailored to local conditions, and evaluating the long-term financial requirements necessary to realize these goals. This holistic approach reflects a commitment to fostering a green and resilient urban environment in Melbourne, emphasizing collaboration and technical expertise to enhance the city’s overall sustainability.