Why

By 2030, more than half of India will live in cities. Urbanisation has been and remains a huge economic opportunity. Yet, the quality of life for citizens in urban India today is generally poor, —impacting health, education, livelihoods, and the overall well-being of millions. We believe cities must be planned for and governed by and for people, ensuring they are livable, inclusive, and sustainable.

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What? We focus on four core levers of change:

Youth Engagement:  Who is the city for? The answer is clear – for the citizens. For cities to truly serve their people, citizens must be active participants in planning, development, and monitoring. They should know what services and standards they can expect, and be empowered to hold governments accountable for delivering quality infrastructure. At ATECF, we have partnered with the Charles Correa Foundation to build awareness around urban issues—for instance, through Nagari, a film competition and archive that showcases themes like water, waste, sanitation, housing, mobility and livelihoods. These films spark student discussions and encourage the next generation of citizens to think critically about urban development. 50+ short films produced by youth across 23 cities, as part of Nagari, have reached more than half a million people. 

Through initiatives with SPARC and Shelter Associates, we partner with universities and architecture schools to embed practical housing approaches into curricula. By taking students out of hypothetical studios and into real informal settlements, we foster community-engaged learning while co-creating resilient housing solutions. Our work has reached ~250 students and 80 faculty directly, with practice-based urban learning modules.

Urban Governance: Strong governance is essential for vibrant cities. Yet, state and district-level officials often lack some of the resources and training to fully understand the rules and  frameworks that shape urban development. To bridge this gap, ATECF has partnered with the Praja Foundation to build the capacity of government officials, helping them perform their roles more effectively and deliver better services to citizens. By equipping officials with the right knowledge and tools, we are enabling governance that is more accountable, transparent, and responsive. Praja also has a youth focussed program Prajatantra, that trains students to assist elected representatives. 

Urban Planning & Design: Cities thrive when they grow systematically with planned infrastructure, not when they grow in an ad-hoc, haphazard way. Unplanned growth strains both citizens and urban systems, leading to poor quality of life and inequitable access to resources. To counter this, we have partnered with Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) on a spatial planning project across 12 Indian cities, comparing what planning laws prescribe with what is happening on the ground. This work highlighted the gaps, identified best practices, and generated actionable recommendations that can guide more coherent, citizen-friendly urban development. These recommendations will be incorporated into modules that can be bundled with the Praja Foundation’s capacity building workshops.

Housing: Housing is more than shelter—it is the foundation for improvements in health, education, and overall human well-being. Without secure and affordable homes, families struggle to access basic services and opportunities, and cities cannot thrive. Recognizing this, ATECF supported Maharashtra’s first ever community-led  Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) in partnership with Shelter Associates, under the Government of India’s PMAY-Urban scheme. This pioneering effort has not only provided a number of families with dignified housing but more importantly has also created a replicable model that other cities and states can adopt. By focusing on housing as a cross-cutting priority, we are helping to build stronger, healthier, and more equitable urban communities.

In addition, through Plural’s “Renting Realities in Mumbai” project, we are addressing the city’s chronic shortage of affordable rental housing. By analyzing gaps, legal barriers, and socioeconomic impacts, and shaping policy solutions, the research presents options to renew Mumbai’s rental landscape for greater equity and sustainability.

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Impact

• 250 students sensitized to urban issues in classrooms, influencing the next generation of architects and planners.

• Strengthened the capacity of government officials to plan and deliver better services in 4 cities across 3 states.

• 4 research studies supported - SPI (UDRI), UGI 2.0 (Praja), ROOH (SPARC), Rental housing (Plural).

• Toolkit published for beneficiary-led housing solution in a Tier 2 city, now serving as a template for scale-up (Shelter Associates).

Our goal is simple: to ensure that as India urbanizes, our cities become healthier, more equitable, and more humane places to live.