A recent World Bank report delivers a compelling insight: by 2030, nearly 70% of all new jobs in India will emerge from urban areas. This signals a structural transformation of India’s economy—away from agriculture and toward urban industry, services, and technology. To harness this opportunity, states must not only expand their cities but do so with foresight and resilience.
Punjab—long regarded as an agricultural powerhouse—is rising to this challenge through an ambitious and forward-thinking initiative: its land-pooling-based urbanisation policy. In 27 cities, landowners are voluntarily contributing land for planned development, in return for a share of developed plots with assured infrastructure. This participatory model replaces coercive acquisition with a collaborative approach, aligning perfectly with the World Bank’s emphasis on planned, inclusive, and climate-resilient urban growth.
The World Bank’s report, “Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India”, highlights that over half of the urban infrastructure needed by 2050 hasn’t yet been built. Simultaneously, cities face escalating risks—from urban flooding and heatwaves to poor infrastructure and job informality. If India fails to build climate resilience into its urban planning, annual flood-related economic losses alone could reach $5 billion by 2030. Yet the report is also optimistic: early investment in green infrastructure and heat-resilient housing could save over 130,000 lives and prevent massive losses in the decades ahead.
Punjab’s land pooling projects—like New Chandigarh, Ludhiana Aerotropolis, and new sectors in Bathinda and Patiala—are already creating thousands of jobs in construction, logistics, education, and services. These new cities can become magnets for investment and innovation, if supported by transparent governance, ecological planning, and timely compensation.
However, legitimate concerns remain. Farmers have protested, worried about land devaluation, procedural opacity, and ecological consequences. The state must address these anxieties with dialogue, safeguards, and guarantees. The World Bank also stresses the need to empower urban local bodies with fiscal autonomy and climate-planning tools—something Punjab must embed in its institutional framework.
India’s urban future is inevitable. But whether it becomes a source of prosperity or instability depends on how well we plan. Punjab’s urban vision—if executed wisely—could be the template for how India builds not just cities, but livelihoods, resilience, and hope.