Creating cities of,
by, and for the people

Building cities that offer citizens a high quality of living requires a rethinking: of how we understand cities, how they are governed, and how we approach urban challenges. We must view cities as economic and governance units and address the root causes of urban challenges, rather than fixing the symptoms.

At Janaagraha, we do this by adopting a multistakeholder approach that engages governments, civic officials, and citizens.

Through our initiatives, we strive to build robust city-systems, empower citizens and civic officials with skills, knowledge, and resources, and deepen trust and collaboration between civil society and government at the local level.

01

Civic Participation

Deepening citizen participation is crucial to improving quality of life. Empowered citizens have a say in how their neighbourhoods and cities are planned and managed, how funds are allocated, and which civic problems are prioritised. We explore and promote ways to catalyse citizen participation through capacity-building programs, community coalitions, tools, and data.

01

Civic Participation

Deepening citizen participation is crucial to improving quality of life. Empowered citizens have a say in how their neighbourhoods and cities are planned and managed, how funds are allocated, and which civic problems are prioritised. We explore and promote ways to catalyse citizen participation through capacity-building programs, community coalitions, tools, and data.

02

City Finance

We adopt a multi-pronged approach to fixing city finance that includes policy reform, implementation support, and dissemination of blueprints to standardise and scale systems. These efforts seek to improve the two pillars of city finance: financial accountability and financial sustainability.

02

City Finance

We adopt a multi-pronged approach to fixing city finance that includes policy reform, implementation support, and dissemination of blueprints to standardise and scale systems. These efforts seek to improve the two pillars of city finance: financial accountability and financial sustainability.

03

Urban Policy and Research

Research helps us understand the past, assess the present, and chart a course to the future. As part of our urban policy and research work, we look at strengthening city-systems and state capacities, and gaining a better understanding of policy and decision-making in India’s cities.

03

Urban Policy and Research

Research helps us understand the past, assess the present, and chart a course to the future. As part of our urban policy and research work, we look at strengthening city-systems and state capacities, and gaining a better understanding of policy and decision-making in India’s cities.