Bengaluru, once known as India’s “Garden City,” is facing an ecological crisis due to rapid urbanization, which has resulted in a drastic loss of green cover from 70% in the 1970s to under 7% today. This loss has intensified the Urban Heat Island effect, with neighborhoods such as Marathahalli and Koramangala recording surface temperatures 2-5°C higher than older, tree-rich areas. A recent policy review has highlighted significant gaps in governance, coordination, and environmental planning across the city.
The review found that trees are often considered only after road designs and infrastructure plans are finalized, leading to inconsistent implementation of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Public notices are often uploaded late, tree censuses are incomplete, and compensatory planting frequently happens in distant locations with low survival rates, offering no local cooling benefit. Climate evidence shows that streets with continuous tree cover can lower surface temperatures by up to 10°C, yet the city lacks a climate-led approach to urban design.
The environmental strain is compounding existing socio-economic inequities, with low-income wards facing higher heat exposure and outdoor workers, such as delivery riders and traffic police, being disproportionately impacted. The report recommends sweeping reforms, including integrating ecological assessments into the development plan stage, mandating ward-level compensatory planting, and establishing an Urban Ecology & Climate Unit within the city’s municipal corporation.
The review concludes that Bengaluru’s challenge is not to halt development but to design it intelligently, treating trees as essential climate infrastructure rather than cosmetic additions. As the city continues to expand, reinterpreting trees as core components of climate resilience may determine whether Bengaluru remains liveable in the decades ahead. The report highlights the need for a climate-led approach to urban design, prioritizing tree preservation and planting to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect and protect the city’s most vulnerable populations.
The recommended reforms aim to address the structural flaws in the city’s approach to tree preservation and urban planning. By integrating ecological assessments into the development plan stage and mandating ward-level compensatory planting, the city can ensure that trees are protected and preserved, rather than being an afterthought. The establishment of an Urban Ecology & Climate Unit will also help to coordinate and implement climate-led urban design, prioritizing tree preservation and planting to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect.