CM Chandrababu Advocates Green, Circular and Regenerative Urban Growth

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called for a development model that ensures economic growth without compromising environmental sustainability, urging cities to move beyond concrete-heavy construction and embrace green and eco-friendly infrastructure.

Speaking in Bengaluru on Monday, Chandrababu, along with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, inaugurated the Earth Centre - Vishista Spaces building, a facility designed around the integration of nature, technology and modern workspaces. Unlike conventional office buildings, the structure incorporates recycled materials and environmentally sustainable elements such as terracotta.

Chandrababu said the project demonstrated how urban development could respond to growing environmental challenges while continuing to support economic activity. He stressed that development should not be halted in the name of environmental protection, but should instead be planned in a manner that reduces ecological damage.

The Chief Minister said the focus now needs to shift from “grey growth” to “green growth”, with buildings designed to use resources efficiently rather than consume them excessively. He pointed to climate change as an immediate challenge rather than a distant threat and called for sustainability to become an integral part of urban planning.

He advocated the adoption of net-zero principles in construction, greater use of solar energy and systematic approaches to water conservation. Recycling and reuse, he said, should become standard practices, while organic waste could be converted into compost.

Chandrababu said these measures could contribute to broader efforts such as Swachh Bharat, Swachh Karnataka and Swachh Andhra Pradesh, while also reducing pressure on natural resources.

He said the infrastructure being created today would determine the environmental character of cities for decades. After years of urban expansion based largely on grey infrastructure, cities must now embrace green, circular and regenerative growth.

“Every rooftop can become a power plant, every drop of water can be reused and every waste stream can become a resource,” Chandrababu said, emphasising that protecting water and soil can also create economic value.

The Chief Minister said the philosophy behind Zero Budget Natural Farming should also find expression in urban development. Andhra Pradesh, he said, plans to contribute significantly to India's target of achieving 500 GW of green energy capacity by 2030, with around 165 GW of renewable energy capacity being planned in the state.

He added that Amaravati was being developed as an environmentally sustainable city. Recalling his role in developing Cyberabad during the undivided Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu said he now had an opportunity to build another modern city with sustainability at its core.