The fifth webinar in the series was held over three days on April 26,27 and 29, 2022, with eighteen experts enlightening us on deliberating the best practices which will help us develop sustainable communities in India. The webinar focused on three major themes: Issues in Indian Metropolitan Cities, The Urban & Rural – Sustainable Development Practices, and Disaster Risk & Resilience – Integrated with Sustainable Urban Transport Systems.

• When designing cities for the people, there is a need to be more considerate of socio-ecological systems and be more collaborative and inclusive in our design and operational processes. 
• The key is to design cities for their people, keeping in mind environmental features and to improve the quality of spaces.
• In terms of climate change, cities need to be made more resilient to the impacts of climate change, paying additional attention to those who would be worst affected by them.
• Design and planning should consider methods and processes that consider natural systems with regard to managing heat, climate-related disasters, and public spaces.
• An emphasis is required on systems approaches that are more bottom-up in nature. Citizens should be empowered and motivated to participate in improving their cities with decision-makers and planners.
• There is a need for ‘institutionalized platforms for public engagements” across the central, state, and local governments. Unless institutionalized and penal provisions are devised in the policy, stakeholder consultation will be only on paper.