GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, VERTICAL TOWNS DOMINATE URBANISATION DISCOURSE Sushmi Dey NEW DELHI India is all set to establish a niche for itself in the growing green infrastructure marketplace and vertical townships. With the shrinking availability of land for residential development in the northern India and increasing demand for residential space, vertical towns have become the choice for developers, builders as well as the government. However, along with the need for more houses, there is a realisation which also calls for green housing. Even as modern vertical buildings done up with marvellous architecture and luxurious technologies have become the need of the hour, it is essential for the Indian real estate to focus on green buildings with environment-friendly clean infrastructure to reduce, if not cease, the adverse impact that modern buildings may tend to have on the environment. According to the definition given by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), a green building uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for the people living inside compared to a standard building. Green infrastructure uses industrial by-products, emphasises on recycling of waste water, harvesting of rain water, least use of air-conditioning, less production of carbon dioxide and tries to safeguard the environment in every possible way. Making a building green begins at the planning stage. The aim has to be kept in mind throughout. Interestingly, green buildings can ensure pollution free environment while reducing electricity and water bills. These benefits can certainly be measured. For example, buildings complying with Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), can have energy savings between 40-60%. There has been a steady spread of green buildings in India with more and more people understanding the benefits. Today, India has close to 30 million square ft of green buildings; an amazing achievement given the fact that we had only about 20,000 square ft in 2003 when the movement started here. Market estimates take the figure to over 100 million square ft in the next five years, opening big opportunities for the industry. The economic development of a country is often linked to its consumption of energy. Although, India ranks sixth in the world so far as total energy consumption is concerned, it still needs much more energy to keep pace with its development objectives. According to an estimate by the ministry of power, India