Given the rapid rate of urbanization in India, there is an
increased pressure on growth of medium and small sized towns,
where existent access to nature and green components are
diminished and converted into increasingly urban areas. Many
of the medium sized towns which are being assisted by
government missions for infrastructure development, while
acknowledging their natural resources, place more emphasis on
improved grey infrastructure than on innovative integration of
green infrastructure into the urban environment which give a
multitude of proven public health benefits. This study aims to
investigate the importance of planning of Green Infrastructure as
an effective way of dealing with mental health and wellbeing
and its role in the quality of life and economic productivity in a
city. The study highlights the case of Shivamogga city, a tier-III
city situated at the foot of the hilly region of the Western Ghats,
known for its lush greenery and plantations. The study enlists
the proposed development measures that aim to improve
infrastructure of the city, and find opportunities to integrate with
them green infrastructure components from the scale of
Rainwater Harvesting to Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
(SUDS) as an utility approach, to incorporating Water-sensitive
Urban Design (WSUD) as a design approach for larger areas, to
overarching green infrastructure policy for city development
that takes to cognizance the need to ensure socio-economic and
cultural benefits to its citizens
