Design is a hard-wired human trait, central to the human story on this planet. From prehistoric nomadic living to the modern age, Homo sapiens have used design to shape every stage of human progress, through irrigation systems, organised agriculture, or permanent settlements. For India, this legacy of design continues to manifest with the need to provide housing, transport, healthcare, and education infrastructure to over 1.6 billion people by 2050.
While ‘design thinking’ has recently gained global traction, Indian traditions and customary practices have always reflected a deep respect for local context, characteristic ingenuity and long-term sustainability of our communities, factors that comprise the basic tenets of current ideas about the use of design and design thinking.
This deep-rooted approach to design is reflected most clearly in India’s architectural heritage. Traditional building techniques across India evolved to suit local climates and materials from the Kath-Kuni timber-and-stone houses of Himachal Pradesh to Kerala’s courtyard bungalows. These vernacular structures remain cooler and more sustainable than many modern homes.
An IISc study found that rural homes built in local styles run 7 to 10 per cent cooler than the cement-block houses replacing them. Similarly, a WEF analysis reports that people are increasingly embracing mud, stone and bamboo construction to cut energy use. By integrating indigenous solutions, such as porous walls, deep verandahs and courtyard ventilation, into new projects, India can slash cooling loads and improve health. Architects like Laurie Baker pursued precisely this idea: using exposed brick, fly-ash, and local crafts to build affordable, climate-smart homes. Today, combining that old wisdom with new science can yield schools, clinics and housing that feel modern yet are naturally climate-responsive and affordable.
The principles that are fundamental to India’s vernacular architecture, like climate awareness, a respect for local context, and a commitment to human well-being, did not get lost with the passage of time. They instead re-emerged infused into the language of modern architecture. Chandigarh serves as a great example, which was envisioned by Nehru as a planned city that would combine functionality and aesthetics with social progress. Similar to how vernacular architecture found the balance between environmental and human needs, Chandigarh’s master plan found a way to create an urban environment that balanced India's aspirations for modernity with its historic context.
What does this rich history mean for the pursuit of the ideal of Viksit Bharat? The idea of design is central, even if often implicit, to the vision of Viksit Bharat. Design has always been more than aesthetics; here, it is a tool for nation-building. The vision of Viksit Bharat stems from India’s centuries-old struggle for self-reliance and all-around progress. Today, India is marching onward at an unprecedented scale and speed. To fulfil these national aspirations, India needs well-designed settlements and allied systems that support well-being and improve the quality of life for all. This is where design becomes central to India’s story in the 21st century.
Looking ahead, India’s future depends upon developing bold, transformative solutions like design-focused mega-projects that will play an important role in defining national progress. We already have examples of successfully implementing this with projects like GIFT City, a large-scale residential-cum-commercial project in Gujarat. The city showed that designing housing, employment, education, and eco-friendly transportation together can create functional living environments that are built for the future. Similarly, we need more innovative programmes like the Smart Cities Mission, an urban renewal and retrofitting initiative by the central government, which was designed to incentivise existing cities to convert into sustainable smart cities across the country.
Another example is the BharatNet project, aiming to connect six lakh villages with high-speed broadband, which is a design challenge of unprecedented scale. By embedding solar-powered Wi-Fi towers, modular data centres, and disaster-resilient fibre corridors, India can build digital infrastructure that is sustainable and built to bridge the digital divide across its rural landscape.
At the broader level, encouraging a culture of design thinking will help prepare a generation of smart innovators, equipped with a solution-oriented mind-set. Reflecting this vision, universities of design and architecture in India are also increasingly reorienting themselves to the goal of Viksit Bharat via Design. Through the active role of academic training, we can equip the students to design the India of tomorrow in a way that benefits both the people and the nation, while being grounded in our country’s unique challenges and opportunities.
The author is a provost at Anant National University
