Concept:
An Eco-City (or ecologically sustainable city) is an urban area designed around principles of environmental sustainability. These cities prioritize minimizing carbon footprints, reducing pollution, efficiently recycling materials, managing solid waste systematically, and preserving natural green spaces to foster healthy, sustainable living.
Step-by-step Explanation:
Let us evaluate the environmental and urban track records of the options listed:
• Gurgaon (Gurugram): A major corporate hub in Haryana that experienced rapid commercial growth. This swift expansion led to significant urban challenges, including groundwater depletion, heavy traffic congestion, and severe air pollution, which run contrary to eco-city models.
• Mysore (Mysuru): Located in Karnataka, Mysore is widely recognized as one of India's cleanest and most sustainable cities. It consistently ranks at the top of national urban sanitation evaluations (such as the *Swachh Survekshan*). The city features excellent urban solid waste management systems, extensive urban forestry, well-preserved open heritages, and effective civic awareness campaigns, making it a prime example of a model Indian eco-city.
• Hyderabad: A major IT metropolis that has introduced green initiatives (such as expanding its green cover to earn the "Tree City of the World" title). However, its core urban framework remains a large, dense, car-oriented mega-city rather than a dedicated eco-city template.
• Shillong: A beautiful hill station in northeast India dealing with specialized mountain urbanism challenges, but it is not formally recognized as a standard eco-city benchmark.
Thus, Mysore stands out as a clear example of an eco-city in India.