New Delhi, Mar 5, (IANS): Experts and professionals in urban planning will participate in an international conference March 13-15 to improve India's cities, organisers said Tuesday.

The 11th edition of Municipalika will host over 1,000 delegates and 100 speakers from 200 cities. The three-day event will be held at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida.

"The event will focus on different aspects of urban governance such as safety and security of women, waste management and sanitation and making cities more inclusive by providing affordable housing. All of these issues are crucial for the development of India's cities," said V. Suresh, conference coordinator and former head of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).

The conference is organised by the NGO Good Governance Foundation India in partnership with a number of public and private bodies such as state governments, infrastructure providers and even resident welfare organisations.

"The population in India's cities is growing at an exponential rate, and this is leading to many problems like high cost of housing and bad sanitation. Good governance would ensure that the quality of life is maintained at a high level in India's cities," he said.

This is the third time that the event is being held in New Delhi. It was previously held in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.