Environmental initiative prioritization with a Delphi approach: A case study

India is fast finding its place in the industrialized world and that is beg inning to raise its environmental consciousness. The Delphi technique was u sed to prioritize specific needs and articulate a sustainable urban improve ment strategy for the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The Delphi techniqu e is a means of achieving consensual validity among raters by providing the m feedback regarding other raters' responses. Mumbai has several indigenous environmental groups that were tapped for activists and leaders; the study was conducted using ten environmentalists. In the initial phases the respo nses resulted in a range of possible program alternatives. The last two sta ges helped to seek out information that generated a consensus on the part o f the respondent group. Statistical analysis methods included a hierarchica l cluster analysis, mean, median, mode, and percent of agreement calculatio ns using SPSS software. The face-to-face discussion in phase 4 clarified so me issues and helped the group as a whole to outline the strategy for putti ng in place the essential elements of a framework to improve the quality of life in an urban environment.