Lucknow

Lucknow is the most improved city in the Index over the past three years, reflecting Uttar Pradesh's sustained infrastructure push. The Lucknow–Agra Expressway, the Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway, and the Defence Corridor have together reframed the city as a node on a state-level logistics and manufacturing grid, not merely a state capital.

The metro extension is the most visible in-city project, and its completion is critical for reducing the city's dependence on an ageing bus network. But Lucknow's infrastructure gap is most acute in urban services: water supply coverage, sewage treatment, and solid waste management all rank well below peer cities of similar population.

The investment score of 62 reflects genuine private sector interest in the Defence Corridor, but execution at 40 is the weakest in the index — a consequence of land acquisition disputes and contractor capacity constraints that have repeatedly pushed timelines on state-sponsored projects. Lucknow's ranking will depend almost entirely on whether the UP government can convert approvals into completions in the 2026–28 window.