The Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES) is an autonomous organization established through a Memorandum of Understanding between Osmania University and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India in the year 1970. RCUES is sponsored by MoHUA to cater the training and research needs in the areas of Urban Development of constituent state governments, namely, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Nagaland and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar. RCUES, in its long journey of fifty-four(54) years continues to grow adapting to the challenges of capacity building in the area of urban governance. Initially, the focus was on training of the urban functionaries working in various departments like town and country planning, public health engineering and urban local bodies. RCUES has over the years tuned its activities to the requirements of central and state government schemes and programs for the augmentation of ULBs. 

 Apart from training, RCUES has been organizing several international, national and regional workshops and seminars on topical themes like urban rejuvenation, water and waste management, slum development, decongestion of cities, urban environment and poverty alleviation, urban planning, etc. It has also engaged various activities of academic and professional collaborations with international organizations like UNICF, DFID, USAID, ILO, UNDP, HSRC, etc. RCUES has organized overseas capacity building programmes to the municipal functionaries of Kenya and Uganda. Over the years, RCUES expanded its horizon to international, national government and non-government organizations, especially in the areas of governance, poverty alleviation, finances focusing on social mobilization buildings of the grass-root levels involving not only government but also NGOs and community based organizations.

Status/Registration Details of the Organization  

 The RCUES was established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India and Osmania University and administered as per rules and regulations of Osmania University/State Government through a Governing Council under the Chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University which is the apex body of authority. The members of governing council include the Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, representatives of the select state governments on rotation basis, a senior professor of the RCUES and Director, RCUES-OU, as member-convener.