IIT Kharagpur, NIUA collaborate to bring up inclusive Indian cities

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur (IIT-K) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for ‘Building Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Indian Citites’ (BASIIC). This MoU is aimed to develop a framework for universal city planning which would be accessible and safe for all sectors of community. It is aimed towards building the cities with age and disabled friendly measures.

Professor K Tiwari, Director, IIT-K, said that India is a young country with 1 per cent population growth as of 2019. This level of growth will create a dynamic need of housing and urban planning in the country. He added that as per National Institute Ranking Framework, the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, IIT-K, has been recognised as the best architecture school in the country. NIUA is working towards new urban aspects such as regional development, inclusive planning, sustainable habitat, land use and transport integration at the planning stage, disaster management concepts and governance reforms. NIUA is doing this through the Urban Development Plan Formulation and Implementation Guidelines.

Professor Subrata Chattopadhyay, Department of Agriculture and Regional Planning, IIT-K, said that IIT-K will propose a framework for inclusive Indian cities which will provide equal participation to all the sections including persons with disabilities, elderly and parents with children. He emphasised on the need for seamless mobility and complete travel chain for safe and independent movement for all within the city. The framework discussed will contain sections including infrastructure, outdoor environment, livelihood, urban mobility and public transport.