KOCHI: As he opened a two-day national urban colloquium on Sunday, Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan urged the development of cities of the future through the adoption of new trends in urban design. A series of conversations on ‘Reinventing urban development using emerging tools and methodologies’ were held as part of the National Urban Conclave-Bodhi 2022. Vijayan, who spoke to the audience digitally, claimed that the state should better implement urban development strategies. Future cities should be built by incorporating contemporary urban forms and design trends. According to Vijayan, we can improve how we apply efficiency tools and strategies to urban planning and development.
Vijayan stated that in order to lessen the financial burden on the government, significant projects must utilise urban planning and development methods such as land pooling, transfer of development rights (TDR), etc. These are covered by the Kerala Town and Country Planning Act of 2016, and the government has begun developing the rules and regulations. Investments are being sought actively for the state’s urban growth.
M B Rajesh, Minister of Local Self Government and Excise, Government of Kerala gave the opening remarks. According to Rajesh, it’s important to consider how technology will be used to address the challenges posed by urbanisation.
P Rajeev, Minister for Law, Industries and Coir, Government of Kerala urged the use of a sustainable development strategy for the city. Keshav Varma, Chairman of High-Level Committee on Urban Planning of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, introduced the conclave’s topic, ‘Calling for region-specific strategies for urban planning and development.’ Kochi, according to Varma, has the capacity to establish itself as a global city. The meeting’s moderator K Chandran Pillai Chairman of Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), emphasised the need to review the current system of urban governance and take into account new approaches and resources to handle current and upcoming difficulties. As India becomes more urbanised, we must acknowledge that cities will be the main forces guiding India’s development. Innovative solutions and approaches are required to address the challenges that lie ahead.