IURC programme to assist Pune’s strive towards sustainable urbanisation

PUNE: The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC), and the city of Karlsruhe of Germany signed three memorandums of understanding on May 31, to build relationships and promote concrete cooperation for sustainable urban development and innovation customised to the needs of Pune Metropolitan Region. The MoUs were signed at the PMRDA’s Akurdi office and are valid till 2023.

The IURC programme aims to promote multi-city cooperation on sustainable urban development and to build partnerships between cities of the European Union and non-EU cities. The programme is funded by the EU and the participating local governments will be enabled to implement pilot projects by engaging research, civil society and business partners.

The MoU between PMRDA and IURC encourages long-term collaboration, country visits, mutual exchange of knowledge and know-how, participation in thematic events, creation of networks, identification of best practices, etc. This collaboration will span varied themes including urban planning, mobility and transport, business and innovation, tourism and heritage, circular economy, and nature-based solutions. Suhas Diwase, Commissioner, PMRDA, said that this collaboration provides PMRDA with the opportunity to obtain global exposure to tackle local issues.