AIILSG
Established in 1926, AIILSG is a premier autonomous research and training institution in India. Headquartered in the business capital of India – Mumbai, it operates through its 45 centres situated across the length and breadth of the country. A range of regular training courses provided by the Institute serve as a guiding force for urban management, municipal administration, sanitation, municipal finance and other areas of operations for running a city efficiently. The Institute has been organizing capacity building training programs for elected representatives and municipal officials and helping cities to improve the quality of civic services rendered to citizens.
Urban Dialogues
Urban Dialogues, a roundtable series, is an initiative by the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG). The aim is to set the next-gen urban agenda. Each conference focuses on a specific urban issue. The conference brings together academicians, policymakers, urban planners, business leaders, representatives of civil society organisations and other intelligentsia from urban sector to find sustainable solutions for the problems cities face today. We submit a report, based on expert comments and outcomes of the conference, to the Urban Development Ministry, state governments, municipal corporations and media. Urban Update magazine publishes a special feature covering the issues discussed in Urban Dialogues series. The outcome of the sessions intends to anchor a public discourse on creating aspirational city life for all citizenship. The end objective behind bringing all these experts under one roof is to facilitate brainstorming on the opportunities, challenges and scope for developing a truly liveable and inclusive city infrastructure, encompassing the current situations pertaining to policy guidelines, regulatory norms, implementation challenges, etc.
Our earlier Urban Dialogues were well patronized by the central government, state and local
governments, and national and international research organizations such as the United Nations,
United Cities and Local Governments- Asia Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC), United States Green Building
Council (USGBC), School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) and National Institute of Urban Affairs. Earlier editions of Urban Dialogues addressed issues such as Housing for All, Energy for All, Inclusive Urban Design, Redevelopment of Mumbai, Better Banaras, Amazing Agra and Reimagining Bhopal.
Mor Raipur
Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh, is the most populated city of the State. The city has a population of over 15 lakh. It is also among the fastest developing cities in the country. The city is one of the major industrial hubs and hosts various industries like gricultural processing, wood, coal, steel and cement. In 2018, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ranked the city of Raipur 7th in the ‘Ease of Living Index’.
Like any other growing cities, Raipur is also grappling with multiple urban problems including air pollution, waste management, urban governance, inadequate civic services and amenities, traffic congestion, etc. To de-burden, the city, Government of Chhattisgarh developed a planned city Nava Raipur that is also known as Atal Nagar. The city is spread over an area of about 8000 hectares and is 17kms away from Raipur. It is the first planned city of Chhattisgarh and fourth city after Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Bhubaneswar.
But, the new city could not solve the problems of Raipur city and its citizens. This is visible in several reports released by many national and international agencies. World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2015, listed Raipur in the world’s top ten most polluted cities list. The growing industries waste, domestic waste, growing number of vehicles, and rapid construction work in the city are the major reasons behind the increasing air pollution. Many citizens in the city are suffering from respiratory diseases due to increased air pollution. Other than air pollution, traffic congestion, poor sanitation facilities, lack of proper waste management, poor condition of wastewater treatment and management are a few problems the city is suffering with.
‘Urban Dialogues: Mera Raipur’ aims to bring all stakeholders and experts together to brainstorm and discuss possible solutions to address the aforementioned problems in the city.