Category Archives: Ongoing Projects

TOSCA Installation and Demonstration

The TOSCA installation and demonstration was held at Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED) as part of TOSCA India – the Toolkit for Open and Sustainable City Planning & Analysis project implemented with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The project is envisioned to address the critical urban challenges and capacity building measures for knowledge transfer and promote open-source community development.

Challenge Lab Kochi

Challenge Lab Kochi – A technical workshop was organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH that aimed to develop a granular understanding of city’s needs and priorities, challenges and enablers for setting up the Urban Observatory as well as programming and management of public open spaces. The event was formally inaugurated by the Hon’ble Mayor Adv. M Anilkumar.

The specific objectives of the workshop was to frame two challenges with a user-centric/citizen-centric approach along with defining the necessary framework conditions for setting up an Urban Observatory for Kochi. Dr. Teresa Kerber, Project Director- SUDSC II GIZ, Ms. Monika Bahl, Senior Advisor- SUDSC II GIZ, Dr. Esakkiraj S, Technical Expert-State Coordinator- SUDSC II GIZ, Ms. Fathim Rashna Kallingal, Technical Expert- City Coordinator- SUDSC II GIZ, Mr. Kiran Rajashekariah, Senior Advisor- SUDSC II GIZ, Mr. Samrat Banerjee, ICT and Digitalisation Advisor, SUDSC II GIZ, Ms. Yogita Anil Lokhande, Technical Expert, SUDSC II GIZ, Mr. Florian Bemmerlein- Lux, TL- Smart Cities, Mr. Sebastian Hoffmann, Expert-Smart Cities , Mr. Neelabh Singh, TL Communities of Practice and Expert- Smart Cities , Mr. Luigi Cipolla, Expert- Smart Cities , Mr. Mario Donga, Team Leader- Disaster Risk Management (DRM) , Ms. Magdalena Hoerst, DRM mainstreaming Key Expert, Mr. M. Babu. Abdul Khadeer, Secretary, Kochi Municipal Corporation, P. S Viju, Councillor, Kochi Municipal Corporation, Dr. Rajan, Director, c-hed, Kochi Municipal Corporation officials and Representatives from CSML, WRI India and ICLEI participated in the workshop.
The GIZ has been playing a very proactive role in supporting the city technically in many of it’s innovative ventures.

Urban Sustainability and Smart City (USSC) Event

The India-EU Urban Partnership (IEUP) project between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and the European Union aims to support the implementation of smart, resilient and sustainable urban development in India under the ‘Road Map -2025’ of India-EU bilateral co-operation.

In an interaction in early 2022, the Government of Kerala and the EU Delegation agreed to strengthen their already existing collaboration. The EU and its Member States have a constructive engagement with the City of Kochi and several projects have been / are being implemented. One such initiative was the workshop on ‘Mainstreaming Resilience in Kochi Metropolitan’ conducted in August 2020. Other initiatives include the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) and the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) projects.

To further their engagement with the city of Kochi, a 2-day Urban Sustainability and Smart City Event was organised. The major aim of the event was to assess and ideate developments in mobility, solid waste management and urban resilience for the city of Kochi. The event had participation from the public and private sector from Kochi and the EU.

Visit of Dutch Water Experts

As part of the ongoing discussions the Hon’ble Mayor has been having with Sri. Venu Rajamony IFS, Officer on Special Duty (External Cooperation), Government of Kerala and Former Ambassador of India to the Netherlands and the Dutch water experts, a delegation of experts visited areas of Kochi city being inundated during heavy rains. The purpose is to study the area and support the city to devise a flood management plan and develop a drainage master plan for the entire Kochi city.

EcoLogistics project – Inauguration and handing over of Zero- Emission Electric Freight Autos

Kochi showcases a way forward to address the complex problems of decarbonising urban logistics, air pollution, climate change, and gender inequality. Hon’ble Justice Shri Devan Ramachandran of the Kerala High Court and Hon’ble Mayor Adv.M Anilkumar inaugurated a demonstration project on September 15, 2022, to promote zero-emission light goods vehicles for last-mile deliveries under EcoLogistics project in Kochi.

The project will support the operation of 20 electric light goods vehicles (LCVs) in coordination with the informal sector in Kochi for goods distribution, will guide the city to shift to sustainable and non-polluting modes of urban deliveries, and will create employment opportunities for women in the logistics sector.

Inauguration and handing over of Zero- Emission Electric Freight Autos

 

Kochi Municipal Corporation showcases a way forward to address the complex problems of decarbonising urban logistics, air pollution, climate change, and gender inequality. Hon’ble Justice Shri Devan Ramachandran of the Kerala High Court and Hon’ble Mayor of Kochi Shri Adv.M Anilkumar inaugurated a demonstration project on September 15, 2022, to promote zero-emission light goods vehicles for last-mile deliveries under the EcoLogistics project by ICLEI South Asia. The project is supported by German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety.

The project will support the operation of 20 electric light goods vehicles (LCVs) in coordination with the informal sector in Kochi for goods distribution, will guide the city to shift to sustainable and non-polluting modes of urban deliveries, and will create employment opportunities for women in the logistics sector. The project is co-ordinated by c-hed.

MoU signed between c-hed and MG University

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between the Centre for Urban Studies and Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (c-hed) to work together on urban development, public governance, urban studies and research activities.
 
The programme was attended by the Hon’ble Mayor of Kochi Adv. M Anilkumar, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of M G University Prof Sabu Thomas, M G University Registrar Dr. B Prakash Kumar, Centre for Urban Studies Director Dr. Mathew A Varghese, c-hed Director Dr. Rajan Chedambath, officials, teachers and students from MG University and Head of departments and officials from Kochi Municipal Corporation.