The first Steering Committee of Kochi – City of Design.

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.

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.

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.