9th February and 21st February 2024: Fellows Receive Training on Informal Settlements, Urban Design and Landscape Projects in Jalandhar
Urban designed Sandeep Paul conducted the seventh MANTHAN session on urban design practices and discussion on ongoing landscape projects in Jalandhar. Sandeep is the co-founder, The Urban Lab and also serves as a visiting faculty at CEPT University. Through discussions on project stages, national and international examples, and concept development exercises, fellows engaged in analysis and synthesis of learnings for implementation in live projects. The session focussed on pond rejuvenation projects in Jalandhar and landscaping initiatives along water bodies and natural infrastructure in the city.
Krishna Kumar, Program Associate at WRI India led the seventh #ExpertTalks session on urban water ecosystems offering fellows insights, and local projects, fellows applied concepts to real-world contexts. The session covered the importance of blue and green spaces in urban areas and their role in urban water ecosystems, guidelines for pond rejuvenation as per Central Pollution Control Board, National Mission for Clean Ganga, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and best practices in India for the restoration of urban blue spaces, with a discussion on Nangal Karar Khan and Bulandpur ponds in Jalandhar.
20th February and 28th February 2024: WRI India Experts Conduct Sessions on Research Design and Data Sources and Analysis
The sixth session of MANTHAN for Jalandhar Eco City Regions Fellows was facilitated by Neha Lal from WRI India. She delved into the ongoing study on informal settlements in Jalandhar. The session focussed on framing research design and identifying the correct research tools and methods, in addition to discussion on parameters for socio-economic and demographic analysis. ECR fellows were pushed to bring in a critical lens while analysing and evaluating research questions and data collection methods.
The eleventh #ExpertTalks session was led by Paramjeet Chawla, Program Manager at WRI India who focused on data sources and analysis, equipping ECR fellows with essential research skills. By exploring national and global data sources, visualization techniques, and indices, fellows were able to gauge the sources and methods for data analysis. The session covered the distinction between data and information, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making, identification of research objectives, and their alignment with national and global data sources. Exploration of resources such as the census India website, National Family Health Survey website, and district handbooks, as well as discussion on indices and their relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with examples from Jalandhar, were part of the session.
19th- 20th February 2024: WRI India Visits Jalandhar, Engages with Government Stakeholders and Eco City-Regions Fellows
Neha Lal, Tanya Chawla, Krishna Kumar and Sandeep Paul from WRI India undertook a three-day trip to Jalandhar to interact with fellows from the Eco City-region Fellowship, where team members observed and discussed ongoing initiatives supported by them and Jalandhar Smart City.
Accompanied by the fellows and local ecocity coordinator Rishab Gaba, the team visited potential pond rejuvenation sites such as Nangal Karar Khan and Bulandpur. The team also undertook assessments for stone pitching work being carried out along the Kala Sanghian canal. The walls of the canal are being stabilised with stone as a shift from concretisation to a more nature-based solution, allowing for better permeation than concrete lining. The team also got the opportunity to discussed how to integrate the pond rejuvenation initiatives to improve urban blue green spaces within Jalandhar with SDOs in Smart City Office.
The field visit by WRI India provided ECR fellows with a hands-on understanding of challenges and opportunities in pond rejuvenation projects. By observing and analyzing local ecologies and community dynamics and drawing insights from field work discussions, fellows will be streamlining future actions towards more ecologically resilient outcomes.
22nd February 2024: WRI India Participates in a Round Table Meeting Organised by Janaagraha, Highlights Emerging Urbanisation Trends
Rejeet Mathews from WRI India participated in a meeting on rural-urban transition and emerging trends organised by the non-profit organisation, Janaagraha. She shared insights from the WRI India’s publication “Morphology of Delhi National Capital Region’s Economic Geography and Its Implications for Planning.”
This report presents the findings on assessing Delhi National Capital Region’s industrial structure over time, diversification, and sector wise competitiveness. It further discusses through an economic geography lens, how the subregions within Delhi NCR underwent a unique transformation with associated demographic impacts without compromising on the economic prominence of the overall region.
24th February 2024: Rejeet Mathews from WRI India Speaks to NDTV 24X7 on Economic Potential and Opportunities in Gurugram
Rejeet Mathews, Director, Urban Development at WRI India recently spoke to NDTV 24x7 about the economic potential and livability of Gurugram in the wake of its new metro line and expressway. Speaking to NDTV’s Manisha Natarajan Rejeet said “Connected infrastructure de-risks the economy & are key to economic efficiency and productivity.
India’s leading urban agglomeration economy, located within Delhi NCR, includes Gurugram, and is predicted to overtake Tokyo in terms of population. Speaking on opportunities for more jobs in Gurugram, Rejeet said “Gurugram is part of the larger economic capital of India that overtook Mumbai a few years ago. While textile and automobile industries are still dominant in the area, IT and management jobs are all coming here and that needs better infrastructure.”
Rejeet also highlighted the need to improve the quality of life and livability index of the city. She said, “while we build economic infrastructure you also need infrastructure for quality of life. While you have the metro line you need other forms of public infrastructure & walking infrastructure, green spaces, waste sewerage & storm water draining systems.”