Kerala to organise conclave to finalise urban policy for 25 years

The State government will organise the Kerala Urban Conclave in Kochi on September 12 and 13 with an aim to formulate a comprehensive urban policy to guide the State’s development activities for the next 25 years. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave to be held at the Hyatt Convention Centre. The conclave will become a platform for public discussions and debates on the recommendations of the Urban Policy Commission that were submitted to the Chief Minister earlier this year.

Based on 33 studies

The commission, headed by M. Satheesh Kumar, a Senior Associate Professor at Queen’s University, Belfast, prepared the 2,359-page report based on 33 short studies and 53 stakeholder meetings with 2,500 individuals from various sectors across all districts.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh said that Ministers, mayors, and national and international experts, including from countries in the Global South with characteristics similar to Kerala, will participate in the conclave. In conjunction with the conclave, a large-scale exhibition focussed on the State’s urbanisation will be held at Marine Drive from September 11 to 15.

“As a State facing the major impact of climate change and at the same time undergoing a highly complex and fast urbanisation process, an urban policy is essential for Kerala. The ideas that emerge through the Urban Commission Report and the discussions at the conclave will be codified and a comprehensive urban policy will be finalised. If new ideas emerge at the conclave, those too will be considered. This urban policy, which will be the first such policy by a State in India, will provide a framework and model for other States in India,” said Mr. Rajesh.

92.8% urbanisation

Citing an estimate by the National Population Commission, he said that as much as 92.8% of Kerala will become urbanised by 2035. The remaining villages in Kerala are also rapidly being urbanised. It is in this context that the State government appointed the Urban Policy Commission to study the opportunities and challenges of urbanisation in Kerala in the next 25 years and to design new development concepts. According to the report of the Urban Policy Commission, by 2050, the majority of the population of Kerala will be urban dwellers.

Mr. Rajesh said that the government had already started implementing many of the commission’s recommendations, such as the proposal to have a Metropolitan Planning Committee for large cities in Kerala. The government has already formed such a mechanism in Kochi.

Municipal bonds

One of the most important recommendations of the Urban Policy Commission is related to municipal bonds. This proposal has been included in this year’s State Budget. The Kochi Corporation has initiated the preliminary steps for issuing bonds.

The commission report is arranged around the 10 policy pillars which are identified as critical instruments to manage urban challenges in Kerala and to advance an urban policy, prioritising people, enhancing resilience and strengthening collective local governance. It has suggested a public, private and people’s partnership (PPPP) in the future development of Kerala. The report says that Kerala should develop a risk-informed master plan at the local level to integrate climate resilience into urban planning.