Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10 (PTI) Kerala Local Self-Governments Minister, M B Rajesh, on Friday called for a paradigm shift in urban planning and development, advocating an integrated approach that addresses the full spectrum of challenges, including climate change, in the context of rapid global urbanisation.

The minister said this while inaugurating the three-day National Town and Country Planners Conference, organised here by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), New Delhi, with the support of the Kerala Local Self Government Department (LSGD).

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Planners need to redefine the way they are going about their job since sustainable and inclusive development of human spaces is faced with big challenges, Rajesh said, addressing planners and policy-makers from across the country.

"The urban planners should now look beyond the traditional approach. This includes evolving strategies to cope with climate change, by preparing plans both to cope with the larger issue and mitigate the immediate consequences, and other key issues like housing, waste management and resilient practices," Rajesh said.

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Noting that the conference's focal theme 'Intelligent, Digital Spatial Planning and Governance' is of increased relevance for the whole world, the minister said Kerala has made upfront initiatives in this direction.

Kerala is making serious efforts through its policy initiatives to see how the challenges could be converted into opportunities, Rajesh said.

In a country-first initiative, Kerala constituted an Urban Policy Commission, mandated to look into the entire spectrum of urban development. The commission has submitted its interim report and the suggestions it made will be reflected in the forthcoming budget, he said.

"The issues relating to urban development are of particular importance for Kerala since the whole state is an extended city where the urban-rural divide hardly exists. Kerala's annual growth of urban population is almost double that of the county and global average," he said.

The state has made pioneering efforts to address the climate change issue, where 268 LSGIs have already prepared a Climate Change Local Action Plan with the help of the United Nations Development Programme, and this initiative has been rolled out to the entire state, Rajesh said.

In a message read out to the conference, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it is vital to leverage innovative solutions in addressing the issues of local development, especially in the face of serious challenges like extreme weather events.

He also said the state was committed to decentralised planning, which is important in local development.

In his message to the conference, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said it is vital to integrate new technology in urban planning and development.

Addressing the conference online, Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph, Principal Secretary LSGD, Kerala, said the state Urban Policy Commission is looking into key issues like municipal fiscal health, housing and waste management in a scientific and sustainable manner.

Presiding over the inaugural session, Institute of Town Planners India president N P Patel emphasised the importance of strengthening collaborations among various regions and agencies to promote sustainable and inclusive developmental practices.

He said ITPI has been onboarded by leading urban planning institutions in the country.

Meanwhile, experts participating in the conclave said strong local governments, with a significant presence of dedicated professional urban planners, who can leverage cutting-edge technologies, will have a huge impact on town planning of the country.

Highlighting the importance of recruiting professionals in the sector, they also made a strong pitch for a paradigm change by thinking differently.

Keshav Varma, chairman, Sabarmati River Front Corporation Limited (SRFDCL), who attended through videoconferencing, said urban planners are the most relevant people today and the sector needs more professionals with mind-blowing ideas.

"We need strong local governance with a will as well as more dedicated professionals for urban planning. Kerala is an exception in this regard compared to other states in the country," Varma is quoted as saying in a release here.

V Uday Kumar, Deputy Director General, NIC, Govt of India, said the advent of cutting-edge technologies, like AI, Machine Learning (ML) and OpenAI, have transformed India's geospatial ecosystem.

Kumar said in the last 10 years, the government has come out with a lot of game-changing initiatives like SVAMITVA, which is for survey of village areas, and NAKSHA (a geospatial land survey of urban habitations to create land records in urban areas in India).

Besides, Bharat Maps, a multi-layered GIS platform, comprises seamless country-wise maps, satellite images and hybrid maps aligned as per the global geospatial standards.

He said the new Geo-Spatial Policy envisages a survey and mapping of subsurface infrastructure in major cities and towns, besides the National Digital Twin of major cities and towns by 2035.

The policy also focuses on conducting high-resolution topographical surveys and mapping, implementing high accurate Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the entire country and developing a Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) underpinned by an integrated data and information framework by 2030.

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