The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED), which functions under the Kochi Corporation, has partnered with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), a think tank associated with the Union government and working in the field of urban planning, to work towards the sustainable development of the city.
A memorandum of understanding between C-HED and the NIUA was signed by Mayor Soumini Jain and NIUA Director Hitesh Vaidya via videoconference on Tuesday.
In working towards sustainable development goals, the NIUA will assist C-HED with research, technical help, training and coordination among various agencies. As part of the collaboration, a Smart Cities Innovation lab, which could provide data for better urban planning, was on the anvil, besides developing climate-friendly solutions for the city, said Rajan Chedambath, executive director, C-HED.
GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation, has prepared a report on C-HED’s functioning in the city as a research wing of the Kochi Corporation since 2002, which extends “technical and operational” support to the local body. The report, which was also released as part of the meeting on Tuesday, notes that it is a unique urban governance model with C-HED working on plans including the city development plan and the solar cities plan for the Corporation. C-HED is partly funded by the Corporation and partly through CSR funds and donations.
