– Over 60 cities submitted their applications for the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge
– The 25 shortlisted cohort cities will receive support and technical assistance over the next 6 months to test and strengthen their proposals
by Suman Gupta
New Delhi, February, 2021: The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, announced twenty-five shortlisted cities for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ cohort, in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and technical partner WRI India. The Challenge is a 3-year initiative aimed at supporting early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods under the government’s Smart Cities Mission.
The first stage of the Challenge involved an open call for applications from city agencies and closed on February 7th, 2021. 63 cities from across India submitted applications proposing neighbourhood-level pilot projects in public space, mobility, and access to services to enhance the physical and psychological health of young children and their caregivers. From the list of applicant cities, the evaluation committee chose twenty-five cities based on the strength of their applications.
The following cities have been selected for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ cohort: Agartala, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Dharamshala, Erode, Hubballi-Dharwad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Kota, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Rourkela, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruppur, Ujjain, Vadodara, and Warangal.
Cities proposed a diverse array of pilot projects, including creating toddler-friendly walking corridors in residential neighbourhooods; safer commutes to early childhood services for vulnerable young children and caregivers living in urban slums; increasing opportunities for nature play and sensory stimulation; and adapting underused open spaces within government school grounds into public play areas after school hours. Besides streets and open spaces, other proposed pilots aim to address the need for early childhood amenities in government office premises, bus shelters and transit hubs; developing Anganwadis with nutrigardens and age-appropriate play equipment; and transforming outdoor waiting areas for PHCs with shade, seating, and lactation cubicles.
The cohort will receive technical assistance, capacity building and scale-up support to experiment, and implement trials and pilots over the next six months to demonstrate early wins, solicit citizen participation, and build consensus around their proposals.
PARTICIPATION FROM CITIES
During the three-month application period, over 100 cities were engaged through remote or in-person discussions and online capacity-building workshops under the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge. There was an enthusiastic response from cities to focus on the needs of young children aged 0 – 5 years and their caregivers in the public realm.
Cumulatively, over 300 pilot projects were proposed in neighbourhoods across India that would improve quality of life for over 12 lakh children aged 0-5 years old.
In addition to physical interventions in public spaces, cities have also proposed public engagement activities designed to support behavioural changes and have considered long-term policy and administrative changes needed to place an early-childhood lens in their approach to urban planning and development.
Shri Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA, said:“By engaging cities to shape healthier urban environments for early childhood, the Challenge has refocused attention on the importance of neighbourhood-level interventions. This approach is well-aligned with the strategy of the Smart Cities Mission to promote inclusive, people-oriented development in compact, local areas towards scaling city-wide solutions that enhance our citizens’ quality of life. We are proud to see cities across India stepping up to the challenge and demonstrating their commitment to adopt more sensitive urban planning and design that addresses the needs and aspirations of millions of young children and their families.”
Rushda Majeed, India Representative, Bernard van Leer Foundation, said: “The challenge has open doors for cities to re-envision their neighbourhoods through the lens of young children and their caregivers. Focusing on the quality of our immediate surroundings at the neighbourhood-level will help young children and their families explore the public realm and lead a healthy life in a clean and green environment—critical for the holistic development of young children. We are very pleased to receive such an encouraging response from cities, demonstrating our resolve to provide a better future for our young citizens. Looking forward to new transformations that will enhance Indian cities – making them more responsive to the needs of young children and their families.”
Dr. O.P. Agarwal, CEO, WRI India, said: “As Indian cities build back from the pandemic, there is growing interest in creating walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods. We are pleased to see Indian cities working towards reimagining their streets and public spaces, keeping the needs of the very young in mind, along with improving access to early childhood services. We applaud all cities that are taking part in the Challenge and we look forward to working with the selected cities to pilot data-driven solutions that can serve as a model for other cities to follow. Placing young children at the heart of urban planning and design will lead to more livable, safe and inclusive cities for all.”
ü For regular updates on the Challenge, follow: @WRICitiesIndia on Twitter
About the Challenge: Under its prime objective of inclusive development, the Government of India is committed to enhancing opportunities in urban areas for all vulnerable citizens, especially young children. The Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge,launched on November 4th, 2020, invited participation from all Smart Cities, capitals of States and UTs, and other cities with population above 5 lakhs were eligible to participate.
Over the 3-year initiative, selected cities based on their proposal, readiness, and commitment – will receive technical support and capacity-building to develop, pilot and scale solutions that enhance the quality of life of young children. Over time, the programme will enable city leaders, managers, staff, engineers, urban planners, and architects to incorporate a focus on early childhood development into the planning and management of Indian cities.
About the Smart Cities Mission: The Smart Cities Mission is a bold and innovative initiative launched by the Government of India in June 2015. The objective is to promote sustainable and inclusive cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ Solutions. With a focus on sustainable and inclusive development, the Smart Cities Mission is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country.
About Bernard van Leer Foundation: BvLF is an independent foundation working worldwide to inspire and inform large scale action to improve the health and well-being of babies, toddlers and the people who care for them. It provides financial support and expertise to partners in government, civil society and business to help test and scale effective services for young children and families.
About Urban95 : Urban95 is an initiative created in 2016 by the Bernard van Leer Foundation to help change the landscapes and opportunities that shape young children’s lives. Central to this initiative is the question “If you could experience the city from 95cm, what would you change?” Working with city leaders, planners, architects, and innovators, Urban95 is helping bring this perspective to the center of design decisions in cities around the world.
About WRI India: WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Our work focuses on building sustainable and liveable cities and working towards a low carbon economy. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization.
