Nagpur: The World Cities Day 2023 was commemorated at Orient Taibah, Nagpur, culminating in a dynamic panel discussion organized by the Youth for Unity and Voluntary Organisation (YUVA). This year’s theme, “Financing Sustainable Urban Future for All,” prompted insightful discussions among eminent personalities.
The distinguished panel comprised Anusaya Kale Chabrani (Environmentalist), Architect Anuradha, Nitin Meshram (YUVA), Jammu Anand (President, Maharashtra Hawkers Federation), Pratham Pincha (CRIUPA) and Anil Wasnik (Shahar Vikas Manch).
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Saturday 28 Sept. 2024
In his opening remarks, Nitin Meshram (YUVA) set the context for the panel discussion and emphasized that uncontrolled and expansive urbanization has been marked with significant gaps in urban infrastructure resulting in pressure on land, water supply and its quality, sewerage network services, disposal of solid waste, lack of open spaces, deterioration of public transport, resulting in environmental degradation and poor quality of urban life and in order to have a sustainable development it must encompass financial sustainability along with social, ecological, political, and cultural factors.
Anusaya Kale highlighted the commodification of land and its impact on open spaces, linking unplanned urbanization to man-made disasters such as recent floods in Nagpur that happened on September 23, 2023. She called for a balance between development and climate considerations, emphasizing the need to integrate climate-related issues into urban planning.
Pratham Pincha focused on the technical aspects of financing sustainable urban futures, advocating for a shift from the granting model to a self-sustaining financing model. He stressed the importance of positive societal impact in urban development.
Jammu Anand delved into the distinction between mere projects and genuine development, questioning whose development is being pursued, at what cost, and urging a deeper exploration of the meaning of “sustainable urban future for all.” He said financing of the projects should be thoughtful and we often see without proper implementation and delay in the project escalate the cost which eventually puts extra burden and lack of decision making results in the loss of taxpayers’ money.
Architect Anuradha focused on building design for sustainable development, emphasizing the reduction of carbon footprints and the adoption of innovative approaches and Anil Wasnik emphasized the necessity of marginalized community participation in decision-making processes.
The event witnessed a significant turnout, with the presence of Yuvraj Fuljale (President, Kamgar Ekta Union), Rajkumar Vanjari, Sheila, Leela Ghubade, Prabha, Ranchana Bhagat, Nikhat Sayyed, Ashwin Pillewar, Ramdas Uike, Rajendra Kamble, Nilesh khadse, Kiran Thakre and many others.
