Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Post

All the speakers and delegates of ISSEMCON have spoken volumes on the conference, so here is an interesting thought from my experiences around the event. Varanasi's notorious traffic (I wish I had clicked a picture of it) and self-development share a surprising kinship. Both demand agility, resilience, and unwavering focus. Amidst chaos and uncertainty, we must adapt, learn, and chart our own course. Navigating through the chaotic, bumper-to-bumper traffic in Varanasi is eerily reminiscent of the journey to self-development. Just as one must deftly maneuver through the city's narrow alleys and stubborn rickshaws, life's obstacles demand equal agility and resilience. The cacophony of horns, the relentless throngs, and the seemingly impossible gaps in traffic mirror the self-doubt, fear, and uncertainty that threaten to derail our progress. Yet, just as the skilled driver expertly navigates, weaving past obstacles with unwavering focus, we too must chart our own course, adapting and learning from each setback. The ancient city's winding paths, much like life's twisted journey, hold hidden opportunities for growth. With each triumph over adversity, we emerge stronger, our resolve tempered like the sacred Ganges River that flows through Varanasi's heart. And when we finally break free from the congestion and look back at the city from the Ganges, the sense of liberation is palpable – a testament to the power of perseverance and determination that carries us toward our highest potential. Success hard earned is just that much sweeter.

🙏When heritage meets High -tech 🙏 They say Varanasi is the city where time stands still, but not anymore—thanks to the Smart Cities Mission! From the ancient ghats to the bustling streets, Kashi is rewriting its legacy, blending the timeless with the tech-savvy. Imagine Wi-Fi by the Ganga and smart parking in the maze-like alleys—Varanasi 2.0 is a whole vibe! In this week’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Sameer Sharma former Mission Director of AMRUT and Smart Cities, to decode how policies like this are giving Varanasi a glow-up. Spoiler alert: It’s about much more than tech—it’s about making ancient heritage future-ready. If you’ve ever wondered how a 3,000-year-old city gets a modern facelift without losing its soul, this one’s for you

👩🏻💻 My latest blog has gone live! In it, I share our team’s collaborative design journey with the city of #Varanasi to create a challenge to address #overcrowding…check it out! #SustainableCitiesChallenge #mobility #innovation #crowding #crowdscience #India Cc: Challenge Works, Toyota Mobility Foundation, and World Resources Institute

🌟 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 🌟 As Indian cities face the growing challenge of air pollution, bold and innovative solutions are the need of the hour. In January 2023, this is what our team, in collaboration with ICCT India set out to do—understand and test Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in Indian cities. With over 22 months of tireless efforts, endless strategy sessions, several stakeholder discussions, and on ground data collections - 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. Of course, the journey has not been short of its challenges! LEZs were uncharted territory when we began—new for city officials, partners, and even our own team. So, while it has been a thrilling process of conducting in-depth research and figuring out the solutions, we were also constantly learning and adapting our strategies to achieve the goals in these three cities. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆—𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.  Swipe right to trace our path, one milestone at a time🚶♂️➡️ and stay tuned for the launch of our LEZ Basics—your go-to guide for everything LEZ in India! The publication is a crisp and engaging, compilation of our learnings and insights from the ground, you should not miss. Launch details soon!  ITDP Team: Aangi Shah, Aswathy Dilip, Donita Jose, Kashmira Dubash, Parin Visariya, Pranjal Kulkarni, Rutuja Nivate, Siddhartha Godbole, Varsha Jeyapandi Former Colleagues: Keshav Suryanarayanan ICCT Team: Amit Bhatt, Moorthy Nair, Vaibhav Kush #LEZIndia #Sustainablemobility #Airpollution #Urbandevelopment #Lowemissionzones 

✨Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities are emerging as the new growth centres, drawing investors’ attentions to these real estate markets. 💵 With small investment size, starting as low as 80lakhs, you get an opportunity to be part of development story in these cities. And, start early to enter at the right price and multiply your investment, as you go forward. 🏠 Follow Deepti Mallik for more real estate updates and investment opportunities. #sonipat #jewar #neoliv #kundli #realestate #investment #gurgaonrealestate

Redefining Urban Development of the country: Dholera Smart City. I am truly fascinated by the Dholera project and deeply impressed by the vision and ambition behind it. The scale of this development and the integration of cutting-edge infrastructure and sustainable practices make it one of the most exciting urban development projects in India today. Dholera represents a bold step forward in India’s urban development journey. This project isn’t just about building a city—it’s about crafting a vision for the future, where infrastructure, technology, and sustainability come together seamlessly. With its smart infrastructure and renewable energy focus, Dholera is designed to be more than a place to live or work. It’s about creating an environment where people and businesses thrive, supported by efficient transport systems, underground utilities, and global connectivity through an international airport and expressways. What makes Dholera truly remarkable is its scale and ambition, serving as an example of how the CRIP industry can redefine what urbanization means for India. It’s exciting to see a project of this magnitude taking shape, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive growth. #Dholera #UrbanDevelopment #CRIPIndustry #Sustainability #SmartCities

The Kashi Vikas Yatra, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is transforming Varanasi into a vibrant, inclusive, and forward-looking city. Known for its spiritual, historical, and cultural significance, Varanasi is undergoing a renaissance, blending tradition with modernity. Key developments under this initiative include: 1. Infrastructure Upgrades: Major improvements in roads, sanitation, and public transportation have enhanced the city's infrastructure, making it more accessible and livable. Projects like the Varanasi Ring Road and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor have significantly eased congestion and improved connectivity. 2. Cultural Renaissance: Restoration of historical sites and the beautification of ghats have revived the city's cultural heritage. Events like the Kashi Tamil Sangamam celebrate the deep-rooted connections between Kashi and Tamil Nadu, promoting cultural exchange and tourism. 3. Economic Boost: The establishment of trade and commerce hubs, along with better market facilities, has invigorated the local economy. The city's transformation is attracting investments and creating numerous job opportunities for residents. 4. Smart City Initiatives: Varanasi is integrating smart city technologies to enhance urban management and provide better services to its citizens. This includes digital infrastructure for improved governance and public service delivery. Support the transformation of Varanasi and witness the blending of tradition and modernity. With Modi Ki Guarantee, the development of Kashi is not just a promise—it’s a guarantee. #KashiVikasYatra #VaranasiTransformation #BJP4India #Modi2024 #ViksitBharat2047 #FromHopeToGuarantee

Globally, Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are emerging as a high-impact strategy for improved air quality and living environment in cities. LEZs are urban areas with targeted measures to reduce vehicular emissions and traffic congestion. While these have proven effective globally, they are relatively a new concept in Indian cities. #WRIIndia earlier today organized a roundtable discussion, 'Implementing Low Emission Zones for Cleaner Air in India,' which delved into the potential framework for LEZs in Indian cities. The deliberation focused on implementing LEZs in the Indian context, sharing experiences from cities like Pune, Varanasi, Indore, and Chennai among others. Key Takeaways:  ➡️ The need of the hour is to develop a short-term and practical plan that can lead to long-term impact   ➡️ Enabling a regulatory framework with policymakers through collaboration and strategic planning   ➡️ Adopting phased implementation of LEZs citywide through a multi-stakeholder approach   ➡️ Understanding socio-economic impacts of LEZs to build an inclusive and equitable ecosystem to improve quality of life for vulnerable groups   ➡️ Building and customizing solutions for implementing LEZs to the Indian context    #LowEmissionZones #CleanAirForAll #TogetherForCleanAir #ACAAS #EVMatters #CleanAirMatters #SustainableCities Preeti Gehlot | Ashish Tiwari | Felipe Ramírez Buitrago | Madhav Pai | Pawan Mulukutla | Chaitanya Kanuri | Kaustubh Gosavi | Kaustubh Chuke | Kanika Gounder | Prakash Doraiswamy | Bhavay Sharma | Prayash Giria | Harish Phuleria | mukesh khare | Gitakrishnan Ramadurai | NITI Aayog | Clean Air Fund | Open Philanthropy | Bloomberg Philanthropies | Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation | Venkat Jayagopi | Greater Chennai Corporation | Indore Municipal Corporation | The International Council on Clean Transportation | ITDP - India | C40 Cities | ICLEI | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH | UITP | Artha Global | TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute

The Sustainable Cities Challenge has launched in Varanasi! The aim is to make crowded areas of Varanasi's historic city center of Kashi safer and more accessible for religious tourists, local residents and vulnerable populations. Key officials, including the Honorable Mayor of Varanasi, inaugurated the challenge, which will lead to the development of innovative crowd management solutions. . To better understand and manage crowd dynamics, the city is looking for innovators from around the world to enter their Challenge. Learn more about how you could enter the Challenge: https://lnkd.in/eZHeEt_R