MoHUA launches Streets for People Challenge
On 11th September 2020, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0 and the Streets for People Challenge.
Background of the Challenge:
As the lockdowns lift, cities face many challenges in providing safe, affordable, and equitable modes of transport that enable social distancing. Limited public transport options, narrow, crowded sidewalks particularly in market places and deterioration of mental health, are key issues that must be addressed on priority. Pedestrianisation of streets for walking and creating public spaces is a crucial step towards mitigating these issues. Cities around the world, such as Bogota, Berlin, and Milan have responded by transforming streets for walking and cycling, to ensure safe mobility during COVID-19.
The Streets for People Challenge is an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, to inspire cities to create walking-friendly streets through quick measures, in response to COVID-19. The Challenge will support cities across the country to develop a unified vision of streets for people in consultation with stakeholders and citizens.
The Challenge aims to create flagship walking initiatives in cities which focus on place-making and liveability. Cities will be required to reimagine their streets as public spaces through the lens of economic regeneration, safety, and child-friendly interventions, in order to ensure a green recovery from COVID-19.
The India Programme of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) will be the knowledge partner, providing guidance through the preparation of resource material and facilitating online peer-to-peer learning workshops.
The Challenge will support cities across the country to develop a unified vision of streets for people in consultation with stakeholders and citizens. All cities participating in the challenge shall be encouraged to use the ‘test-learn-scale’ approach to initiate both, flagship and neighbourhood walking interventions.
The Streets for People Challenge
The Streets for People Challenge will have two stages:
- Pilot intervention and conceptual city-level scale-up plan;
- Scaling up the transformation and strategizing measures for long-term impact.
Who can apply ?
The Streets for People Challenge is open to:
- All cities under the Smart Cities Mission,
- Capital cities of States/UT’s
- Cities with a population of over 5 lakh population.
Why should cities apply ?
Through this challenge the cities will be able to create walking-friendly streets through quick measures with support from citizens and experts. They will also receive guidance on how to create permanent interventions to reimagine streets as public places to make them safe and people-friendly.
