Executive MSc in Cities participant presents Amaravati Taskforce Report at Happy Cities Summit

Sisto Andama, a participant of our 2017-2018 Executive MSc in Cities cohort, launched the findings of the Amaravati Taskforce at the Happy Cities Summit in Amaravati, India today. The formal handing-over ceremony was attended by Chandrababu Naidu, Rt. Hon Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. Sreedhar Cherukuri, Commissioner of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), as well as other APCRDA and government officials. The report, entitled “Amaravati 2050: Strategic planning for sustainable housing, transport and financing” was prepared by a group of participants that have been working with the local government in Amaravati since June 2018 as part of the urban infrastructure and strategic planning course of the Executive MSc in Cities. The taskforce identifies three strategically important planning challenges for this rapidly growing new capital city and suggested ways in which Amaravati might deal with affordable housing provision, improved public and active transport, and more sustainable financing as it grows from a collection of villages into a new capital of 3.5 million inhabitants by 2050. Following the public launch, sessions to discuss the findings of the Taskforce Report in more detail with the APCRDA staff will take place later on this week.