- NET Web Desk
Kohima is among the top 10 Indian cities which won the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ – a three-year initiative hosted by the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation and WRI India.
According to MoHUA, Kohima transformed a roadside garbage dump into a green, community-funded micropark and adapted a schoolyard into a multipurpose public space for young children and caregivers.
Announced on Monday, Kohima stood as one of the 10 winning cities in pilot stage-1, which has been selected from 63 cities across the country by a jury of experts, including representative from MoHUA.
Kohima tackled scarcity of public space with community-led solutions. Green mini-parks replaced roadside dumps and a schoolyard was adapted for use by toddlers & caregivers after hours. #NurturingNeighbourhoodsChallenge pic.twitter.com/lypVF67XQI
— Smart Cities Mission (@SmartCities_HUA) January 17, 2022
Other winners include Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Rourkela, Vadodara, and Warangal.
According to the Smart Cities Mission, Kohima was recognised under Streets4People challenge for the Kohima Smart City Development Limited’s (KSCDL) work from parking to parks.
“Kohima reached out to their citizens to tackle their greatest challenge – parking! They took bold steps in transforming parking spaces into vibrant community spaces with curbside seating and planters,” it was informed.
While announcing the results, secretary MoHUA Manoj Joshi said that changes led by the Nurturing Neighbourhoods cohort were “transforming how we plan, design, and manage Indian cities to be healthier, more inclusive places for young children to grow up, which consequently enhances the quality of life for all”.
This challenge enables Indian cities to adopt an early childhood lens in designing neighbourhood-level improvements that promote the health & well-being of young children and their caregivers.
