RESILIENT PUNE LAUNCHES EFFORT TO BUILD A SMARTER, MORE RESILIENT CITY
Agenda Setting Workshop Convenes Key Attendees from Government, the Private Sector, Civil Society Groups, and 100 Resilient Cities
PUNE, INDIA– Today, Pune supported by 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), kicked off the Pune Agenda-Setting Workshop designed to guide the development of a long-term, comprehensive urban Resilience Strategy for the city. A diverse set of stakeholders across government, business, and the civic community including Municipal commissioner of Pune Kunal Kumar, came together as part of the planning process to address significant challenges facing one of India’s largest industrial cities, including: earthquakes, rainfall flooding,pollution, water management and the development of a safe and reliable transportation system. The workshop will lay the groundwork for the “Pune Resilience Strategy” in the coming year and will involve outreach to, and coordination, with other stakeholders in the city.
Kunal Kumar, Municipal commissioner of Pune, said, “I am proud that Pune has been selected as part of 100 Resilient Cities, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. This is the beginning of our work with the Foundation and the 100RC network to protect Pune and strengthen it in the face of the physical, social and economic pressures of the 21st century.”
Vikram Singh, Regional Co-Director, City and Practice Management, Asia Pacific, 100 Resilient Cities said, “Pune is an excellent example of a city committed to tackling development challenges and external shocks and stresses. The city has proven itself as a pioneer through the innovative and proactive way it is approaching such challenges through its participation in and support for the National Smart CitiesMission, the Pune-Maximum Solar City Initiative, as well as the Adar Poonawalla Clean City Movement. Today’s workshop set the stage for a conversation between the city and supporting stakeholders as we move forward together towards greater resilience. Punehasthe opportunity to play a leading role in modeling how to build urban resilience inIndia and around the world.”
Pune was selected as part of the 100RC Network in May 2016 and will receive technical support and resources to develop and implement a Resilience Strategy. Each city in the 100RC network receives four concrete types of support:
- Financial and logistical guidance for establishing an innovative new position in city government, a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the city’s resilience efforts;
- Technical support for development of a robust Resilience Strategy;
- Access to solutions, service providers, and partners from the private, public and NGO sectors who can help them develop and implement their resilience strategies; and
- Membership in a global network of member cities who can learn from and help each other.
