Surya Desaraju
AMARAVATI: In a path-breaking initiative that could transform the urban landscape of the state, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department of Andhra Pradesh has joined hands with the premier School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV), for promoting excellence and efficiency in municipal administration, urban development and urban planning and its implementation.
The two have signed a memorandum of understanding that will enable creation of a common platform to leverage each other strengths, share knowledge and raise the quality levels of municipal administration, urban development and urban planning and architecture through cooperation.
MAUD Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar and SPAV Director S Ramesh signed the memorandum of understanding on Friday.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has declared SPAV as one of the “AMRUT Centre of Urban Planning for Capacity Building (A-CUPCB-SPAV)” in the country.
A-CUPCB-SPAV is a hallmark entity that undertakes cutting-edge research, projects and training in urban development, planning and climate-sensitive development.
A-CUPCB-SPAV and MAUD Department will collaborate to share each other’s expertise to strengthen urban planning and development in a technology, data and people-driven approach for achieving climate-sensitive and sustainable urban and rural development, with particular emphasis on the state Capital region Amaravati.
The collaboration will explore specific allied interdisciplinary domains of research and professional solutions to take forward the vision of developing Andhra Pradesh into a leading state in the country in innovation and state-of-the-art urban development planning, architecture and design.
Emphasis will be on extensive and appropriate use of data analytics, GIS and remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet-of-Things, environmental planning and public policy.
Latest technology will also be deployed for innovative and creative development of cities, management of land, water resources, green cover, climatic aspects, traffic and transportation planning, among others.
SPAV will provide advisory, policy and consultancy support to MAUD Department on technical aspects related to urban and regional planning, water and green cover, environmental and climatic dimensions of planning, architecture, environmental planning, public planning policy and associated allied areas.
A six-member working group with officials from MAUD Department and SPAV will be constituted to take the collaboration forward.
The collaboration will initially be for a period of three years.
SPAV will conduct training and capacity building programmes for MAUD Department officials, planners, municipal and town planning officers and other stakeholders on municipal and metropolitan planning, urban planning, land administration and governance and use of technologies in planning.