Unlike the national urban policy, Kerala should form an urban policy taking into account its topography, regional development potential, and other specialties, opined experts. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission constituted by the State government as part of the formation of the New Kerala Urban Policy, held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
The policy needs to be formulated according to the topography, taking into account the population ratio of the state and the habitat structure of the people in the State. The topography of the state includes hilly regions, coastal areas, and plain areas in between. Those who participated in the meeting suggested that attention should be paid even to the design of buildings so that the development does not affect the lives of the people, while maintaining a thin border between the city and other rural areas.
The meeting also discussed suggestions for better urban policy for development based on factors such as climate change in Kerala, women and child-friendly projects, the number of migrant workers, city infrastructure, migration, real estate, and communicable diseases in the State. A discussion was also held on how to use new technologies like artificial intelligence in urban policy-making. Dr. Sharmila Mary Joseph, Principal Secretary, Local Government department, presented the topic in the meeting.
