ADVISORY: CONNECTKaro sustainable transport and urbanization event set to kick-off in Mumbai

EMBARQ India/Flickr

On April 15-16, Indian and international experts will discuss the current scenario of sustainable transport and urban planning in India, and the opportunities for the future of sustainable cities

EMBARQ India, the World Resources Institute’s centre for sustainable transport and urban planning in India, will be hosting CONNECTKaro, a conference that brings together international leaders in sustainable transport and urban development April 15-16 in Mumbai. This is the inaugural meeting of CONNECTKaro, the regional event part of a global series of events focused on sustainable transport that the EMBARQ network organizes. Over 150 experts including government officials, policy makers, and practitioners in the field of urban transport and urban planning will convene in Mumbai, India, to participate in this global gathering.

The theme for the conference is “Karo” – to make it happen – to translate ideas into action. Scaling sustainable transport and ensuring it is integrated with land development is key for Indian cities as they grow in population, economically and spatially, over the next decade. The ideas of sustainable transport and integrated land development have been demonstrated in a few cities around the world. CONNECTKaro sessions will focus how these can be adapted and replicated in India.

EMBARQ India’s bi-annual Bus Karo Plus “Talking Transit” workshop series will be part of the conference, held in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST).

The opening plenary session, on April 15, will set the vision for the conference and will include remarks from Dr. Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development; Mr. UPS Madan, Commissioner, MMRDA; Mr. OP Gupta, General Manager, BEST Undertaking; Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman and MD, Godrej and Boyce Ltd; Ms. Henriette Vamberg, Director, Cities, Gehl Architects, and Mr. Madhav Pai, Director, EMBARQ India.

On April 16, the closing plenary will focus on “Market Opportunities for Sustainable Transport” and will include: Mr. Manish Bapna, Executive VP and Managing Director, WRI; and Mr. Madhav Pai, Director, EMBARQ India; along with Mr. Anil Baijal, Non Executive Chairman, IDFC Foundation / Former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India; Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman WRI India; and Dr. Armin Bruck, CEO Siemens India.

Other sessions of the conference include road safety in Indian cities, enhancing safe access to transit nodes, transit-oriented development, master planning, the role of auto-rickshaws in sustainable transport, and others, bringing together industry experts to discuss the current scenario and the way forward in effecting positive interventions in sustainable transport and urban planning.

You can find a detailed programme of events here.

WHAT:
CONNECTKaro, a sustainable transport and urban development conference

WHEN:
April 15 – 16, 2013

WHERE:
Trident Hotel
Nairman Point
Mumbai, India

To watch the sessions in a live webcast, register here

For more information or to set up media interviews, please contact dkottadiel@embarqindia.org