Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greets Manohar Lal Khattar, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs at the inaugural function of Kerala Urban Conclave 2025 in Kochi on Friday. Also considering Martin Meyer, Memeber of the Executive Council for Public Works and Infrastructure, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa and Minister MB Rajesh. | Photocredit: Thulasi Kakkat
The Kerala Urban Conclaaf, organized as part of the State’s initiative to draw up its first extensive urban policy, concluded in Kochi after two days of deliberations.
The conclave contained 34 sessions with participation of 275 speakers, including urban experts from 12 countries, three ministers and four mayors from abroad, and eight mayors from other Indian states. A total of 3,115 delegates attended the sessions, making it one of the largest meetings aimed at urban development in the state.
Mbrajesh, minister, Kerala Local Self Government said that 300 usable suggestions had emerged from the discussions that will now be compiled in a concept of urban policy and to be presented to the State cabinet for consideration. The policy will reflect a shared vision for the next 25 years of the urban growth of Kerala, developed with participation from the entire political spectrum.
The suggestions include the introduction of social audits for urban local authorities – the first of its kind in India – and the identification of five economic growth hubs along which future urban development will be planned. Other proposals require the establishment of business development councils for each city, the establishment of facts -based urban management systems and the setting up of urban observatoria in all cities within two years, including an observatory at state level.
Recommendations are also aimed at professionalizing urban administration through participatory professionalism, performance -based assessment of local authorities and officials, and improving citizen participation with the help of technology. A devoted authority for waste management coordination, digitization to improve tax, climate funds and green bonds and encouraging investments from the Malayali -DiaSpora were also presented.
The conclave emphasized the importance of the involvement of the cooperative sector in urban development, investigating new income models, including public-private partnerships, urban embellishment initiatives, creation of “Happiness Parks” and city assessment systems modeled on Kozhikode and Thrissur’s registration.
Two intent letters were signed to strengthen international cooperation. One was signed between the Kerala Institute of Local Administration and Unu-Cris, a research institute under the University of the United Nations in Brussels, and another was with Un-Habitat to position it as the policy partner for the upcoming Nava Kerala Urban Policy and to make the world-old forums to make the world stamp.
Published on September 14, 2025
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