April 2015

From April 1, to April 9, 2015, the workshop’s main session known as the Smart City Initiatives for Varanasi was held at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). 91 masters and Ph.D. students of BHU, La Salle University, Columbia, A.P. Institute of Environmental Design, Sardar Patel University, and College of Engineering Thiruvantapuram and 20 faculty members, professionals, officials from City of Varanasi, School of Planning, New Delhi, Montana state University, USA, ATPIO,  and Buro Dap participated in this workshop.Over the nine days period, the workshop participants brainstormed on various urban development issues of Varanasi spread over six planning areas: (1) Heritage Conservation and Tourism Management; (2) Urban Mobility and Infrastructure Planning; (3) Land Use Planning and Built Environment; (4) Economic Development Projects; (5) Environmental Planning and Management; and (6) Livable Communities. At the end of workshop, 28 most crucial urban issues were identified and the solutions of these issues were offered.