Urban Development

New World Bank-Financed Project to Unlock Tourism Potential of Uttar Pradesh, India

Published

2 years ago

December 21, 2017

A $40 million project, to India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh (UP), was approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors today to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of India’s biggest cultural and tourist destinations, home to some of the country’s most iconic assets like the Taj Mahal in Agra, to one of the most ancient living cities in the world, Varanasi. Two of the world’s most important Buddhist sites, Sarnath and Kushinagar are also in UP. In 2016, the state attracted 211 million domestic and just over 6 million international visitors. Despite this, UP remains India’s third poorest state, with a 37.7 percent poverty rate.

The Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project will support the state government’s priority of re-structuring tourism in a way that optimizes the state assets in an inclusive and sustainable manner directly benefiting poor residents and local entrepreneurs, such as rickshaw drivers, local artisans and street vendors, in both economic and non-economic terms. The project will help enhance their linkages with the tourism value chain, while improving living conditions for some of the state’s poorest residents through better infrastructure and services. Such “pro-poor tourism development approach” is expected to help the state better manage its unique assets, improve quality of life, energize local communities and provide job opportunities for people, particularly women and youth, living near selected tourist attractions.

“Tourism is experiencing a period of strong growth driven by India’s burgeoning middle class. Uttar Pradesh with its rich historical, religious and cultural resources, has unrivalled tourism potential. However, the economic benefits of tourism trickle down unevenly to local communities,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India. “This project will enable culturally rich local communities to share their knowledge, traditions and heritage with visiting tourists for generating income for themselves and their families.”

The project will focus on Agra and the Braj region, which despite being two of the prime tourist and pilgrimage destinations of India and UP, have some of the state’s highest poverty rates. Agra’s most iconic asset and India’s primary tourism attraction, the Taj Mahal, is surrounded by more than 20 slums with crumbling infrastructure.

In Agra, the project will focus on retelling the story and history of the city, its more than 150 sites and monuments and its rich living heritage by stimulating “Agra beyond the Taj”— a move away from a Taj Mahal-centric tourism model — to retain visitors and increase their spending in the city. It targets the locations that are already seeing notable tourist footfall, bridging its major attractions, which are today visited in isolation, such as the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, while promoting nearby lesser visited attractions, such as the traditional Kachhpura village in front of Mehtab Bagh’s Mughal garden.

To ensure a destination-level approach, the project will finance the preparation of a tourism development plan for Agra, leverage and partner with the private sector, as well as other key agencies working in the city, such as the World Monuments Fund, which is supporting the Archaeological Survey of India in revitalizing two of the city’s four remaining Mughal gardens.

Given its association with the Krishna mythology and its popular parikrama (pilgrimage) routes, the Braj region draws millions of pilgrims annually. The project will revitalize some of these assets, many of which are intrinsically linked to local communities’ way of life. In Braj, a major emphasis will be on rescuing the living heritage of the region through support to emblematic natural assets, such as its kunds (water bodies, endogenous arts, expressions and creative industries.

“Rather than representing a specific type of tourism or market segment, the project’s pro-poor tourism approach focuses on how the sector is structured to ensure that local communities and the destinations per se benefit from tourism. It does so by supporting a range of activities from strengthening policies, regulations and institutional capacities to providing basic services to communities and tourists alike and ensuring that economic and non-economic linkages with local communities and entrepreneurs are established throughout the tourism value chain,” said Stefania Abakerli, Senior Development Planner and World Bank’s Task Team Leader for the project.

The $40 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years.

Related Topics:Culture India Tourism World Bank

Up Next

Five Reasons why Haiti should invest in Resilient Cities

Don't Miss

How Can Cities Leverage the Potential of the ‘Sharing Economy’?

MD Staff

Comments

Urban Development

BRIDGE for Cities 4.0: Connecting Cities through the New Industrial Revolution

Published

1 week ago

September 8, 2019

Newsroom

photo: UNIDO

Organized jointly by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC), “BRIDGE for Cities 4.0 – Connecting Cities through the New Industrial Revolution” took place in Vienna from 3 to 4 September.

An annual event devoted to encourage knowledge sharing and connectivity among cities, this year’s edition of the event explored the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) and how technology-driven innovation can facilitate the transition towards smart city development.

The two-day event attracted around 800 Participants from over 100 countries. Besides high-level plenaries on particular aspects of the 4IR (urban innovation hubs, circular economy, smart mobility), a Mayors Roundtable led to the adoption of a Declaration of Intent by 15 Cities expressing strong interest to work with UNIDO. A Business Roundtable resulted in the formulation of a Resilience Framework for Projects along the Belt and Road.

To enrich the event, two specific sessions were designed to match regions and cities with similar development challenges. One focused on Metropolis GZM, Poland; Sverdlovsk region, Russia and the Ruhr region in Germany. All three region share a common past linked to mining and heavy industry and now are transitioning to an economic model based on knowledge and innovation. The second matched Shenzhen, China and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on the basis of the existing sister city agreement. Shenzhen is nowadays a model for cities in the developing world and Phnom Penh is taking advantage of the expertise available in China while developing its city master plan. This cooperation was sealed through an exchange of letters between the two cities’ representatives.

In parallel, the innovations presented by exhibitors visualized practical solutions, and City-Business workshops facilitated partnerships among previous case cities and other stakeholders. The interaction with the famous humanoid Sophia Robot provided participants with an opportunity to obtain first-hand insights regarding the possibilities and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) today.

The event has been the first of UNIDO at the Vienna International Centre to receive the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Green Events.

Urban Development

São Paulo to Host International Conference on Sustainable Cities

Published

3 weeks ago

August 30, 2019

Newsroom

The city of São Paulo will host the conference “Catalyzing Sustainable Urban Futures” from September 16 to 20, 2019 at Ibirapuera Park, bringing together mayors, public managers, and urban practitioners from across Brazil and abroad. Made possible by a partnership between the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC) led by the World Bank, São Paulo City Hall, and the Sustainable Cities Program, the event will host the 3^rd Global Meeting of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities and the 2^nd International Conference on Sustainable Cities.

Press are invited to sessions on September 17 afternoon, opening day (September 18) and throughout the rest of the week. Register by September 6:

The event will feature a Mayors’ Roundtable on the opening day (September 18) chaired by São Paulo Mayor Bruno Covas, where Brazilian and international city leaders will discuss their unique approaches to sustainable urban development.

“São Paulo is moving towards an increasingly sustainable future by enacting strategic measures to benefit our population. Hosting the 3^rd Global Meeting of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities to discuss the topic with domestic and international experts and officials helps us achieve our goal of further contributing to the sustainable urban development of our city,” stated Mr. Covas.

“Cities are where the future is being built. Rapid urbanization brings opportunities – but also unprecedented challenges such as increasing disaster risks exacerbated by climate change – to cities and their residents, especially the poor and vulnerable,” says Sameh Wahba, Global Director, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice, World Bank.“The 3rd Global Meeting of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities will bring together cities around the world to share innovative and integrated solutions to address those challenges. We look forward to working with our partners in Brazil and worldwide to link knowledge to investment in building low-carbon and sustainable cities for all.”

In the span of one week, nine thematic sessions will focus on topics central to city planning and management, including: biodiversity; financing sustainable urban development; gender and race inequalities; generating opportunities, work, and income for residents; geospatial data; inclusiveness and affordable housing; social participation; transit-oriented development; and urban regeneration. These topics are closely aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the GPSC’s three knowledge pillars: sustainability, integrated urban planning and management, and municipal finance.

“For us who work with a focus on municipal management, the opportunity to bring together cities that are taking action and creating policies toward the 2030 Agenda in different parts of the world has a unique meaning. We strive to share the most modern initiatives to improve the sustainability of our urban development processes and residents’ quality of life in Brazilian cities. We believe these practices can also be inspiring elsewhere in the world and we look forward to sharing this knowledge at the conference,” said Jorge Abrahão, General Coordinator of the Sustainable Cities Program.

In addition to participants from Brazil, the event will gather representatives from GPSC’s 28 cities in 11 countries, along with its knowledge and investment partners. The estimated audience is 800 people, including urban leaders, civil servants, urban practitioners, academic researchers, journalists, experts from financial institutions, international organizations, the UN, private sector leaders, and civil society organizations. The conference “Catalyzing Sustainable Urban Futures” is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

WHAT
Catalyzing Sustainable Urban Futures:
3^rd Global Meeting of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities and
2^nd International Conference on Sustainable Cities

WHO

Bruno Covas, Mayor of São Paulo
Jorge Abrahão, General Coordinator of the Sustainable Cities Program
Sameh Wahba, Global Director, World Bank Group

See a full list of speakers here.

WHEN: September 16–20, 2019
Open to press starting Sept 17 afternoon; official opening on Sept 18.

WHERE: Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil

Sept 17 afternoon – UMAPAZ (Av. Quarto Centenário, 1268 – Vila Mariana, São Paulo – SP, 04030-000)
Sept 18 morning – Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer
Sept 18 afternoon – Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer and Bienal Foundation
Sept 19 – Bienal Foundation
Sept 20 – Site visits by registration

Urban Development

UN and civil society team up to make cities more sustainable and inclusive

Published

2 months ago

July 8, 2019

Newsroom

Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah, is hosting the United Nations Civil Society Conference. Image: Visit Salt Lake

How can we make sure that cities become more inclusive, with a smaller environmental footprint, and leave no-one behind? These questions will be tackled at the UN Civil Society Conference, which is due to take place in the capital of Utah, Salt Lake City, at the end of August.

Representatives of civil society will have the opportunity to meet with senior UN officials, and discuss a wide range of solutions to the challenges of urban life.

The theme of this year’s conference, “building sustainale and inclusive cities and communities”, reflects the fact that over half of the world’s population, some 55 per cent, now live in urban areas, with that figure expected to rise to 68 per cent by 2050.

Conference sessions will discuss topics connected to the main theme, including climate change; opportunities for youth; and emerging technologies and innovation.

Leaders of large urban centres, such as Salt Lake City in the state of Utah, the communities that live in them, as well as the private sector, are at the forefront of finding sustainable solutions to poverty; climate change; clean water and energy; and many of the other challenges connected to urban living.

Salt Lake City’s sustainability credentials include the development of a Climate Positive Plan, laying out a path for a transition to 100 per cent clean energy by 2032, and an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2024. In addition, the nearby Utah Valley University, works to educate the campus and larger community on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and has been an affiliate member of the UN’s Department of Global Communications (DGC) since 2017.

“As a city committed to being inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, it is an honor to be the first US host city of the UN Civil Society Conference outside of New York,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski in a statement. “I can think of no better time and no better place than Salt Lake City, for the UN and the world’s NGOs to expand awareness in this country of sustainable development goals and the value of global unity.”

Highlights include interactive thematic sessions, NGO-sponsored workshops, exhibits and a youth hub. Speakers and attendees will include leaders and other representatives from NGOs, UN agencies, academia, faith traditions, the public and private sectors and youth from around the world.

The UN Civil Society Conference is described by the UN as the Organization’s “premier event in the civil society calendar”, focusing on UN topics of interest to civil society and NGOs, where issues of global concern can be discussed.