Members of KSCDL, KMC and WRI, India after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Kohima.
KOHIMA, JUNE 13 (MExN): The Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL) and the Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with World Resources Institute, India (WRI, India) to work on scaling up safe, accessible, green, playful and inclusive neighbourhoods for young children and families across the city.
A press release from the Kohima Smart City Development Limited informed that in January 2022, Kohima was announced as one of the 10 winners of the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge (NNC) hosted by the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and with WRI India as the technical partner.
KSCDL undertook five pilot projects in the first phase of the challenge. This included development of a pocket park, toddler-friendly play spaces, and caregiver amenities alongside public facilities in Highland Park, Forest Colony and New Reserve Colony.
Going ahead, Kohima’s scale-up plan will be based on eight strategies namely; Replication of Pilots, Capacity Building, Institutional Set-up, Partnerships and Diverse Leaders, Plans and Policy Changes, Data Based Planning, M & E, Civic Engagement, and Financial Sustainability. Based on the relevance for the city, selected strategies will be prioritized, it informed.
Further, under the Supervision of CEO, KSCDL and Administrator, KMC, a Nurturing Neighborhood Cell is to be formed which will be responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring child-and family-friendly projects in the city. A broader platform for stakeholder engagement is also envisioned for inclusive planning.
The MoU was signed by Er Kezhazelhou Theunuo, Chief Executive Officer, KSCDL and T Lanusenla Longkumer, Administrator, KMC in the presence of Kezhochole Rhetso, GM Planning, KSCDL, and members of the WRI India team.
WRI India, with the support of BvLF, will provide the city of Kohima with technical assistance and capacity building towards implementing the Nurturing Neighbourhoods scale-up objectives.
Theunuo said, “Kohima is proud to be one of the top 10 cities under NNC. Adapting to our hilly terrain, we plan to identify small pockets of land and create shared public spaces and pocket parks for people in neighbourhoods across Kohima.
We further plan to replicate play spaces around facilities supporting healthy early childhood development and create safer streets for young children and families.”
Longkumer meanwhile stated that, “Through the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge we would like to create safe and engaging outdoor spaces for young children and their families near their homes, so they can spend more time outdoors. We will also work towards building resilience in the city through various neighbourhood-level interventions”
