Directorate of Environment’s Post

I am thrilled to announce the publication of a paper that represents over a year of diligent work alongside my doctoral studies -which is challenging-. This paper delves into the political dimensions of urban planning within Palestinian cities and towns, drawing upon an extensive investigation of over 120 strategic plans. It sheds light on a prevalent issue within our community: the tendency to attribute planning failures and other setbacks to the political climate, specifically the occupation. This perspective has dominated scientific discourse, limiting discussions to the geopolitical impact on Palestinian communities. However, a critical gap exists in the literature addressing the institutional evaluation of the Palestinian Authority, especially in its approach to urban planning. 📜 Research Title: " Unveiling Disparities: Investigating the Gap between Palestinian Authority Counter Segregation Policies and Local Implementation Amid Deteriorating Conditions in the West Bank " This research stands out as a rare exploration into the institutional inefficiencies within the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, spotlighting significant issues in managing public funds and the disregard for public interest and strategic vision. The findings reveal a concerning trend of superficial consultancy work in strategic planning, despite significant financial investment. My paper calls for a pragmatic approach to urban planning, emphasizing the importance of enhancing institutional frameworks before urban realities. It challenges the status quo of accepting planning as mere theoretical exercises and questions the financial wisdom of investing heavily in consultancies that fail to deliver substantive outcomes. This work is not only a critique but a call to action for prioritizing achievable goals and making judicious use of available resources to foster institutional and urban development. It's a plea for reevaluating our approach to strategic planning, ensuring that investments translate into tangible benefits for our communities. I am proud to contribute to the discourse on urban planning within Palestinian territories, offering insights that I hope will inspire change and lead to more effective and considerate planning strategies. Paper -Direct Link-: https://lnkd.in/eq2nAuc2 GJHSS, F Volume 24 -PDF-: https://lnkd.in/eHrW8f4c GJHSS, F Volume 24 -3D From-: https://lnkd.in/e-y6RVbr

A recent publication from our research lab (Sustainable Urban & Regional Analysis Lab), titled " Developing a Novel Inclusive Policy Analysis Framework Based on Capability Approach and Institutional Analysis and Development Method" @ "Social Policy & Administration" (Wiley, Web of Science Core Collection: Social Sciences Citation Index). DOI: 10.1111/spol.13051 #policyanalysis #urbanpolicy #capabilityapproach #equity #functioning #IADframework #inclusivegrowth #justice

Delving into the heart of urban resilience, my post-graduation dissertation scrutinizes the response of Indian smart cities, with a focused lens on Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam, to the ever-growing challenges of climate change and disasters. Through meticulous research methodology, including extensive literature reviews, data analysis, and targeted comparative studies, I aim to unravel the intricate web of factors shaping their resilience capacities. By developing a comprehensive Resilience Index framework tailored to cyclonic disasters, I shed light on these cities' readiness and ability to recover from such catastrophic events, particularly pertinent given the vulnerability of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to cyclones. My work not only evaluates the strengths and limitations of their current strategies but also outlines pathways for future improvement. At its core, this dissertation isn't just about academic exploration—it's about driving real-world change. By offering actionable insights and recommendations, I seek to arm policymakers and urban planners with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of sustainable urban development in the face of climate uncertainty. Together, let's build smarter, safer, and more resilient cities for tomorrow. #SmartCities #ClimateResilience #SustainableDevelopment #UrbanPlanning #ResearchMethodology

In January, Transitions Research hosted a dialogue on the predominant narratives and visions of resilience in Indian cities that aimed to address a few questions – ➡ Whose imaginaries are shaping the future? ➡ How novel forms of engagement can provide communities and individuals with an opportunity to co-create and plan their futures? ➡ How can we ensure that our resilience infrastructure doesn’t displace marginalised communities? In our conversation with Lizzie Yarina(Northeastern University), Ritu Bharadwaj(International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)) and Amir Bazaz(Indian Institute for Human Settlements, moderated by Transitions Research's Prerna Singh, we learnt that 👇 💡 Adaptation is a complex subject, combining technical, social, and political interests. Interest in adaptation mega projects always stems from public discourse, media attention and funding, influencing  decision-makers in multiple ways. Thus, it is important to keep generating conversations, highlighting loopholes in our past strategies and encouraging more inclusive pathways to building resilience futures for our cities. 💡 Historically, our climate adaptation strategies have rarely accounted for climate-induced migration. This results in exploitation of vulnerable communities and human rights violations. Thus, engaging with local actors and integrating traditional knowledge systems with advanced technology is crucial to building just resilience infrastructure. 💡 We need to create social demand for inclusive resilience infrastructure. This will facilitate administrations to build responsive adaptation strategies for our cities. Watch the recording of our session here: https://lnkd.in/g3BWrcB9 INDÉ (Integrated Design), SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), C40 Cities, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), World Resources Institute, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, MIT Department of Architecture, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Bloomberg CityLab, Association for Asian Studies, SouthAsia UPenn

The 'Qualitative Research Methods in the Urban’, in the IIHS Research Methods Suite, will help you understand the importance of qualitative research in exploring key urban questions and identify appropriate methods for different research questions. Learn more about the course and enrol: https://bit.ly/3QwmwRa Divya Ravindranath, Kiran Amarnathan Ayathan #IIHS #IIHS_UPP #IIHS_RMS #IIHS_Course #Course #Research #DataVisualisation #Learning #Urban

Today, Prof. Adriano Borges Costa presented our conference paper, "Mapping Cities in Public Administration: A Bibliographic Coupling," at the American Society for Public Administration 2024 Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America. ASPA Conference is one of the most reputable and main conferences on Public Administration worldwide. Even sick, he flew to the US to present our paper. Thank you for all your effort, Adriano. Adriano is my postdoctoral supervisor at the Arq.Futuro Cities Lab, Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, São Paulo, Brazil. #WeAreInsper #PublicAdministration #UrbanStudies #Cities #UrbanPlanning #UrbanManagement #UrbanGovernance #ArqFuturo

🎉 NEW PUBLICATION ALERT 🎉 We are thrilled to announce the #publication of our recent work focusing on flood vulnerability assessment in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) of #Ghana in Taylor & Francis Group. Over the past years, the alarming increase in #flooding events has sparked crucial discussions on the necessity of vulnerability assessments for flood-prone #urban communities. We indicate that some communities are vulnerable to flooding not because of any #anthropogenic contribution but simply because they are #geographically disadvantaged. https://lnkd.in/eDM-uMP7 ▶ Insights from the Results: The findings are #enlightening, with 43% of communities identified as low-risk, 30% as medium-risk, and 27% as high-risk areas. Understanding flood intensity and frequency dependency on #location relative to slopes and undulating terrain is crucial for formulating targeted interventions. Specific communities and their level of geographic vulnerabilities have been indicated which will enhance the targetted selection of research #communities and suitable areas for development. ▶ Contributing to Actionable Strategies: Our research underscores the importance of using identified flood hazard communities as a guide for policymakers. Specific and targeted interventions can significantly contribute to flood risk reduction and the formulation of resilient strategies for urban communities. ▶ Celebrating Team Effort: It's a moment of immense joy to contribute to the existing flooding #literature. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of an incredible team. Heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in this transformative journey! Nelson N-yanbini Alfred Toku and Prof Ebenezer Owusu-Sekyere The road to publication was a journey of perseverance, dedication, and countless hours of meticulous research. From submission to publication, the process took about 15 months before reaching this significant #milestone. The wait has been well worth it, and we're excited to share our #findings with the #globalcommunity. ▶ Looking to the Future: As we celebrate this achievement, we eagerly anticipate the positive #impact our research can have on flood resilience strategies and risk #reduction policies. Here's to contributing more to the #global understanding of #environmental challenges and shaping a #sustainable future! 🌎📚 #ResearchPublication #FloodVulnerability #GhanaResearch #CommunityResilience #EnvironmentalScience The full article is found here 👇

It was a wonderful experience to participate in and present the work on #wickedproblems in the marine and coastal sector, virtually at the International Workshop on Public Policy #IWPP4 #IPPA. Substantial field-based research from the past years on #pulicat lagoon provided a golden perspective to studying the less explored world of wicked problems of the marine and coastal ecosystems. These insights were useful to construct novel policy engagement models using three evidence windows: 1. #salinity management, 2. coastal regulation zones and, 3. achieving the goals of #sdg14. We highlighted the way forward for policy coherence, and the use of appropriate technological advancements for engaging with wicked problems across multiple sectors at #grassroots, through a #scientificperspective. This is crucial for advancing the #goodgovernance steps taken by our #policymakers who will implement the interventions aligned with national goals. Thanks to my co-author Dr. Pranab J Patar for brainstorming new perspectives and methodologies to study social impacts together. Through this work, I realized the significance of applying the conceptual lens of wicked problems to #publicpolicy research. More to come from this end! Thanks to the Department of Public Policy, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and MAHE- Bengaluru for the opportunity to present the original research in the domain of public policy at the twilight IST!

Himalayan Innovation Leadership Lab (HILL) UPES, Dehradun in collaboration with the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO) is excited to announce the call for research papers for the 'HIMALAYA CALLING' Global Summit on Challenges & Opportunities in the Himalayan Region. This prestigious summit is scheduled to take place on 9th September 2024. The summit will serve as a platform for researchers, academicians, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange ideas, share insights, and explore innovative solutions to address the diverse challenges related to disaster risk encountered by the Himalayan region.  As part of this esteemed gathering, I am honored to serve as the chair for a virtual session titled "Overview of Disaster Risk in the Himalayan Region and its Management." The session will focus on different disaster risk faced by the Himalayan communities, implementing robust disaster management strategies, including early warning systems, community involvement, sustainable land use planning and resilient infrastructure to fortify the region against calamities.  We invite submissions of original research papers for this session on the focus areas which include but are not limited to the following ·        Floods and flash floods ·        Earthquakes in Himalayas ·        Glacial retreat and glacier lake outburst ·        Landslide and Land subsidence in Himalayas ·        Emergency preparedness and response in Himalayas ·        Community based disaster management and indigenous knowledge   Abstracts can be sent at mbsharma@ddn.upes.ac.in by 1st July 2024. The deadline for the submission of the full paper is the 20th of July 2024. Research papers accepted for oral presentation will be communicated by 30th July 2024. For, more information about the summit and to register for the session, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gSWvZP3j  If you have any queries or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at mbsharma@ddn.upes.ac.in We look forward to your participation and valuable contributions in the 'HIMALAYA CALLING'  Sustainability Cluster UPES Dr. Jitendra K. Pandey UPES School of Advanced Engineering (SoAE) #himalayacalling #savenature #saveearth #himalayas #sustainability #disastermanagement #UPES #ENVIRONMENT