the $9 million global initiative is to help cities accelerate toward sustainable mobility, for healthier and safer urban environments. It also aims to
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The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) has announced that the city of Varanasi along with two global cities, Detroit and Venice, have been selected to host innovation challenges as part of the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge. The company said the $9 million global initiative is to help cities accelerate toward sustainable mobility, for healthier and safer urban environments. It also aims to enhance people’s ability to commute, work, study, and access services.
Varanasi has been selected from a total of 150 cities from 46 countries, which entered the Sustainable Cities Challenge. The top 10 shortlisted cities were announced in November 2023, from which three were chosen as the finalists. The three selected cities will launch their own City Challenges inviting global innovators to work with them. Varanasi will launch its City Challenge on June 27, 2024.
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As one of the most prominent heritage cities in India, Varanasi experiences huge influx of tourism, which, while vital to strengthening the city’s tapestry of faith and culture, brings concerns of safety and crowding. The Varanasi City Challenge creates an opportunity to address these issues by generating innovative, data-driven solutions incorporating elements of technology and design. Overall, the aim is to make the city, and particularly the crowded areas of Varanasi’s old city (Kashi), safer and more accessible to pilgrims, local residents and the vulnerable populace.
Speaking about the initiative, Akshat Verma, IAS, Municipal Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer, Varanasi Municipal Corporation/Varanasi Smart City said, “Participating in the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge presents an exciting prospect for Varanasi. This initiative offers us a valuable chance to explore technical and design related avenues for enhancing mobility within our city, benefiting both our residents and the growing tourism. By collaborating with innovative minds, we aim to bolster Varanasi’s reputation as a premier global tourist destination. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work closely with TMF, their partners, and experts to achieve this goal.”
Speaking about the initiative, Pras Ganesh, Executive Program Director, Toyota Mobility Foundation, said, “As the Toyota Mobility Foundation, we are passionate about the freedom of mobility, and the opportunities that such mobility can unlock for individuals and communities. With like-minded partners such as World Resources Institute and Challenge Works, we seek out innovative solutions to overcome the barriers that hinder these opportunities. The Sustainable Cities Challenge, our global challenge that matches visionary cities and the most creative innovators, will now focus on the 3 incredibly dynamic cities of Varanasi, Venice, and Detroit. We will now seek out the most innovative ideas that solve these cities’ most pressing mobility issues, and ensure that identified ideas can be scaled, replicated, and amplified globally.”
Speaking about Varanasi making it to the final list, Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We at TKM are thrilled that Varanasi has been chosen as one of the global cities in the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge. At Toyota, we are committed to redefining mobility—extending beyond traditional automotive solutions to encompass human-centric, sustainable urban transportation. The Challenge in Varanasi exemplifies our dedication to this vision by providing a platform that bridges innovative minds and local stakeholders. Also, closely aligned with our global commitment to producing “Happiness for All”, I am confident that this initiative will not only transform Varanasi but also contribute significantly to the global pursuit of creating more sustainable urban environments. The solutions could also act as a template that could be replicated not only in India but also globally providing potential solutions to city planners.”
Innovators could be from anywhere around the world but the solutions must be applicable and tailor-made to meet the mobility needs of the winning cities. Solutions that best meet the needs of the cities will be selected by late 2024 and will have access to a share of $3 million per city in innovation grants to demonstrate and pilot test. The winners of the challenge will be selected in 2026 for further scaling and implementation.
First Published Date: 30 May 2024, 13:23 PM IST