According to the Kerala Urban Policy Commission (KUPC) report released on Sunday, 80% of the state’s population will be urban by 2050. The KUPC is the first of its kind panel in the country and is headed by Dr M Satish Kumar. The report was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in the presence of Minister for local self-government and Excise, MB Rajesh, who said that, “Kerala is the only state with an urban policy. This is an important milestone in the development. History of Kerala…will provide insights for formulating development strategies for the state for the coming 25 years, especially in the context of rapid urbanisation along with climate change.”
Commission’s Recommendations
Other recommendations of the commission were that Kerala should develop a risk-informed master plan at the local level to integrate climate resilience into urban planning. Secondly, all special plans should be aligned with this framework to ensure cohesive and risk-sensitive development, particularly in ecologically sensitive and hazard-prone areas. This will enhance the state’s long-term resilience.
The panel also suggested introducing a targeted green fee on urban development projects that will fund disaster risk reduction initiatives like resilient infrastructure and emergency response systems. The commission also called for expanding disaster-specific insurance schemes to protect vulnerable communities of the state.
In state-specific recommendations, the panel suggested that Thrissur and Kochi should be developed as FinTech hubs, while Palakkad and Kasaragod should be built into industrial Smart cities. Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam can become knowledge corridors for research and innovation inside the state and Kannur can become the fashion capital of the state. The city of Kozhikode can develop as the city of literature because of its rich literary heritage.
