SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE ON INCLUSIVE CITY FRAMEWORK

Our cities offer a plethora of socioeconomic options and spatial experiences, making them convenient and enjoyable places for most users to live and work. However, the experience is not the same for 2.21% of India’s population who are disabled, the elderly population, women and children. Thus, the Inclusive City Framework (ICF) was jointly prepared by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) as a part of the Building Accessible, Safe & lnclusive Indian Cities (BASIIC) programme. The ICF has been developed as a set of policies and strategies which Urban Local Bodies / Smart City Boards and other relevant agencies may follow while making any Indian city Safe, Accessible and Inclusive for all in general and for vulnerable groups in particular. The framework has considered people with (i) Locomotor disability, (ii) Visual impairment, (iii) Hearing impairment, (iv) Intellectual disability, (v) elderly, (vi) children and (vii) women. The framework has all-inclusive provisions for six urban sectors, namely- Housing, Physical and Social Infrastructure, Outdoor environment, Livelihood, Public transport and Mobility, IT connectivity, Digitalization, Governance and Citizen Participation and Tourism and Recreation. Since this framework is prepared targeting the officials working in ULBs, SCBs, Development Authorities and other Public and Private organizations, architects, planners, academia and students., NIUA and IIT-KGP decided to develop and on-line self-paced course for reaching out to them. This course will not only act as a ready reference to the planners and implementers for mainstreaming inclusion into urban planning and development but also help in empowering all citizens, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups, to participate with dignity and access the places, facilities and services in the city. There are four modules in this self-paced course. Each module has some sub-modules. The theoretical content includes educational films, interactive PowerPoint Presentations, recorded lectures by the Professors of IIT-KGP and educational materials in the form of PDF documents. The participants are given some ideas to reflect on at the end of each module with the help of multiple-choice questions to assess their level of understanding. At the end of the course, you should be able to: understand the significance of seamless accessibility in different sectors of urban life; recognise the needs and priorities of vulnerable groups; understand the theories, frameworks, standards, and best practices used in the design of inclusive urban spaces; and know the steps for efficient implementation, financing, monitoring, and review of locations in accordance with the checklist. Hope you will fully utilise the vast knowledge that is presented in the course. Happy Learning!!!