Empathy, inclusivity vital for urban planning: Mandeep Kour

Jammu : A workshop on ‘Universal Design for Accessible and Inclusive Built Environment’, was organized by Jammu and Kashmir Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) in collaboration with Jammu Smart City Limited and the Alliance for Inclusion and Accessibility (an initiative of the I for Humanity Foundation) held here on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD), Mandeep Kour, stressed that accessibility should not be seen solely in the context of disability but as a fundamental element of equitable urban development.
She stressed on thinking empathetically on the needs of persons with disabilities and urged the stakeholders to think beyond conventional norms and incorporate universal design principles in their projects.
The Commissioner Secretary also highlighted the importance of sensitizing the children and young minds about inclusivity through civic education and curriculum integration. She called for a collective effort to ensure that public spaces, transportation systems and buildings are accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.
She highlighted the necessity of incorporating accessibility features in all government offices, public spaces and community toilets.
“We must ensure that provisions for ramps, handrails, tactile tiles and other accessibility features are included in the DPRs. These are not just guidelines but necessities for creating an inclusive environment,” she said.
Dr. Devansh Yadav, Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation and CEO of Jammu Smart City, underscored the practical aspect of the workshop. He advised the stakeholders to incorporate features of harmonised guidelines issued in 2021 like tactile tiles, ramps and accessible public toilets in their projects to ensure barrier-free environment.
Earlier, Juuhi Rajput, founder Alliance for Inclusion and Accessibility (an initiative of the I for Humanity Foundation), presented the roadmap to make Jammu and Kashmir accessible and inclusive.
In her presentation, she stated “the strategy is to promulgate the accessibility in the ethos of urban planning and design through- capacity building, stakeholder mapping policy level and tactical interventions, pilot demonstration of urban innovative solutions and implementation of robust monitoring systems to sustain the efforts in the long run.”
She also highlighted foundation’s new initiatives- User-friendly ‘Rating App’ to carry out accessibility audits of different types of building topologies and ‘Accessible Bharat Certification’ for built environment projects developed in compliance with universal design principles and standards.
Dr. Debolina Kundu, Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), delivered a keynote address, citing the 2011 Census, which revealed that over 26.8 million people in India live with some form of disability.
She stressed that accessible infrastructure is crucial for their inclusion in education, employment and essential services.
Dr. Kundu highlighted NIUA initiatives such as revision of Harmonized Guidelines and development of the Able India Framework for accessibility audits. She encouraged the city officials to adopt these frameworks and actively contribute towards building inclusive urban spaces.
The workshop witnessed participation of several dignitaries and officials including Shahbaz Ahmed Mirza, Managing Director, Jammu & Kashmir Housing Board; Manisha Sarin, Director, Urban Local Bodies, Jammu; Pankaj Sharma, Vice Chairman, Jammu Development Authority (JDA); Rakesh Gupta, Joint Commissioner, JMC; Mir Nasrool Hilal Jeri, Additional Secretary HUDD; Sunil Thusoo, Director Projects, Jammu Smart City Limited besides representatives from various line department of HUDD, NGOs and social groups.