CONNECTKaro 2014 conference connects leaders in transport and urban development

EMBARQ India, in collaboration with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Government of Karnataka, will be hosting the second edition of its annual conference, CONNECTKaro. The event will be held at the ITC Gardenia in Bangalore, India on March 10 and 11, 2014. With over fifteen sessions spread over two days, CONNECTKaro will focus on finding practical ways to improve quality of life in India’s cities by improving mobility and accessibility. The event will bring together government officials, policy makers, practitioners and experts in the field of urban planning, and leaders in private industry to facilitate a dialogue on sustainable transport.  

Focus on accessibility

The opening plenary session will include remarks by Mr. Kaushik Mukherjee, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka. He, along with Dr. Dario Hidalgo, Director of Research and Practice for EMBARQ, and Mr. Madhav Pai, Director of EMBARQ India, will participate in a discussion on “Sustainable Transport Trends and Opportunities for Indian Cities.” 

CONNECTKaro 2014 will have several keynote sessions, focusing on different aspects of sustainable development. In the first keynote session, attendees will hear Dr. Bimal Patel, who currently serves as the President of CEPT University in Ahmedabad.  He is also Director at HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd. Dr. Patel will speak about “Transit Oriented Development” and its changing context within Indian cities.

The second keynote will be delivered by Mr. Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director of 8-80 Cities. He also works as a Senior Consultant for the renowned Danish firm Gehl Architects. He serves on the Board of Directors of City Parks Alliance, USA, and is a Senior Advisor to StreetFilms, American Trails, and America Walks. Mr. Peñalosa will speak on “Non-Motorized Transport” and its importance in advancing sustainable transport solutions.

Building on past successes

CONNECTKaro 2013 was EMBARQ India’s seminal national event, successfully bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, decision makers and practitioners to engage in dialogue to shape the course of sustainable transport and urban development in India.  Over two hundred experts attended the event in Mumbai, and 2,000 people joined online. The eminent speaker list included Dr. Jan Gehl of Gehl Architects, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej of Godrej, Dr. Sudhir Krishna – Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Mr. Anil Baijal - Former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, and Dr. Armin Bruck, CEO of Siemens India, among others. The event was held in partnership with Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and saw active participation from key local agencies including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the Mumbai traffic police. This year, EMBARQ hopes to capitalize on its past successes by reaching an even wider audience, connecting more people, and further developing strategies for promoting sustainable transport in India.

For more information on the event, please contact Ramya Swayamprakash, Communications and Marketing Associate at EMBARQ India at rswayamprakash@embarqindia.org.