April 2018 Issue 08

NEWS LETTER

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ACADEMICS @ FP In this issue

Editorial Team

Upcoming Events

Aditi RaiAnupama V.S. Arnav PrakashChiara C. DCruzGauri VarshneySabareesh SureshSupriya SwarupYash Sugandhi

CEPT University Exhibition Summer 2018Date: May 4th to 16th 2018Time: 10:00 am to 09:00 pm

Commencement of Summer School 2018Date: May 7th 2018

Academics...........................1Achievement.......................1Extra Curriculars.................2Know Your Alumni.............2Ongoing Research...............4

MURP First year, Development Plan Studio 2017. PC: Shrujal Patel

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Achievements @ FP

Students present their research at and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Institute for Spatial Planning and Environment Research’ (ISPER), Panchkula

Three students got an opportunity to present their research at esteemed organizations. First being Mr.Yash Sugandhi, who presented his paper on “India’s Massive Urbanization and the Idea of Liveability” in the seminar organized

End Semester Juries

Education at CEPT entails perfection. Students are driven to deliver output that adheres to pragmatic standards and not left as vague conceptual ideas. To achieve this, regular reviews are conducted by faculty and eminent professionals from the field, time and again.

The normal end of the semester crunch is characterized by external juries which are looked at enthusiastically, both by the students and the faculty. The third week of April saw students of the second semester of MURP presenting their work on Rajkot city to an array of distinguished jurors. The final output was: Development Plan, City Infrastructure Plan, Urban Environment Plan, Urban Mobility Plan and Urban Housing Plan for Rajkot 2031.

Housing Studio presented their work to Mr.Vijay Karia, Mr. Anand Patel, Mr. Chirayu Bhat and Mr. Bijal Brahmbhatt; Development Plan Studio jury was taken by Mr. Vatsal Patel and Ms. Bindu Nair; Infrastructure Studio jury members were Ms. Aashima, Mr. Harsh Goel, Ms. Swati Kotharia and Mr. Amarjeet Lakra; Mr. Gautam Patel reviewed the Transport Studio while Environment Planning Studio was presented to Dr. Parthasarthy, Ms. Rama Pandey, and Mr. Lovleen Garg.Multiple skills such as communication,

presentation, graphical representation, and analysis were put to test. The diverse jury panel with expertise in different domains ensured that the students were exposed to ground realities and their interventions critically analysed across all parameters.

It was interesting to note how a single city was perceived, analysed, planned and showcased through varied lenses. Jurors gave constructive feedback that was imper-ative in shaping well-rounded portfolios.It is this dynamic nature of shaping profes-sionals in CEPT University that sets it apart. The value addition that is achieved through rigorous interactions with experienced spe-cialists refines every student’s capability to become critical thinkers

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1. Officials of Uttar Pradesh in CEPT University; 2. Mr. Yash Sugandhi’s (2nd year MURP) paper presentation in ISPER Panchkula; 3. Ms.Ghata Radia & Mr. Yash Mehta (2nd year MURP) paper presentation to MoHUA , Source: CEPT University

extra curriculars @ cept

City Leadership Programme for Urban Officials of Uttar Pradesh

CEPT University hosted a City Leadership Programme for Urban Officials of Uttar Pradesh to nurture them with the knowledge of improvising the urban city conditions. The four-day programme held from 18th-21st April, 2018 began at CEPT University, Ahmedabad and culminated at Surat. Six sessions were held at CEPT University over two days.

The first day of the programme began by an opening remark from Dr. Bimal Patel who welcomed the Mayors and other distinguished officials present from different locations of Uttar Pradesh as well as Ahmedabad. Later on, rigorous discussions on the working of the urban agenda in terms of its performance while dealing with various Smart City initiatives in the city of Ahmedabad, took place.

The second day started off early in the morning as the officials were taken on a heritage walk of the old city of Ahmedabad. Post visit, prospects

by ‘Institute for Spatial Planning and Environment Research’ (ISPER), Panchkula, India and the other being Ms.Ghata Radia and Mr.Yash Mehta, who presented their work on “ Analyzing the structure And Trends in Infrastructure Proposals under the Smart Cities Mission India.” to MoHUA.

All the above said research has been guided by Dr. Saswat Bandyopadhyay. Yash Sugandhi’s work revolved around the correlation on how service delivery backlogs in the infrastructure sector and massive scale of urbanization is leading to poor quality of life in Indian cities. He concluded by exploring various challenges associated with the reliability and qualities of data at the local and state government levels 116 cities launched by MoHUA in 2018.Mr. Yash Dilip Mehta and Ms. Ghata Radia presented their research to Dr. Sameer Sharma and Smart city team. This research has two aspects- Firstly, it aims to analyze the trends in the infrastructure proposals for 99 Smart City proposals. Secondly, it critically analyses the financial Mechanism of Indian Smart Cities and the trend of investment in infrastructural sectors.

of various projects and their status were discussed. The programme concluded after site visits to a myriad of places in Ahmedabad.

know your alumni @ FP

Utkarsha Kavadi

Ms. Utkarsha is an alumnus of Faculty of Planning, CEPT University, batch of 2009. Having specialised in Housing Planning, she has been serving as the Director of Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies of All India Institute of Local Self Government, Mumbai, for the past 2 years now.

AVS: How are you associated with the profession currently?

UK: My work mainly revolves around the urban development sector, more to do with water, sanitation, solid waste management and other urban services in States and cities of India. RCUES and AIILSG primarily provides research, capacity building and advisory support to the State and Local Governments in India, in order to implement the national agenda through various urban development missions and schemes.

AVS: Ma’am, can you briefly explain your work profile?

UK: Being the Director of RCUES of AIILSG, Mumbai, my work profile mainly lies in Western and North-Eastern India, comprising of 6 states (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam and Tripura) and 3 UTs (Diu-Daman, Dadra- Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep). RCUES is established by, the now Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in 1968. Aligning ourselves with the national and state level agenda and supporting successful implementation of that at the city level is our main focus.

AVS: It’s been a long time since you graduated. But if you try to recollect, how was the transition from academics to profession?

UK: It was a smooth but enriching transition for me. I was fortunate to get a chance to work with Performance Assessment System (PAS) Project at CEPT and AIILSG, immediately after my masters. That is where I gathered an experience of working at city, state and national level, which helped me in accepting a bigger challenge of

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working as a director now.

AVS: Please share some of your non-academic experiences from your days at Faculty of Planning.

UK: Certainly! The first thing that comes to my mind is the multi-disciplinary culture present at CEPT campus, which adds to the rich experience of the student life here. I completely enjoyed the exposure I received during the student life. *chuckles* Also, I met my life partner at CEPT, which I suppose is a special non-academic experience-cum-achievement for me.

AVS: Lastly, I would like to request you to share a message for the students.

UK: Interestingly I had gotten admissions for the other two streams as well, along with Planning. I chose Planning and although I was initially apprehensive, the course and the faculty members made me see the immense potential in the career, it offers. Looking back today, I feel I made the right decision. My message to the students is to never stop believing in their strengths and to value the opportunities FP CEPT offers, which makes us unique when we step into the professional world. Utilise every single opportunity at its best!

Amol Shimpi

Amol Shimpi is a real estate professional having twenty years of varied experience across the life cycle of real estate development from land acquisition, business development, sales & marketing, finance, project construction & management.

SS: How are you associated with the profession of architecture and planning currently?

AS: Having been trained as an architect-planner, I am currently majorly associated with real estate management & development as both: a practitioner; the co-founder of SAS Investments (an infrastructure management firm) and an academician; Associate Dean and Director at School of Real Estate, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University, Mumbai. I am also a visiting faculty/jury member at various architecture & planning colleges in Mumbai.

I truly believe that real estate in no city can flourish without a proper development plan & regulations in place. Real estate has now become an intrinsic part of overall urban planning as it acts as a growth engine and a means to generate resources for various projects.

SS: Could you kindly brief us about the research work that you do?

AS: I have been extensively involved in Slum Redevelopment and Heritage Conservation in Mumbai and am currently working on Real Estate Regulations in India.

SS: It has been a long time since you graduated. But if you try to recollect, how was the transition from academics to profession?

AS: I had this kind of transition twice in my career; from academics to practice and vice versa. I started my career in academics right after Masters from CEPT for four years and then moved to professional practice for fifteen years, and now academics again. Now, the field of academics has undergone a lot of change, but it is a wonderful experience.

SS: Please share some of your non-academic experiences from your days at Faculty of Planning.

AS: As students at CEPT, we were thoroughly engaged in practical projects with the faculty besides academics, allowing immense exposure to pragmatic realities. The atmosphere in college was more of a ‘Gurukul’; we were present on campus

throughout the day, the faculty would drop in at odd hours to check on our progress. Addressing teachers as Sir was rather strangely, not a norm. These practices are unique to CEPT and I feel privileged to be associated with it.

SS: Lastly, I would like to request you to share a message for the students.

AS: Firstly, I would say that planning is the only profession that trains you to balance your professional, personal as well as societal goals. Students should take initiatives to pursue activities like a Rural Lab to learn how to plan for an inclusive society. Secondly, developing strong knowledge about finances is crucial. Lastly, I would say that planning follows a generalist approach, thus sticking to any one domain does not

Amol Shimpi

Ms. Utkarsha Kavadi

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A paper on Industrial Development and Challenges of Water Pollution in Coastal Areas by Prof. Neeru Bansal was published in the IOP Conference series : Earth and Environmental science, Volume 120.

With 13 years of work experience in the Gujarat State Pollution Control Board, Prof Bansal’s expertise lies in the field of environment and infrastructure planning.

The paper looks at the case of Surat, Gujarat. A major industrial hub in India, Surat also has a unique aquatic ecosystem comprising of River Tapi, the Arabian Sea, and its creeks (kadis). The development of industries has caused a deterioration in the water quality of this ecosystem due to discharge of untreated waste into it. This in turn is attributed to the poor environmental governance in place. An analysis conducted by the author substantiates this.

The concluding policy intervention is an answer to the concerns expressed given the climatic risks and flooding the city is prone to if the situation prolongs.

ongoing research @ FP

allow you to develop in every aspect. One should explore as much as one can.

This newsletter is a student body initiative. For any suggestions, feedback and queries write to us at -fp.newsletter@cept.ac.in

Industrial Development and Challenges of Water Pollution in Coastal Areas

Prof. Neeru Bansal