Students Pitch in With Posters, Projects at National Town Planners Meet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
An exhibition on redesigning Kerala’s urban and tourism landscape put up by planning students is grabbing attention on the sidelines of the 73rd National Town and Country Planners Conference which began in the city today.

The expo at Hotel O by Tamara features selected posters and projects highlighting the transformative potential of the state’s tourism and urban landscape.

The exhibits include those of students from College of Engineering Trivandrum, Government Engineering College Thrissur, NIT Calicut and TKM College of Engineering (Kollam).

The National Town and Country Planners organised by Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI) was inaugurated by Local Self Government Minister MB Rajesh.

Government Engineering College Thrissur has come up with an interesting concept: culinary tourism in Kochi city region. The project has the potential to elevate Kerala’s commercial capital into a diverse culinary destination.

TKM College’s study is on farm tourism circuit. Named ‘Kathir Vanji’, it details the scope of experiential tourism by incorporating charms of Kollam’s backwater. The project connects fish farm sites, coconut farms and paddy fields through backwater network. CET is earning attention with its plan to turn Nilakkal as a base camp for bustling Sabarimala pilgrimage. The project studies the scope of Nilakkal, 18 km south-west of the hill-shrine, as a perfect spot for the pilgrims to stay before trekking to Sabarimala. The research project relies on a grant from a high-power committee for the implementation of Sabarimala master-plan.

Further, the event has a poster competition with ‘City Through Her Eyes’ as the theme, showcasing insightful posters that study gender inclusiveness in urban planning. On display are infographic posters that provide information on the issues faced by women in the current urban designing and on ways to overcome them by considering gender inclusivity and accessibility during urban planning.

The architecture and planning department of NID has displayed its efforts behind Kozhikode gaining recognition as the country’s first UNESCO city of literature. The documentation and extensive study uncover the city’s literary history dating back to the 14th century.

The event also has a stall that displays student’s rehabilitation and resettlement project of Chakla mines through community-centric approach aiming to rehabilitate a significant number of displaced families.