Urban Research and Projects
Cities for people
India is going to be more than 50% urban by 2030. However, the quality of life in urban India is sub-standard – which in turn affects economic, social and human development of the country. We think there is an opportunity for us is to ensure that as our cities grow, they are better equipped to provide a better life to urban dwellers.
At ATECF, we believe that urban planning, governance and citizen engagement are the tools to ensure this change.
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Citizen engagementWe must ask the question, who is the city for? The answer is –- for the citizens. Therefore citizens must be engaged in the development and, planning and management of a city. They need to know what they can expect in terms of services and standards and ensure the government delivers quality urban infrastructure to its citizens.
Some examples of the work we do are:
Influencing youth and bringing awareness around urban development to studentsWe have seeded a film archive called Nagari that has showcased films on water, waste, livelihoods, etc. These are also used in academia (architecture schools) for studio projects by student discussionss.
Urban GovernanceState and district level functionaries officials need to be enabled better informed about the constitutional framework to ensure they can plan and deliver better urban planning outcomes accordingly. We have therefore partnered with Praja to help in capacity building of functionaries government officials to perform their duties related to urban development.
Urban Planning and DesignWe believe that planning is important for a city, and urban development should not happen on an ad-hoc basis, which leads to haphazard urban development and puts a stress on the citizens and the city itself. We have partnered with UDRI on a spatial planning project which compares what the planning act says with what is happening on the ground, thereby culling out the best practices and recommendation across 12 cities.
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We also picked housing as an area of focus as it is crucial for improvements in education, health and almost all social measures. We supported the construction of Maharashtra’s first ever Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) under PMAY-Urban developed for the State Government housing board this has resulted in a template for other cities.
Conservation
Sacred Groves, Western Ghats Projects.
The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) in India are a global Biodiversity Hotspot (1 of 34 in total and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). They are also at risk of deforestation. It is estimated that in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, ~ 350,000 hectares of forests are still exposed to indiscriminate felling. Mature trees are an excellent carbon sink. Preserving these forests also preserves the unique and extensive biodiversity of the Ghats. So, we think there is lot to achieve by conserving these areas.
That is why we chose to partner with Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), since they have proven models of conserving forests and rich experience in the Western Ghats in particular. Together with them, we are promoting a model of community ownership and and encouraging non-timber economic value creation. So that the forest will be preserved for a long time, and livelihoods are also protected.
IMPACT
1500 acres
under conservation in Western Ghats
4 sacred groves
Restoration ~ 63 acres
History and Culture
1947 Partition Archives, online platformEarly donors to help kick start aggregation and archiving of 11,500 oral histories and leading to production of a book on partition history
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Partitions Museum, AmritsarAmongst three core donors to help build museum in historic precinct, next to Jallianwala Baug, to communicate the realities of partition so current generations both understand it and value freedom. Today it is amongst the top places visited in Amritsar
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Ahilyabai Holkar (film)Documentary by Peepul Tree Foundation to promote greater understanding of an iconic woman, with contributions across governance, industry, culture, and building infrastructure, despite all odds
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Allegory (film)Capturing the journey of Guru Nanak Dev ji to help promote greater understanding of his teachings and philosophy, which are an inspiration to us https://thegurunanak.com/.
Legacy Grants
SRCC – The largest children’s pediatric hospital in IndiaOver 100 donors came together to do this. Anchored collaborative philanthropic effort to realise long standing aspirational opportunity, for super-speciality paediatric care for all strata, run by a leading player, Narayan Hridalaya and Dr Devi Shetty. which aligned with our dream of having a children’s hospital that fulfilled a huge societal need.
Ashoka University, India’s premier liberal arts collegeOver 250 donors made this happen. – This was the Chandras’ single largest portfolio commitment to help build template for excellence in inclusive higher education and collaborative philanthropy
Sankara Eye, one of the largest providers of affordable eye care:Co-investment behind major donor to build sustainable health infrastructure in a proven model run by leading player
Akshay Patra (Jorhat Kitchen), the largest partner of Indian Government’s Mid-Day meal schemeBuild out standard mid-day meal infrastructure in a difficult and under-served geography in collaboration with CSR
