Kochi, India
Urban Typhoon
A citizen-led approach to smart cities.
Lead by Urbz, Urban Typhoon was the public outreach component of the Phase 1 EnteKochi (meaning MyKochi in local Malayalam) project. The objective was to identify grassroots projects that can be scaled up across the region as part of the federal government’s Smart Cities initiative.
Collaborative Planning
To elicit ideas, ‘on the ground’ community workshops were spread over 6 days, with each focusing on a different neighbourhood of Kochi. Residents guided the design team around their places to show existing issues and small-scale remedies. Workshops brought to light creative initiatives and highlighted ways to scale them up. Initiatives included biogas and composting, market waste management, water system improvements, mobility solutions and cultural expression.
Design Sprint for the Win
Following the workshops, a 1-week ‘Design Sprint’ was initiated by GIZ and Urbanista. The EnteKochi team produced maps, illustrations and collages to bring to life the results of the Urban Typhoon workshops, ongoing stakeholder workshops and the EnteKochi exhibition. This information was put on public display at local cultural centres for additional citizen input.
Scaling Up for Transformational Change
The second phase of EnteKochi featued a national level Urban Design Competition, aiming to jointly ‘design the future city’ of Kochi. It facilitated the implementation of an integrated civic project along local canals identified in the first phase.
Location
Kochi, India
Scale
Large
Client
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Collaborators
Urbz, GIZ, Urbanista