Our week at Oorvani: Meet, greet and learn | Lingering waste issues in Chennai, B’luru & Mumbai | Behind Chennai’s rising dengue numbers
Citizen Matters
Civic media with insightful reports, ideas & solutions for better cities | Empowering citizens & enabling change
And in roughly a week from now, on October 5th, we are trying something a little different in Bengaluru. We are organising an action workshop to find solutions for the notorious Iblur Junction in Bengaluru. This junction connects Bengaluru's IT corridor to the rest of the city. And it's particularly dangerous for pedestrians. We are planning to gather at Iblur junction with active citizens, understand road design from experts at WRI and come up with solutions in collaboration with the Socratus foundation. If this sounds like something you would like to do, join us next Saturday, October 5th. Spots are limited, so do register now.
Our team has also been enjoying representation and networking at external events over the recent weeks.?
At the Symposium on Data for Public Good, co founder Meera K spoke about our approach of enabling public problem solving, facilitating data-driven insight and civic action through Open City datajams. To sign up for updates on our data work, please sign up at bit.ly/opencity-newsletter
In a recent panel discussion at BIC, Dr A Ravindra former Chief Secy, V Ravichandar, Civic Evangelist and Oorvani Trustee Meera K dove into longstanding urban governance challenges and why solutions seem elusive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1800&v=LW3-
On the occasion of World News Day, our Consulting Editor Prachi Pinglay-Plumber represented Citizen Matters at a panel discussion on “Why Journalism Matters: Defending Truth in a Changing World" held at Christ University. Together with co-panelists veteran journalist Maya Sharma, Full-bright scholar and solutions journalist Holly Wise, and moderator Prof Max Martin, Prachi spoke of the need to stay with and look deeper into? immediate news developments, and the importance of ensuring solid evidence for stories in the face of various pressures.?
Satarupa Bhattacharya, our Managing Editor, attended the National Urban Convention 2024 in New Delhi, hosted by Praja Foundation and co-presented by UDRI and NIUA. The meet had three sessions to release three very important and insightful reports — on spatial planning, urban governance and municipal finance. Each was accompanied by thought provoking discussions on the complex phenomenon of India's urbanisation. We also met a group of very enthusiastic, aspiring journalists at the School of Media Studies and Humanities at Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies in Faridabad, Haryana. Satarupa met the group and spoke to them about the importance of local civic journalism, the implications for it in the age of digital media and AI, and the universal ideals of good storytelling.
领英推荐
Picks of the week - Citizen Matters
Meanwhile, our team of reporters and editors published some great stories throughout the week.?
Independent reporter Gangadharan B writes for Citizen Matters, putting up visuals of the regular nightmare for commuters who have to pass by Metro Rail construction areas.?
A team that had participated in the datajam on Urban Heat in Bengaluru, puts together their findings revealing the stark urban heat island effect in the industrial area of Peenya.
The spotlight on waste issues across our cities continues. Don’t miss the latest round-up of Bengaluru’s misguided integrated SWM policy, the shocking story of how a restored landfill in Chennai has slumped back into being a waste mountain, and a very timely interview with Mumbai civic activist Lillian Paes who talks about the role of citizens and the urgent need to get going on efficient garbage disposal. All this and more, as we leave you today:
To share your thoughts on the above, or anything else, do reach out to us at [email protected] or connect on any of our social media channels: Instagram | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook. Have a great weekend!