Building Inclusive Cities - Innovative Pathways to Inclusion through Technology and Youth Engagement

The session, 'Building Inclusive Cities: Innovative Pathways to Inclusion Through Technology and Youth Engagement,' will explore the synergistic relationships between youth empowerment, technological innovations, and the creation of inclusive cities. With youth-led innovation and inclusivity at the core of it, the proposed event seeks to utilise the platform to showcase three approaches to build on this narrative. The session will have the following:
1. Launch of Initiatives and Website Demonstrations: The session will begin with the launch of two pivotal initiatives: a technology challenge and a youth-led urban research challenge. The 'Smart Solutions Challenge and Inclusive Cities Awards 2.0' aims to foster crowd-sourced innovative solutions that can create inclusive and accessible cities for all, but particularly for PwDs, children, women and girls, and older persons often left out of the rapidly changing smart urban landscape. With the larger goal to enhance urban service delivery, focusing on inclusivity and accessibility. Simultaneously, the 'Young Manch: Global Call for Research Articles' will empower young researchers to explore urban issues and contribute fresh perspectives on urban planning and policy-making. This challenge will engage youth in identifying local problems and proposing actionable solutions, thereby driving community-based urban development. The event will also serve as a global stage to unveil the research article compendium from the India leg of the challenge, which will reflect a youth vision for present and future cities. Following the launches, there will be a demo of a website. In-WARDS, developed by the India Smart Cities Fellowship Program of the MoHUA, is a geo-spatial dashboard which employs an innovative framework. The Ward-level Index for Service Evaluation (WISE) Framework was developed comprising three components: an indicator framework for ward assessment, a reward mechanism motivating citizens to showcase their SDG initiatives, and a citizen satisfaction survey on local government service delivery.
2. Expert Panel Discussion: The second half of the session will feature an expert panel discussion focusing on the criticality of youth empowerment and innovations in technology and assistive technology in localising and affirming the goal of inclusive cities as envisioned by the SDGs. Panellists will discuss the importance of engaging youth in urban development to reduce inequalities and contribute to sustainable cities. They will also explore the role of technological innovations, such as assistive technologies and app-based governance tools, in creating inclusive urban environments. Finally, the panel will emphasize the need for inclusive urban design that ensures all city residents have access to opportunities and services, aligning with SDGs 9, 10, and 11.