DWIH Indo-German Conference on CityScapes Inaugurates in New Delhi
Cityscapes : Indo German Conference
The Indo-German conference on ‘CityScapes’ organised by the German House for Research and Innovation – DWIH New Delhi under the leadership of DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service, inaugurated today at the Indian Habitat Centre in New Delhi. This three-day conference, from 29th September to 1st October 2016, brings together scientists in the fields of energy, environment, cyber security and smart cities, from India and Germany, to discuss the global challenges of sustainable urbanisation. In addition, high-level speakers and senior leaders from the industry are also participating in lectures and panel discussions conducted by science experts.
The conference was inaugurated in the presence of H.E. Dr. Martin Ney, German Ambassador to India. Talking about the conference Dr. Ney mentioned “Cities are much more than the hardware of roads, houses and infrastructure. Cities are the home for people with all their dreams and aspirations. Their development and design must be made with their best interests at heart. That is the unique approach of India’s Smart Cities Mission and the reason why Germany is proud to partner with three of the Indian “Smart Cities” – Bhubaneshwar, Kochi and Coimbatore. German brings to the table not only decades of expertise and experience with city planning but also the technological solutions that German companies have to offer in the area of energy, water, waste treatment and traffic solutions.” The inaugural session also included two keynote addresses by Prof. Dr Frauke Kraas, University of Cologne on ‘The transformative power of cities: Challenges and Opportunities for India’ and Prof. Dr AbdouMaliq Simone, Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen on ‘Popular Urbanism in the Global South: On the Make+Shift’.
The programme of the conference started today with a Public Lecture on ‘Privacy and Security in Online Social Media’ by Dr Ponnurangam Kumaraguru, IIIT Delhi. The programme will include lectures and panel discussions, spread over two days, on various topics: Smart Energy and Construction, Impact of Urbanisation on Environment, Smart Cities: Industry Perspective, For a Future Sustainable Peri-urban India, Cities and Migration: Perspectives from Politics and Economy, Cities and Migration: Citizen’s Participation and Mapping Human skills. These will be coordinated by DWIH consortium members namely: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fraunhofer, Freie Universität Berlin, Heidelberg University, Max Plank Society (MPG) and Technical University of Munich (TUM).
The conference provides a platform to discuss issues and solutions pertaining to the effect of increasing world population on its immediate environment; need to develop efficient, low carbon energy alternatives for utilisation in industrial, agricultural, housing and transportation applications; security of ‘Cyber space’ that contains sensitive personal and Governmental information which is used in various applications including transportation; communication and scientific research. Apart from pressing issues such as energy, environment, cyber security etc. the theme of cities and migration throws up a host of other social and political questions. The focus will also be on the dynamics of diversification that requires asking how people of different nationalities, ethnicities, languages, gender etc. are creating new patterns of coexistence and where these patterns might lead to conflict.
The Indo-German conference on Cityscapes offers multiple perspectives – scientific, social and political – in order to enhance our understanding of this topic. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to network and establish contacts with colleagues from scientific community engaged in this important area of work.
About German House for Research and Innovation – DWIH New Delhi
Inaugurated in October 2012, DWIH New Delhi is a result of the German Federal Foreign Office’s strategic initiatives to internationalise science and research. Set up with the aim of enhancing the outreach of the German science and research landscape in India and exploring opportunities to synergise and stimulate cooperation between the German and Indian scientific communities, DWIH New Delhi is a successful consortium of 15 German organisations comprising funding institutions, research centres and universities. It is being headed by DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service and serves as a ‘one-stop shop’ for information on German science, research and innovation.
DWIH New Delhi consortium includes 15 German organisations namely:
1. Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH): www.humboldt-foundation.de
2. Bavarian-Indian Centre for Business and University Cooperation (BayIND):www.bayind.de
3. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH: www.giz.de
4. Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH: www.fz-juelich.de
5. Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG): www.fraunhofer.de
6. Freie Universität Berlin: www.fu-berlin.de
7. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): www.daaddelhi.org
8. German Research Foundation (DFG): www.dfg.de/india
9. Heidelberg University – Heidelberg Center South Asia: www.uni-heidelberg.de
10. Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC): www.indo-german.com
11. Max Planck Society (MPG): www.mpg.de
12. RWTH Aachen University: www.rwth-aachen.de
13. Technical University of Munich: www.tu-muenchen.de
14. University of Cologne: www.uni-koeln.de
