Queen’s academic appointed Chairperson of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission in India
Dr M. Satish Kumar, Associate Professor from the School of Natural and Built Environment, Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, at Queen's University Belfast, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission in India.
The Government of Kerala has appointed Dr Kumar because of his expertise in urban development from a global perspective.
Kerala, with a population of 30 million, is a biodiverse, cosmopolitan state located in the southwestern corner of India, with its long coastline, it is highly vulnerable to climate change. The rate of urbanisation in Kerala is high, and it is expected that over 92 percent of Kerala's population will live in urban areas by 2036.
Since 2015, Kerala has been experiencing extreme climate events. The 2017 cyclone and the floods in 2018 and 2019 highlighted the urgent need to strengthen systemic capabilities to anticipate and address various climatic shocks and risks. Therefore, the Government of Kerala is the first state in India to set up an 'Urban Policy Commission' to help address these issues in the future.
The Minister of Local Self Government, M.B. Rajesh said: “As the distinguished Honorary Global Chair for Sustainable Development Goals, Dr Kumar brings vast experience and interdisciplinary scholarship to help steer policy thoughts on critical issues of urban development.”
“We are confident that Dr Kumar, with his familiarity with global urban discourses, will provide expert advice to the State Government as the Chairperson of the Urban Policy Commission, to prepare the blueprint of a sustainable urban policy for Kerala.
“We look forward to working with Dr Kumar and continuing to develop our relationship with Queen's University.”
President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's, Professor Sir Ian Greer said: “I am delighted that Dr Satish Kumar has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission.
“This is an honour for Queen’s University Belfast and reflects Dr Kumar’s experience and significant collaborative efforts working within India, gaining the respect of those he has worked with, and I am confident he will use this position to help steer policy in the critical areas including urban development, decarbonisation, heritage conservation, and sustainable and planned urbanisation.”
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