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Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi [Open to All; Funding Worth Rs. 20 Crore+]: Submit by September 5

Ananya Sharma

Jul 23, 2024
3 min read

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Sustainable Cities Challenge, hosted by the Toyota Mobility Foundation, invites innovators worldwide to develop data-driven solutions aimed at making Varanasi safer. The deadline for submission is September 5, 2024 6:30 pm IST.

Introduction

The ancient city of Varanasi, known for its religious significance and cultural heritage, is seeking innovative solutions to manage the crowd flow in its old city of Kashi. The Sustainable Cities Challenge, hosted by the Toyota Mobility Foundation, invites innovators worldwide to develop data-driven solutions aimed at making Varanasi safer and more accessible for residents, religious tourists, and vulnerable populations.

About the Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi

Create innovative, data-driven solutions that make crowded areas of Varanasi’s old city of Kashi safer and more accessible for religious tourists, local residents and vulnerable populations (such as elderly people and people with disabilities).

Successful solutions might include:

Tools that support the city to better manage overcrowding events
Interventions that improve citizen decision-making
Services that support vulnerable groups

How can we make crowded areas of the city safer and accessible for everyone?

Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi is supporting innovators to develop solutions by providing:

Up to ten 41L+ / $50,000 implementation grants in the semi-finalist stage
Up to five 1 Crore+ / $130,000 implementation grants in the finalist stage
12 Crore+ / $1.5 million final implementation funding, to be shared among up to 3 winners
The opportunity to engage directly with city leaders
Access to city stakeholders including problem-holders, end users and beneficiaries
Access to a network of like-minded innovators
Access to capacity building support in user-centred design and other related areas

All funding must be used to develop, test, demonstrate, and implement solutions in the City of Varanasi.

Why do we need to make crowded areas safe in Varanasi?

The City of Varanasi is located in Northern India along the Ganges River. It is thought to be one of the oldest cities in the world and is an incredibly important pilgrimage site. Large volumes of people visit Varanasi’s old city (Kashi) every year for pilgrimage, end of life traditions, and other religious and cultural activities. In 2022, the annual floating population was estimated to be 35 times the local population.

The old city comprises narrow, winding lanes, making it difficult to build infrastructure to accommodate the influx of people. A growing number of private vehicles are used to navigate these lanes, which contributes to a complex environment prone to crowding. Varanasi seeks to attract pioneering solutions that will enable more effective crowd management, and in doing so position the city as a global success story.

Timeline

June 27, 2024: Challenge launch.
September 5, 2024: Entry deadline.
November 2024: Semi-finalist announcement.
May 2025: Finalist announcement.
Early 2026: Winners announcement.

Eligibility

Entries that do not meet the below criteria are not eligible for the Challenge.

The solution must be tailored specifically for and implemented within Varanasi’s old city of Kashi.
Entrants can be single organizations or consortia.
Teams that enter as a consortium must nominate one organization as the lead entrant. The lead entrant will enter into contracts and receive funding from the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
Entrants must be established as a legally incorporated organization to enter.
 Entrants must have a presence in India (if a consortium, at least one company must have a presence in India)
The Challenge is open to innovators worldwide, but entries must be in English.
Successful entrants must be willing and able to travel to the city of Varanasi as there will be expectations for on-the-ground presence during the next stage of the Challenge.
Entrants must be able to work with local government.