Kochi | Local Self Government Minister MB Rajesh said that the Kerala Urban Conclave, which concluded here on Saturday, was fruitful, yielding 300 actionable suggestions from the discussions.

His department (LSGD) organised the two-day conclave to draft the first-ever comprehensive urban policy for the state.

In a statement, Rajesh said that the conclave featured 34 sessions with the participation of 275 speakers, including urban experts from 12 countries, three ministers, and four mayors from abroad, and eight mayors from other Indian states.

A total of 3,115 delegates attended the sessions, making it one of the largest gatherings focused on urban development in the state, he said.

"These recommendations will now be compiled into a draft urban policy and presented to the state Cabinet for consideration. The policy will reflect a shared vision for the next 25 years of Kerala’s urban growth, developed with participation from across the political spectrum," he said.

As per a press release, the key recommendations from the conclave include the introduction of social audits for urban local bodies — which will be the first of its kind in India, if accepted and implemented — and the identification of five economic growth hubs around which future urban development will be planned.

Other proposals call for the creation of Business Development Councils for each city, the establishment of fact-based urban governance systems, and setting up urban observatories in all cities within two years, including a state-level observatory, the statement said.

Recommendations also focus on professionalising urban governance through participatory professionalism, performance-based evaluation of local bodies and officials, and enhancing citizen participation through technology.

A dedicated authority for waste management coordination, digitisation to improve tax collection, leveraging climate funds and green bonds, and encouraging investments from the Malayali diaspora were also proposed, the press release said.

The conclave emphasised the importance of cooperative sector involvement in urban development, exploring new revenue models, including public-private partnerships, urban beautification initiatives, the creation of “happiness parks,” and city rating systems modelled on Kozhikode and Thrissur’s UNESCO recognition, the statement said.

According to LSGD officials, two Letters of Intent (LoIs) were signed during the conclave to strengthen international collaboration.

One LoI was signed between the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) and UNU-CRIS, a research institute under the United Nations University in Brussels, subject to central government approval.

Another LoI was signed with UN-Habitat to position it as the policy partner for the upcoming Nava Kerala Urban Policy and to enable Kerala’s representation in global forums like the World Urban Forum.

Additionally, a child- and youth-friendly city charter, prepared by children under the leadership of UNICEF and KILA, was released during the conclave, reinforcing Kerala’s commitment to inclusive and future-ready urban development, LSGD officials added.