Latest news with #SchoolofPlanningandArchitecture
India Today
16 hours ago
- General
- India Today
Changing the urban landscape School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada
SPA Vijayawada makes students ready for coming challenges. Partnering with governments and top institutes, its data-driven urban research, climate-resilient planning and studies in capacity development are shaping policy SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, VIJAYAWADA (SPAV) No. 3 (2025) up from No. 9 (2020) Established in 2008, and inspired by the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV) has grown as an institute of national importance, shaping architecture and planning professionals through world-class education, impactful research and ranked excellence. SPAV provides student-centric undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes supported by the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, ensuring that every learner is mentored, engaged and future-ready. 'This has enabled SPAV to make significant contributions to the fields of built environment, design and sustainable development,' says its director, S. Ramesh. In its diverse range of academic programmes in architecture, planning, design and building engineering and management, SPAV emphasises on interdisciplinary learning and practical training, making it a destination of choice. A hallmark of SPAV academic profile is the AMRUT Centre for Urban Planning and Capacity Building (ACUPCB), established under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). It has positioned SPAV at the forefront of urban research, with an emphasis on climate-resilient planning, coastal vulnerability and capacity development. Through ACUPCB, SPAV conducts training programmes and supports municipal governance via planning tools and data infrastructure. It has hosted over nine capacity-building programmes on themes like coastal resilience, urban heat mitigation, natural resource management and environmental simulation. These programmes blend fieldwork, technical software training, stakeholder engagement and policy insights, empowering over 110 urban professionals across ministries, academia and municipalities. In addition to training, ACUPCB leads research projects across India. These address urban challenges such as low-emission zones, energy efficiency in bylaws, urban heat mitigation, flood resilience and transportation flows—providing data-backed solutions rooted in field realities. Projects are being carried out in Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kakinada, Hyderabad, Machilipatnam, Tirupati and Vijayawada. SPAV has collaborated with institutions like IIT Roorkee, SPA New Delhi, NID Andhra Pradesh, National Remote Sensing Centre ISRO, Andhra Pradesh government departments and ASSOCHAM. These collaborations span areas like capacity-building, regional planning, green infrastructure, GIS (geographic information system)-based research and policy development. SPAV also does its bit for social advancement. Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), it has adopted five villages in Krishna district—Savarigudem, Jakkulanekkalam, Kesarapalle, Ajjampudi and Buddavaram, supporting development planning and awareness drives.
New Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Andhra Pradesh gears up for Swachh Survekshan Grameen with State-level workshop
VIJAYAWADA: A State-level workshop aimed at enhancing Andhra Pradesh's performance in Swachh Survekshan Grameen-2025 was held at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) Auditorium in Vijayawada on Thursday. The workshop drew participation from ZP CEOs, Superintending Engineers, RWS officers, District Panchayat Officers, and sanitation consultants from across the state. Swachh Andhra Corporation Chairman Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram, addressing the gathering, said the survey would assess States on four key parameters—Service Level Progress, Direct Observation, Citizen Feedback, and Functionality of Assets. He stressed the need for coordinated efforts to improve AP's position, which ranked 12th from the bottom in the previous survey and had no district in the top 50. Blaming the previous YSRCP government for neglect of rural sanitation, Pattabhiram highlighted the renewed focus under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's leadership. He said the CM had declared the third Saturday of every month as 'Swarandhra–Swachh Andhra' Day to encourage public and official participation in sanitation activities. He announced that AP would be the first State to implement a circular economy policy and establish a dedicated recycling park to strengthen long-term waste management. Outstanding performance by officials and districts will be recognised by the Chief Minister, he added. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Commissioner Krishna Teja and others also addressed the gathering.
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Urban Adda 2025: Aravalli collapse will cripple NCR's climate defences, warn experts
As bulldozers inch deeper into the Aravallis and unchecked urban sprawl carves away its ancient ridgelines, experts at Urban Adda 2025 issued a stark warning — the degradation of the Aravalli ecosystem could upend Delhi-NCR's fight against air pollution, water scarcity, and urban heat. Speaking at a panel co-hosted by GuruJal and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, environmentalists called the Aravallis not just a green buffer but the region's last line of defence against environmental disaster. 'Creeks and groundwater recharge zones are vanishing,' said Dr Ranjana Ray Chaudhuri of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). 'This is not just biodiversity loss — it's a suicide pact with climate.' The warning is particularly relevant to Gurugram, where encroachments into the protected Aravalli range have intensified. Despite court orders and safeguards under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), large tracts of forest land have been carved up for illegal farmhouses, luxury villas and wedding venues in areas such as Raisina, Gwal Pahari, Sohna, Ghata, and Basai Mev. Entire hillsides have been flattened to make way for private estates, often registered as agricultural land on paper. Activists said the scale of tree-felling and topsoil stripping has triggered aquifer collapse, desertification, and a dramatic loss of native wildlife. Chetan Agarwal, forest analyst and senior fellow at CEDAR, said Delhi-NCR's next Master Plan must integrate natural conservation zones (NCZs) with legal mandates. 'We can't afford another planning document that ignores the ecological spine of this region. The Aravallis are not empty land for exploitation — they're living infrastructure essential for resilience.' Nidhi Madan of Raahgiri Foundation echoed the urgency, calling the destruction 'an irreversible ecological crime'. 'Cities must adapt to the geography they occupy — not bulldoze it. What's happening in the Aravallis is not growth, it is erasure,' she said. The panel called for an empowered Aravalli Conservation Taskforce to crack down on illegal construction, monitor deforestation, and prosecute offenders. They also pushed for a joint conservation pact between Haryana and Rajasthan, backed by the Supreme Court's central empowered committee (CEC), to conduct updated surveys and rehabilitate degraded zones. As Delhi-NCR grapples with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and worsening air quality, the message at Urban Adda was unequivocal: saving the Aravallis is no longer optional — it's the survival strategy for the capital.
India Today
05-06-2025
- Health
- India Today
Light pollution is making you sick, fat. Yet regulatory practices remain scant
Around 80% of the world's population lives under skies classified as "light-polluted," according to the World Atlas of Artificial Sky Luminance (2016).While establishing a direct causal relationship between light pollution and metabolic diseases in India is challenging due to the lack of controlled studies, there is ample global evidence showing that light pollution has severe health impacts, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and even Alzheimer's practice has consistently shown that hormonal imbalances and metabolic dysfunctions, including diabetes, have increased manifold in areas with high exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN). Experts have flagged stress, disrupted sleep, and circadian rhythm imbalances, all of which are exacerbated by light pollution, as major contributors.A team of researchers from the School of Planning and Architecture, in their study "Light Pollution in India: Appraisal of Artificial Night Sky Brightness of Cities", identified Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai as the most light-polluted cities in India. Experts have flagged stress, disrupted sleep, and circadian rhythm imbalances, all of which are exacerbated by light pollution, as major contributors. () advertisementThey classified light pollution as a side effect of rapid urbanisation, and the researchers further highlighted how increased use of outdoor lighting and rising night-sky brightness pose significant threats to both human health and environmental SPIKESA 2024 paper published in the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal described light pollution as an "alarming trend", stating that pervasive use of ALAN is emerging as a disruptor of natural circadian rhythms, potentially leading to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as poor sleep and erratic eating patterns. Read the full paperGerman researchers Jorien Laermans and Inge Depoortere, renowned for their work on circadian biology and metabolism, found that urban light pollution is a major circadian disruptor, and an emerging risk factor for artificial light at night is increasing by about 6% annually, and researchers such as Hlker, Fonken, and Nelson have all acknowledged its impact on rising obesity AND CIRCADIAN DISRUPTIONAnd that's just the beginning of the damage.A Spanish study found higher risks of breast and prostate cancer among people exposed to elevated levels of artificial light at night. An Israeli study recorded a 73% increase in breast cancer incidence in areas with high night-time illumination. ALAN is believed to subdue melatonin, an essential hormone for regulating circadian rhythms. Globally, artificial light at night is increasing by about 6% annually. () This influences cancer development either through hormonal disruption, or impaired DNA repair, or even increased cell proliferation, and chronic IN ACTION: REGULATIONStreetlights, illuminated billboards, neon signage, white industrial and office lighting at night, and household lights are known to be major sources of light about 1 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, HP, Haryana and other states (annual energy savings of 6.71 billion kWh and reduction of GHG emission by 4.63 million tCO2 every year), light pollution itself remains largely so long ago, in April 2025, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that there is no statutory framework in India to regulate light pollution, highlighting a critical policy in December 2024, the Panchtatva Foundation had also filed a case citing ALAN's disastrous impact on human circadian health. The NGT proactively sought responses from relevant ministries but till date no concrete regulatory action has been light at night may be invisible to the eye as a pollutant, but its impact on public health, ecology, and climate is undeniable. It's time policymakers took ALAN seriously before our cities become even brighter, fatter, and Watch
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
UP signs MoU for ‘sustainable and inclusive urban growth'
The Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Department signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi to ensure sustainable and inclusive urban growth in the state. The agreement, which was formalised at the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies in Lucknow and is supported by Tata Trusts, comes under the Urban Development Department's Akanshi Nagar Yojana and aims to address the challenges faced by smaller urban local bodies in urban planning training and capacity building. The department will run special training programmes for officials of local urban bodies in collaboration with SAP. The initiative will focus on building a strong network of trained urban managers to deal with unique challenges faced by smaller urban local bodies, such as infrastructure development, resource management, and sustainable growth. Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary (Urban Development), said no town, big or small, will be left behind in the state's journey of urban development. The partnership will offer training programme, promote collaboration with state and regional institutions, and offer training manuals that reach the grassroots level.
