United Technologies' Citizens for the City Honors 12 Neighborhood Champions

BENGALURU, December 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

India's First-ever Neighborhood Improvement Partnership (NIP) Challenge Sees a Grant of Nearly Rs. One Crore to Winning Projects 

United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) today announced 12 winners of India's first-ever Neighborhood Improvement Partnership Challenge (NIP), an initiative of UTC's Citizens for the City Program. The winning projects and support teams will collectively receive a total amount of nearly Rs. 1 crore. The 12 winners will implement projects in the areas of mobility, waste management, public safety, autonomous building, water quality and rejuvenation of public spaces.

"Communities in Bengaluru have shown that they are willing to come forward and be solution finders rather than mere critics of the challenges they are confronted with," said Ashok Mirchandani, Managing Director, Carrier Transicold, Asia Pacific, United Technologies. "We hope that through our Citizens for the City campaign, we have sparked a movement that will see more neighborhoods to come forward and find solutions to some of the most pressing urban challenges."

Launched in May 2015, Citizens for the City's Neighborhood Improvement Partnership Challenge garnered 145 registrations and 86 proposals from across Bengaluru. Of these, 32 were shortlisted, followed by a selection panel who declared the 12 winners. Each of the 12 winners underwent a comprehensive review, and the projects that required building and zoning permissions were forwarded to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for approval. The winning projects will be completed within a span of six months.

A dedicated team from Centre for Public Problem Solving (CPPS) and WRI-India in conjunction with United Way of Bengaluru (UWBe), Bangalore Politcal Action Committee (BPAC) and The PRactice spearheaded by the Neighborhood Improvement Challenge, has been mentoring communities, establishing a support network for the participants and creating a robust framework for execution of the winning projects in the city. CPPS and WRI-India will continue to work with communities and monitor the progress of the work until project completion, while UWBe will be responsible for fund disbursements to all relevant parties.

"Neighborhood Improvement Partnership is an idea whose time has come, as has been proven by the response to the challenge," said Kalpana Kar, Founding Partner, CPPS. "The projects we have received break down complex urban problems to the neighbourhood level, with solutions that can be executed easily and replicated across the city. The biggest achievement for the NIP Challenge is that we have a framework today that involves citizens in urban problem solving along with parastatals responsible for the City's functioning."

"The overwhelming response to Neighborhood Improvement Partnership Challenge demonstrates greater awareness of urban problems at the neighborhood level," said Chris Rao, Vice President and Country Head, UTC Aerospace Systems, India. "We hope the 12 winning projects will become exemplary models for other communities to replicate, easing neighborhood challenges to a great extent."

Details of Winners

Transforming an Environmental Hotspot: The Defence Colony Link Road

Organization: DECORA

Area Name: Defence colony, Indiranagar

Ward no.: 80, Hoysala Nagar

Zone: East

The project proposes to re-design an existing garbage transfer point (primary collection transfers to secondary) in the neighbourhood, to a clean and efficient garbage transfer station. The station spanning 1500 sq. ft., is expected to handle 500 kg daily waste from 1000 households. The site design will include a leachate filtration system and follow the MSR rules of no garbage on ground.

Angavikalaru Anandam (Disabled Delight)

Organization: The Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind

Area name: Nehru Nagar, Sheshadripuram

Ward no.: 94, Gandhinagar

Zone: West

The project looks at re-designing a dilapidated neighborhood park to be disabled-friendly in order to make it an accessible, usable and a safe recreation space for 150 blind children and 250-300 visually impaired and orthopedically disabled visiting the centre. This is also intended to benefit other residents of Risaldar Street and V.V. Girl slum (50,000 population).

Creating Safe Neighborhoods- Empowering Communities

Organization: Enfold Proactive Health Trust

Area Name: Madiwala

Ward no.: 172, Madiwala

Zone: South

The project looks to conduct training sessions for personal safety of children for teachers, nurses and policemen in Madiwala. For the selected ward, the training sessions are proposed in a total of 3 schools, 2 anganwadis, 2 hospitals/nursing homes/clinics/health centres and 1 police station over 3 months.

Multiple Cycle parking facilities in HSR layout

Organization: Soma Sundarapalya Neighbourhood Improvement Trust

Area Name: Soma Sundarapalya

Ward no.: 174, HSR Layout

Zone: Bommanahalli

The project looks to provide 23 cycle stands, as infrastructural support for cyclists in the neighborhood as means to aid last mile connectivity and short trips within the neighborhood. The stands are proposed at thirteen locations near markets and bus stops making up a circuit of approximately 15 km.

Inclusive Integrated Energy Centre

Organization: Selco Foundation

Area Name: Pottery Road

Ward no.: 102, Vrisabhavathi Nagar

Zone: South

The project looks to pilot a manned kiosk at a bus stop - as a charging station, powered by solar energy to provide 24/7 'on demand', easy to access, pay-per-use lighting and mobile charging services. The targeted users for this service are slums, street vendors and low income houses.

Using Zero Electricity STPs to Cleanse Polluted Kaluve

Organization: FoRCE Brookefields

Area Name: Brookfield, Kundalahalli

Ward no.: 85, Doddanekkundi

Zone: Mahadevpura

The project proposes to construct an underground zero electricity anaerobic STP with a processing capacity of 100KLD to treat sewage flowing in the neighborhood Kaluve. Once treated, the water is to be released into rainwater harvesting percolation pits (to be built in residual area of the site), while the excess water is to be let out continuing downstream into a lake.

Laning at Major U-Turns

Organization: Ashima Open Homes Owners Welfare Association

Area Name: Ginger Hotel U-Turn, EPIP, Whitefield.

Ward no.: 82, Garudacharpalya & 85, Doddanekkundi

Zone: Mahadevpura

The project aims to redesign a road junction to reduce unnecessary traffic congestion and increase road safety with behavioral change through lane discipline. The proposal is to organize the existing U-turning based on scientific road standards accompanied with complementary road signage.

Navigation Maps & Sign Boards

Organization: Welfare League Indiranagar

Area Name: Indiranagar 2nd stage, 10th main

Ward no.: 80, Hoysala Nagar

Zone: East

The project aims at providing well-designed street signage in the neighborhood, for way finding and navigation. In addition to street names and orientation maps, it will also provide information with regard to civic services in the area such as spots for garbage collection, parking zones and surrounding amenities.

NIVASA Suitcase Proposal

Organization: Nivasa

Area Name: Pattandur Agrahara

Ward no.: 82, Garudachar Playa

Zone: Mahadevpura

The proposal looks at addressing temporary housing solutions for migrant construction workers, offering portable housing that provide humane living conditions. The project proposes to pilot a cluster of six housing types, as easy to build structures adaptable and expandable to individual needs.

Wet Waste Composting and Permaculture

Organization: Rise HAL 3rd Stage RWA

Area Name: HAL 3rd Stage, New Thippasandra

Ward no.: 58, Hosathippasandra

Zone: East

The project aims at setting up a waste segregation model for the neighborhood of 250 homes (1000ppl). This is to include a '2 bin 1 bag' system for enabling segregation at source and a wet waste management comprising of in-situ composting and permaculture in the neighborhood park.

Comprehensive Transport Plan

Organization: Team Sanjaynagar & Jwalamukhi

Area name: Sanjaynagar

Ward no.: 19, Sanjaynagar

Zone: East

The project looks to provide 40 cycle stands, road safety signage and traffic calming interventions in the ward of Sanjaynagar to provide safe environments for cycling and walking and increase the number of people doing so in the ward. In addition, it will also focus on behaviour change through awareness and outreach programs in the schools, homes and cycle day events as well as introduce traffic safety wardens.

Street Lighting with Sensor Based LED Lighting

Organization: Sri Sri Paradise & New Tippasandra Residents

Area Name: 3rd Main, New Tippasandra

Ward no.: 58, Hosathippasandra

Zone no.: East

The project looks to introduce, as a pilot, 20 sensor based LED lights in neighbourhood street streets, replacing high energy guzzling HPSV lamps. Since the HPSV lamps are often left on through the day, the intervention will also prevent the resulting loss of electricity from the same. This intervention is expected to result in savings of close to 99,000 per year for BBMP.

About Citizens for the City 

Citizens for the City is an initiative launched by United Technologies Corporation (UTC) to foster and support community engagement for sustainable urbanization. The initiative, launched in Bengaluru, along with partners BPAC, Centre for Public Problem Solving, WRI-India, The PRactice and United Way of Bengaluru is organized as a Challenge between neighborhood groups in different localities, to select and financially support proposals for civic improvement that are innovative and replicable. Citizens for the City is also a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, showcasing the potential of Corporate Social Responsibility to tackle and overcome development challenges, and to promote an active sense of responsible citizenship through research, reports, competitions and other initiatives.

About United Technologies 

United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. United Technologies Corp. has committed Rs. 1 crore through its subsidiary in India UTC India Private Ltd. To learn more about UTC, visit the website at http://www.utc.com or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

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