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: 

  1. Tools that support the city to better manage overcrowding events  
  2. Interventions that improve citizen decision-making  
  3. Services that support vulnerable groups 
Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi
Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi

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. 

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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.

Judgement Criteria

The judging criteria will be used to evaluate the suitability of an entry for the Challenge and its potential for impact.

  • Innovation
  • Effectiveness
  • Data
  • Viability
  • Team Capacity

How to Enter?

Before completing your entry form, make sure that you:

How to Register?

Interested participants can register through this link.

Deadline

The deadline for entries is 6:30 pm IST / 13:00 UTC on Thursday 5 September 2024.

Click here to view the official notification of the Sustainable Cities Challenge Varanasi.

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