Release
2009-2010 Future Cities India 2020 Student Infrastructure
Design Projects Exhibition to Open at American Center
Innovative Projects Propose Ideas for Redeveloping New Delhi’s Chandni Chowk District
The Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, and Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure that sustains our world, announced that the innovative student projects submitted to the 2009-2010 Future Cities India 2020 infrastructure design competition will be on display 13 January 2010 at the American Center in New Delhi, India. Launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Bentley in 2006, Future Cities India 2020 is a partnership among government, universities, and the business community to actively engage students from Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) schools to develop solutions to real-world infrastructure challenges. It encourages students to use their design skills, along with Bentley software, to help prepare India for the year 2020, when it is estimated that more than 50 percent of its citizens will live in the country’s largest cities.
This year’s projects focus on the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest markets in central north Delhi. The 15 student teams in the competition addressed three requirements in their conceptual design for the redevelopment of the district:
Utilize the existing land and infrastructure to the best advantage;
Propose a congestion-free transportation plan for Chandni Chowk;
Integrate the principles of environmentally sustainable designs.
Scott Lofgren, Bentley global director, Be Careers Network, said, “Future Cities India 2020 encourages India’s youth to choose a course of study that leads to a career in one of the architectural, engineering, and construction disciplines. Each year, the student participants use their creative vision to produce outstanding projects that will help lessen the impact of population growth in India’s cities, and this year is no exception. All those who view the 2009-2010 competition exhibit at the American Center will undoubtedly be impressed by the highly imaginative, top-quality project work on display.”
The Future Cities India 2020 infrastructure design projects will be on public display at the American Center (located at 24 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 13 January 2010. Admission is free.
About the American Center
The American Center in New Delhi presents a broad range of activities promoting professional, academic, and cultural relations between the people of India and the United States. It represents the American Embassy vis-à-vis the Government of India in official business related to education and culture; provides funding for and administrative support to the bi-national Fulbright Commission, established in 1950 and now known as the U.S. India Educational Foundation (USIEF); supports programs and exchanges that allow Indians and Americans to share ideas and experiences on diverse issues; and maintains the American Library at the Center, which provides timely, reliable, and comprehensive information on contemporary American politics and government, economics and trade, foreign affairs and defense, the rule of law, human rights, and the environment.
About the Department of Science & Technology
The Department of Science & Technology (DST) was established in May 1971 with the objective of promoting new areas of science and technology (S&T) and to play the role of a nodal department for organizing, coordinating, and promoting S&T activities in the country. The DST has major responsibilities for specific projects and programs as listed below: formulation of policy statements and guidelines on science and technology and coordination of areas of science and technology, in which a number of institutions and departments have interests and capabilities; support of basic and applied research in national institutions throughout the country and provision of minimum infrastructural facilities for testing and instrumentation; support of critical technology programs; support of autonomous research institutions, whose specialization ranges from advanced medical research materials to astronomy; fostering international cooperation and establishment of special joint centers/projects; support socially oriented S&T interventions in rural areas for weaker sections; support knowledge-based and innovation-driven entrepreneurship development to create self-employment opportunities; popularization of science and technology; providing scientific services in terms of surveying and maps for defense, external affairs, state governments and several other developmental agencies through Survey of India (SOI) and National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO); providing meteorological services for agriculture, water resources management, disaster warning, and civil aviation, as well as providing seismicity data through India Meteorological Department (IMD); and Management of Information Systems for Science and Technology and Natural Resources Data Management Systems (NRDMS).
The present program was initiated by NRDMS, which has a mandate of developing spatial infrastructure, GIS, and natural resources data collection for social and economic development. NRDMS, in its initiative to harness young minds’ creative skills to address local issues by way of design, interaction, communication and spreading awareness, developed the Future Cities India 2020 program in India in collaboration with Bentley.
For more information about the DST, visit www.dst.gov.in.
About Bentley Systems, Incorporated
Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,700 colleagues and offices in more than 45 countries, achieved in 2008 the milestone of $500 million in revenues, and, since 1995, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.
For additional information about Bentley, visit www.bentley.com. To subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts, visit www.bentley.com/rss/news. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, visit www.bentley.com/yearininfrastructure. For information about Be Communities, a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit https://communities.bentley.com.