An "Action Planning Workshop for Tomorrow's Khokana" was held in Lalitpur on March 25, 2024. The primary objective of this one-day workshop was to share key research findings, processes, and efforts focused on the future of Khokana City, undertaken by Tomorrow's Cities (TC) teams led by Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward No. 21. Additionally, the workshop aimed to forge consensus among various stakeholders regarding future directions.

A total of 45 participants, including elected officials of LMC-21, community members of Khokana, and experts and members of the TC team, participated in the program. The workshop began with presentations on Tomorrow’s Cities Decision Support Environment (TCDSE), where leads of Work Packages (WP) 1 to 4 discussed activities carried out in each phase.

Dr. Ramesh Guragain, Deputy Executive Director of NSET, provided a brief overview of the Tomorrow’s Cities project in Khokana, highlighting extensive community engagement over the past four years. He emphasized the potential impact of replicating this model in other cities, not only for existing land use and development zones but also for future extension areas.

The recap session on TCDSE began with a presentation by Mr. Dilli Prasad Poudel from the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS). Subsequently, Ms. Aditi Dhakal, Urban Planner from NSET, presented on visioning scenario development for future Khokana under Work Package 2 (WP2). Mr. Vibek Manadhar, Structural Engineer from NSET, discussed the multi-hazard physical and social impact assessment of Khokana under Work Package 3 (WP3), and Ms. Nisha Shrestha, Director at NSET, presented about the risk agreement workshop conducted in Khokana under Work Package 4 (WP4).

Following the TCDSE recap session, a panel discussion on the possible way forward for mitigating hazard impacts in Khokana was conducted. Mr. Rabindra Maharjan, Ward Chair of LMC-21, Khokana, chaired the session, with other panelists including Helen Maharjan, ward Member of LMC-21, Prof Max Hope of Leeds University, UK, Dilli Poudel from SIAS, and Surya Narayan Shrestha, Executive Director of NSET. Dr. Ramesh Guragain, Deputy Executive Director of NSET facilitated the session.

The program concluded with a brief session where Ms. Manjali Shakya, Deputy Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, served as the chief guest. Speaking at the program, Ms. Shakya expressed her commitment to implementing the city plan developed for Khokana and assured her that there would be no obstacles in its implementation.

Mr. Rabindra Maharjan, Chairperson of LMC-21, expressed gratitude to all organizations involved, terming it as the foundation stone for the project's implementation. He also assured all stakeholders of seeing preliminary results within the next three years.

Prof. Max Hope suggested seeking support from various agencies for implementation. Dr. Amod Mani Dixit, President of NSET, highlighted the usefulness of the city plan not only for Khokana but also for other cities within Nepal and internationally. Dr. Dixit emphasized the need for continuous improvement and updating of the plan, integrating it with the plan of Lalitpur Municipality.

Under the project, NSET has developed 3D Model for Tomorrow’s Khokana city. NSET President Dr. Amod Mani Dixit and Dr. Max Hope from Tomorrow’s Cities research project handed the model to Deputy Mayor Ms. Manjali Shakya and Ward Chair Mr. Rabindra Maharjan for to Lalitpur Metropolitan City.

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