Urban Renewal
The Urban Renewal initiatives of Reliance Foundation strive to enrich and improve public spaces to improve the quality of life and infrastructure in cities.
Reliance Foundation seeks to develop and modernise urban infrastructure and to create inclusive access for all, including the specially-abled. Through these initiatives, the aim is to transform and revive public spaces, some examples of which are listed below.
Reliance Foundation also supports programmes for the cleaning and beautification of major public places and city landmarks, to create new spaces for recreation and leisure. The efforts contribute to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, through campaigns like Swachhta hi Seva, which mobilise local people to join Reliance volunteers in cleaning and restoring their communities. Communities also came together to clean and revive public spaces like Girgaum and Juhu beaches in Mumbai, Dal Lake in Srinagar, Patna Zoo, and two railway stations in Navi Mumbai, among other places catalysed by Reliance Foundation.
Developing modern urban infrastructure
The development of the Goda Park on the banks of the river Godavari in Nashik, in partnership with Nashik Municipal Corporation, included the construction of a children’s park, walkways and jogging tracks. The motive was to encourage cities to initiate steps for bringing phased improvements in community living.
Reliance Foundation also supported the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to set up a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) cell. The initiative enhanced MCGM’s efforts to build capacity to engage with corporate houses to support various civic services.
Near Chandigarh, Reliance Foundation constructed a unique park for specially-abled children on a six-acre site in Panchkula, the first of its kind in north India. The project, a collaboration between Reliance Foundation and the Haryana Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is uniquely designed to create a safer environment for specially-abled children to play, to develop their social, cognitive and sensory skills. Well-appointed, with areas for sensory play, solitary play and social play elements it has unique features like wheel chair accessible trampolines and merry-go-rounds, and disabled-friendly swings. The facility also has vocational trainers, speech therapists and physiotherapists on hand, to help the children learn and develop their skills.
Revitalising public spaces
Helping expand Vadodara’s green spaces, Reliance Foundation developed a new park near Vadodara International Airport, Gujarat with a playground and other recreational infrastructure for public use. It gives people of Vadodara a new space for an array of recreational activities, and has greatly enhanced the quality of life in the neighbourhood. The project also developed a horticulture circle around the airport to beautify the area and to enhance travellers’ first impressions of the city of Vadodara.
Reliance Foundation also supported the Municipal Corporation in beautification of two lakes of Thane District Upvan and Masunda. The beautification effort resulted in the lakes becoming prominent places for leisure and physical activities. Upvan Lake is also being used by Thane Municipal Corporation for organising art festivals.
In Mumbai, Reliance Foundation worked on the development of the Mumbai Port Trust Garden to install exercise equipment and a footpath for the general public besides setting up state-of-the-art “She Toilets” in Navi Mumbai with moderated access and complete safety, security and privacy for women users.