Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard is speaking a lot these days about the environment and how sustainable cities can be built. He recently returned from speaking in India about the topic as a part of the U.S. State Dept. speaker’s bureau.
The six-term mayor was in India from Nov. 15 to 25 and visited Hyderabad – the sister city of Indianapolis – Mumbai, Trivandrum, Kolkata and New Dehli. He met with TV and print journalists in India, politicians, faculty at local universities, members of the World Wildlife Fund, environmental engineers and others.
Brainard focused his remarks on how municipalities in India can borrow from Carmel’s example to become “smart cities” with innovative design and environmentally-friendly practices.
“When I started building the Carmel city two decades ago, I wanted it to be beautiful, walkable and people-friendly,” Brainard told reporters in Hyderabad. “Mixed land use made a lot of difference for us. We have dedicated lanes for people to walk and ride bicycles. It not only made our city environmentally-friendly but also healthier.”
Roundabouts and bike trails were of particular interest to Indian reporters asking about Carmel.
Brainard had a packed itinerary, participating in discussions with the Foundation for Futuristic Cities, the Environmental Protection Training and Research Institute, the Hyderabad Urban Labs, U.S. consulates and more.
