Design Policy a Strategic Step to Bring in Best Practices: Minister Riyas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala State Design Policy, approved by the State Cabinet today, is a strategic initiative that will fast-pace the state’s journey towards a design-based economy by ensuring sustainable growth and resilience of multiple domains including Tourism and Public Works.

Terming it as an upfront initiative that promotes innovation and competitiveness, Minister for Tourism and Public Works, P A Mohamed Riyas said the policy will usher in a design-integrated ecosystem in the state.

“The policy aligns well with the government’s lead to develop the state as a knowledge-based economy, aiming at domestic and global market capitalization by enhancing capabilities in all critical sectors,” the Minister said.

The policy will serve as a set of guidelines for the Government to enact rules, plan and implement programmes and projects and set in motion various processes to scale up design capabilities, the Minister said.

It will also have a decisive say in drawing up sustainable and resilient strategies in key sectors including healthcare, education, creation and maintenance of public assets and addressing impending challenges like climate change.

The policy will help lay down the best practices to be followed in designing physical assets such as roads, bridges, streets, signages, tourism infrastructure and public spaces.

Improving the quality of life and creating public services and their prompt delivery is a key aim of the policy.

It will also facilitate Kerala to emerge as a global design hubby developing an ecosystem that promotes design-driven economy, besides generating more job opportunities and opening up more livelihood arenas for the youth.

The preparation of the Design Policy involved a three- stage process starting with identifying and deliberating the critical issues by involving stakeholders across the design fraternity.

In January 2023 a two-day workshop was held with the participation of all the stakeholders in the design sector including academicians from IITB IDC, SPA Delhi, CET Trivandrum and design professionals, architects, urban designers, landscape designers, heritage experts, and professionals from creative industry, product designers, industrial designers, interior designers and artists.

Decision makers and implementation authorities including policy makers and officials from various Government departments and public sector undertakings were part of this vision team.

The ideas and suggestions that emerged from intense deliberations were assimilated and consolidated for formulating the design policy.

The workshop was held in nine sessions headed by respective leads, covering various domains. The outputs from each of these sessions were consolidated and a six- member expert committee vetted and drafted the policy guidelines and strategies for the Departments of PWD and Tourism, Government of Kerala.