“Creating Gurgaon’s Soul” was the theme of the discussion at the consultation held at Epicentre, Apparel House, Gurgaon. The event held on 6th May 2009 attracted citizens of Gurgaon from diverse backgrounds.

Sanjeev Sanyal, Founder of The Sustainable Planet Institute introduced the agenda and spoke about “The Mirabilis Matrix” a holistic urban strategy for India. A panel of speakers then assessed Gurgaon on the parameters set out by The Mirabilis Matrix. Rajat Ray of Sushant School of Art and Architecture spoke about the ‘Lack of Urban Design in Gurgaon’. Swanzal Kapoor, founder of ‘I am Gurgaon’ informed the audience about their organization’s initiatives to make a positive change in Gurgaon. Amit Kapoor, Chairman of The Institute of Competitiveness spoke about the competitive aspects of cities with a special focus on Gurgaon. Lastly, Umesh Anand Publisher of Civil Society, a monthly news magazine, stressed on making governments accountable for sustainable cities. The session was concluded with a panel discussion, which was moderated by Raj Liberhan, Director of India Habitat Centre.

From L to R: Umesh Anand, Publisher and Chief Editor of Civil Society; Amit Kapoor, Chairman, Institute for Competitiveness and Professor at Management Development Institute(MDI);
Rajat Ray, Officiating Dean, Sushant School of Art and Architecture;
Sanjeev Sanyal, Founder and Managing Trustee, The Sustainable Planet Institute and Senior Fellow, WWF-India