Abstract
The Editors Preface
The world today is witnessing an unprecedented pace of urbanization, with cities evolving as epicentres
of economic activity, technological innovation, and demographic concentration. According to UN, 55% of
the world’s population lives today in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to about 70%
by 2050. While urbanization brings opportunities, it also poses formidable challenges—particularly in the
Global South, where rapid population growth, inadequate infrastructure, environmental degradation, and
climate vulnerability converge in complex ways. Global South faces some of the most pressing
environmental and developmental challenges from deteriorating air quality to climate vulnerability and
fragmented urban governance. Addressing these multifaceted challenges demands not only scientific and
technological solutions but also inclusive, interdisciplinary, and participatory approaches.
The Research Council of Norway–funded project URSA MAJOR: URban Sustainability in Action: A Multidisciplinary
Approach through Jointly Organized Research Schools is coordinated by the Nansen
Environmental and Remote Sensing Center in Norway with partner institutions from Norway, India, US
and Germany. Within its broader vision the URSA MAJOR Hackathon 2024: Sustainable City Development
– Environmental Scenarios in the Global South was conceptualized. The hackathon, hosted in the coastal
city of Kochi, India, served as a vibrant, transdisciplinary platform where young researchers, early-career
professionals, as well as academic and practitioner experts converged to ideate, collaborate, and cocreate
solutions for urban sustainability, tailored to the realities and aspirations of the Global South.
The hackathon brought together 22 young researchers, students, and 12 experts from diverse disciplines
and geographies to explore sustainable urban transformation through immersive, hands-on engagement.
Over six days of intensive interaction - preceded by preparatory sessions, lectures and followed by
continued research and dialogues among the student and expert participants. The participants delved into
the intricacies of air quality monitoring and modelling, remote sensing of environmental status, and
barriers for smart city development, with a clear emphasis on actionable outcomes and policy relevance.
Through continued engagement toward publishable research outputs, this initiative bridges the gap
between theory and practice, data and decision-making, science and society – across their individual
disciplines.
Participants were mentored by a distinguished panel of national and international experts who brought a
wealth of knowledge and multi-disciplinary experience across domains such as atmospheric sciences,
environmental engineering, climate studies, urban governance, numerical modelling and digital
technologies. Tools such as AERMOD for air dispersion modelling, GIS for spatial analysis, and qualitative
policy review methods were integrated into group research activities, thereby exposing participants to
real-world challenges and identification of research-driven solutions.
This technical report Sustainable City Development – Environmental Scenarios in the Global South - Report
on the URSA MAJOR Hackathon 2024 is presented as part of the NERSC publication series, documents the
process, content, and outcomes of the hackathon in depth. From keynote lectures and technical sessions
to group projects and post-hackathon impacts, it reflects the spirit of co-learning and -creation, problemsolving,
and transdisciplinary collaboration that defined the hackathon. It highlights the outcomes of three
research group projects (in Section 8) focusing on:
• Urban Heat Island and land use change in Kochi,
• Comparative air quality assessment in Delhi and Kochi, and
• Social and institutional challenges to smart city governance in India.