On July 4, 2025, the Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) welcomed a senior delegation from India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), led by Additional Secretaries Ms. D. Thara and Mr. Satinder Pal Singh. Their participation signaled India’s high-level attention being given to knowledge and capacity building for urban development.
The delegation explored TDLC’s experience as a global urban knowledge hub, where for over 20 years the center has distilled urban lessons from Japan and international practice and applied them to real-world challenges in developing countries. TDLC’s integrated model—combining Technical Deep Dives, operational support, and city partnerships—has informed more than 470 World Bank projects across 100+ countries, contributing to tangible impact on lending and policy design.
Discussions focused on the mechanisms that underpin TDLC’s approach to knowledge sharing, including governance structures, peer learning, and methods of scaling while maintaining relevance and quality. While the nature of MoHUA’s plans differs—focused on internal learning for government officials—the visit highlighted the value of TDLC’s model as a reference point.
For TDLC, the visit was further recognition of it's growing traction as a global model for knowledge sharing in urban development. TDLC is currently in discussion with the Government of Japan for the fifth phase of the program. Looking ahead, such exchanges may also inform new directions for TDLC as it prepares to launch Phase 5 of its program, including potential support for countries seeking to build their own knowledge-sharing platforms.