The smart cities project is steadily taking shape
The Union Government’s plan for a 100 smart cities is gradually taking shape. During the course of US President Barack Obama's three-day tour, the US Trade and Development Agency agreed to work with Central and State authorities to develop the three cities of Ajmer in Rajasthan, Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, as smart cities. This follows a similar announcement from Japan promising to help develop Varanasi as a smart city on the lines of Kyoto, apart from setting up the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor that also includes seven new smart cities. China, South Korea, Singapore, Germany and the UK have also expressed interest in this mega-project. So, what exactly is a smart cityIJ Generally, a smart city refers to an urban settlement that is powered by information and communication technology. Think of mobile phone apps that give commuters real time data about bus timings and sensors that monitor water purity and air quality. But in the Indian context, a smart city is not just about leveraging technology for better urban living — it is, in fact, primarily about basic town planning, providing innovative solutions to resource management problems, and good governance. According to a concept note prepared by the Union Ministry for Urban Development, the key features of a smart city will be “good infrastructure”, “reliable utility services” and “transparent” citizen-friendly processes, besides having other futuristic facilities.
The focus will be on four features: The first is the development of economic hubs (by improving port trade facilities, as in Visakhapatnam, or boosting religious tourism, as in Varanasi, Allahabad and Ajmer). This will create new jobs and opportunities because, ultimately, people migrate to cities in search of better prospects. Second, there will be an improvement of urban facilities. Smart cities will have proper water and power supply; effective trash and sewage management facilities, and strong public public transport networks. Third, citizen safety will be prioritised — so there'll be more CCTV cameras and smarter policing options. Finally, smart cities will be green and sustainable. Homes and offices will be designed to run on renewable energy sources (think rain-water harvesting on every terrace), landfills can be converted into parks (like Hanuel Park in Seoul). Notably, there will be two kinds of smart cities: Old metropolises, such as Varanasi, that will be refurbished; and new settlements, that will either be built from scratch, such as Dholera in Gujarat, or upgraded from small towns, such as Ajmer. A good example of a smart city is the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City. A proposed financial hub, it is accessible from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, and is expected to have solar panels, automated garbage collection and a hi-tech public transport system.
The importance of smart cities in India's economic growth story cannot be understated. Just about 30 per cent of India's population lives in the cities today, but it contributes about 60 per cent of the country's GDP. In the next 15 years, it is estimated that urban India will contribute nearly 75 per cent of the GDP —but that's only if one can take the load off existing cities which are already bursting at their seams.