What is Smart City ?

       The government on Tuesday announced that 13 more cities will be eligible for priority funding under the Smart City mission. The mission took off earlier this year with names of 20 cities being announced for funding in the first round of the inter-city competition.

      The total proposed investment for the 33 cities, through Union and state governments as well as private funding, comes to Rs 80,789 crore.

      While Lucknow has got the highest score, the other cities in the order of their ratings include Warangal, Dharamshala, Chandigarh, Raipur, New Town Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Panaji, Port Blair, Imphal, Ranchi, Agartala and Faridabad. These 13 are among the 98 cities that were selected for the Rs 48,000-crore mission last year.

The core infrastructure elements in a Smart City would include:

i. adequate water supply,
ii. assured electricity supply,
iii. sanitation, including solid waste management,
iv. efficient urban mobility and public transport,
v. affordable housing, especially for the poor,
vi. robust IT connectivity and digitalization,
vii. good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation,
viii. sustainable environment,
ix. safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and
x. health and education.

Smart City Features:

Some typical features of comprehensive development in Smart Cities are described below.
i. Promoting mixed land use in area-based developments — planning for ‘unplanned areas’ containing a range of compatible activities and land uses close to one another in order to make land use more efficient. The States will enable some flexibility in land use and building bye-laws to adapt to change;
ii. Housing and inclusiveness — expand housing opportunities for all;
iii. Creating walkable localities — reduce congestion, air pollution and resource depletion, boost local economy, promote interactions and ensure security. The road network is created or refurbished not only for vehicles and public transport, but also for pedestrians and cyclists, and necessary administrative services are offered within walking or cycling distance;
iv. Preserving and developing open spaces — parks, playgrounds, and recreational spaces in order to enhance the quality of life of citizens, reduce the urban heat effects in Areas and generally promote eco-balance;
v. Promoting a variety of transport options — Transit Oriented Development (TOD), public transport and last mile para-transport connectivity;
vi. Making governance citizen-friendly and cost effective — increasingly rely on online services to bring about accountability and transparency, especially using mobiles to reduce cost of services and providing services without having to go to municipal offices; form e-groups to listen to people and obtain feedback and use online monitoring of programs and activities with the aid of cyber tour of worksites;
vii. Giving an identity to the city — based on its main economic activity, such as local cuisine, health, education, arts and craft, culture, sports goods, furniture, hosiery, textile, dairy, etc; viii. Applying Smart Solutions to infrastructure and services in area-based development in order to make them better. For example, making Areas less vulnerable to disasters, using fewer resources, and providing cheaper services.

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