All you need to know about a 'Smart City'

The Centre on Thursday declared the names of 98 cities selected for the 'Smart City Project'. This is a flagship project which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his government was sworn into power last year. 

PM Modi's Union Cabinet announced the approval of Rs 48,000 crore that will be allocated to the Smart cities Project.

The Union Development Ministry said that they will provide Rs 100 crore per city per year over the next five years.

While Uttar Pradesh has maximum of 13 cities, followed by 12 by Tamil Nadu and 10 by Maharashtra to be developed as Smart Cities, Madhya Pradesh has seven cities in the project.

Karnataka and Gujarat have six cities each while Bihar and Andhra Pradesh has three each and rest of the states have two and one cities respectively in the project. 

All Union Territories, including Delhi have found place in the list.

Here are some pointers about what is a 'Smart City':

What is a 'Smart City'?

Smart City is nothing but a vision of a city that will be equipped with basic infrastructure. 

The urban planners ideally aim at developing the entire urban eco-system which will comprise of institutional, physical, social and economic infrastructure.

Objective of a 'Smart City'

The main objective of a smart city is to promote the already existing cities and to provide the citizens core infrastructure and a decent quality of life with clean and sustainable environment.

What are the core elements of a 'Smart City'?

The smart city project will provide the citizens with these core elements which will in turn benefit the society:

1. It will provide the citizens with adequate water.

2. Electricity supply will be assured to the citizens.

3. Proper Solid waste management and sanitation will be provided.

4. Public transport will be provided to the citizens which will help in efficient urban mobility.

5. This project will also provide affordable housing for the citizens especially for the poor.

6. Information Technology connectivity and digitization will be given a push.

7. This project will also ensure that the citizens enjoy good governance especially e-Governance.

8. Sustainable environment is also an essential part of the smart city project.

9. Safety and security of citizens especially women, children and the elderly will be given priority.

10. Health and educational aspects will also be kept in mind.

Purpose of a 'Smart City'

According to the Smart City Mission, this project will drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people and enable development of local areas.

It will help harness technology which will lead to smart outcomes. The government aims to redevelop slums and convert them into better planned ones which will in turn improve the livelihood of the entire city.

To accommodate expanding population of the country, new areas will also be developed around the already existing cities.

A smart city will be the one which will be able to use technology, information and data to improve infrastructure and services.

It will also focus on employment and that the poor and the disadvantaged have some source of income.

Features of a 'Smart City'

1. To make use of the land close to one another and make land use more efficient.

2. Housing opportunities will be expanded for all, basically a 'Housing For All' motive.

3. One interesting factor of the this project is that the government plans to reduce congestion, air pollution and resource depletion to create walkable localities.

4. Public transport and road network will be enhanced but pedestrians and cyclists will also be given their space by providing services to them.

5. Parks, playgrounds and recreational spaces will be developed. This is to enhance the quality of life of citizens and to promote eco-balance.

6. Governance will be aimed to be citizen-friendly and cost effective. Online services will be provided to the citizens and they will get an opportunity to participate in the governance through e-Governace.

7. The city will be given an identity which will be based on the main economic activity and these include enhancing local cuisines, health and education facilities. Arts and culture, sports goods, furniture, textile and hosiery will also be enhanced.

8. The government plans to apply smart solution to the infrastructure by making areas less vulnerable to disasters and by providing cheaper services to its citizens.

What is the strategy of a 'Smart City'?

There are four main strategies to develop a city in the Smart cities Mission:

1. Retrofitting: To achieve smart city objective the government has introduced this strategy to plan on existing built-up area which will make the place more liveable and efficient for the citizens.

This strategy aims to be completed in a shorter time frame which will lead to a replication of another part of the city and is applicable for 500 acres of land.

2. Redevelopment: This strategy is to replace an existing built-up area to enable creation of a new layout with enhanced infrastructure which will be made using mixed land use and increased density. 50 acres of land will be needed to fulfil this strategy.

3. Greenfield: This strategy will introduce smart solutions in a previously vacant area which has to be more than 250 acres. Innovative planning, land reconstitution, affordable housing will be the main features of this strategy.

The main aim of this strategy is to  address the needs of the population which is expanding day by day. 

4. Pan-city: Pan-city is an additional feature to be provided which will lay out smart solutions to the already existing city-wide infrastructure, according to Smart City Mission report.

This strategy includes providing smart solutions to the transport sector by reducing the travel time and cost of citizens which will in turn have positive effects on productivity and quality of life of the citizens.