These smart cities will be built along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The smart cities will be equipped with an array of modern technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT), Machine to Machine communication (M2M) and mobility, and therefore, there can be an increase in demand for new specialist roles in the IT sector. Hence, the job opportunities will also be created.
However, to make the Project successful, the Modi Government will need to create ‘Smart City Council’ and bring in all necessary stakeholders in the smart city together.
In fact, India can learn a lot from Korea, which has recently built a Smart City – Songdo City. This city has been touted as the ‘City of Future’ because of the way it has been conceptualised and designed with the use of state-of-the-art technologies. Songdo has been created to solve the problem of rapid urbanisation, which is also India’s major challenge.
Indian metro cities are reeling under pressure because of migration, which is also creating lodging problems along with other issues.
According to a report published in Korea Joongang Daily, MNCs like Samsung are also developing Smart city technology with an eye on markets, which are rapidly urbanising Asian cities. The report says that China is aiming to move some 250 million people to such cities by 2025. And Songdo is an answer to some of the world’s urban challenges. Songdo was created out of muddy tidal flats until land reclamation paved the way for the 1,500-acre city on the edge of the Yellow Sea, 40 miles from central Seoul.
Songdo is a unique model of Smart city. However, the question of whether it will be a viable model to be brought to cities facing basic problems like slums in India or polluted industrial areas in China has many other aspects, the report said. Another factor which has to be kept in mind will be affordability along with environmental sustainability.
These factors will definitely pose a challenge for a country like India, where most of the people do not even have an access to potable drinking water or proper toilet facilities. Forbes in its article on Building 100 Smart Cities in India says that the Smart cities, which will be built on DMIC corridor – a stretch of some 1000 km between Delhi and Mumbai. It is expected to fetch India billions of dollars because of overseas investment. The investors are expected to invest in developing manufacturing zones, business centres and new smart cities along with a dedicated rail freight corridor.
The challenges before the NDA Government include:
- Rapid urbanisation of cities: India is nearly one-third urbanised in comparison to China, where urbanisation crossed 50 per cent in 2013 and is expected to cross 75 per cent in next 5 years. Moreover, this trend will further accelerate according to the economy growth.
- Another factor which will challenge Government of India is the massive migration to urban areas, which will define the future of Indian economy – very much in line with the urbanisation happening all over the globe.
- Smart cities need multidimensional, integrative thinking.
- Creating such new satellite cities need to be closely tied to the concepts of sustainability. For instance, these new cities must have new types of transport systems to avoid congestion, construction of low energy housing materials, water harvesting techniques, extensive use of IT systems and the provision of e-Governance to its citizens.
Besides Songdo, India can learn from Singapore, which has utilised its limited land area, i.e., some 700 sq km. This small city has created smart green corridors and urban townships across the city. In fact, it has been lauded for its water management, extensive use of IT. Singapore is counted amongst world-class cities. Even China is taking cues from it on urban planning. According to Forbes article, Singapore is an ideal example for Indian Government, which is planning to construct 100 Smart cities. Developing smart cities based on Singapore’s and Songdo’s urban planning will definitely make India home to world class cities.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Aliya Abbas
Quelle/Source: Niticentral, 28.08.2014
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
