The challenging road ahead for our smart cities

Ambitious benchmarks are being set for the smart cities the government envisions.

The bar is being set high for the 100 smart cities that the government plans to promote in the country.

If the concept note (which has been described as a work in progress) is to be believed, this is how our smart cities are going to be:

• No commuter would have to spend the best part of his time on travel - not more than 30 minutes in small and medium sized cities and 45 minutes in metropolitan areas, for instance. Unobstructed footpaths should be a norm on either side of the broader roads. Not to speak of cycle tracks.
• And ninety-five percent of residents would not have to walk more than 400 metres to find parks, primary schools and recreational areas and also for shopping. It should be possible to access work places and public and institutional services using public transport or bicycle or by walking.
• The benchmarks cover different sectors including health and education. For example, telemedicine facilities should be available to 100 per cent of residents and the emergency response time should be no more than 30 minutes. The city should have Wi-Fi coverage.

Universities, medical colleges, engineering colleges and technical education centres should be so distributed as to cover a population of 10 lakhs each. And so on.

Read the news report from The Hindu

What makes a city smart?

Cities make for 31% of India’s total population and contribute to over 60% of India’s GDP. It is projected that urban India will contribute almost 75% of the national GDP in the next 15 years. Smart cities will form an important part of India’s plans for development and sustainable growth and improved quality of life for all.A smart city is developed by integrating numerous smart solutions designed for specific applications. Integration of all these solutions provides invaluable data for monitoring and planning future cities. The applications are endless. Let’s consider a couple of scenarios. For instance, you may not have to wait for buses or trains because you can know their exact location, estimated time of arrival and seat availability. Such a solution would see an increase in public transport usage, and the data thus generated would enable efficient planning of India’s transport system – something that’s been high on the government’s agenda for a long time.

Imagine smart tele-medicine solutions that can save lives-smart devices mounted in ambulances and automobiles that can check patient’s health status and link it to a network of hospitals for lifesaving support from doctors during emergencies, thereby ensuring necessary help is either ready or on its way.

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