Smart Cities – A Critical Appraisal
Dr. Jaspal Singh, Chief Engineer, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
A 'smart city' is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres. Though this may sound futuristic, it is now likely to become a reality as the 'smart cities' movement unfolds in India.
Smart city is not an alien concept to us Indians. The Harappan civilisation (2750-1800 BCE) was way ahead of its time in urban development. That level of development was seen again only during colonial rule (18 – 20th century AD). Examples from our rich history can also help in creating smart cities.
Across the world, the stride of migration from rural to urban areas is increasing. By 2050, about 70% of the population will be living in cities, and India is no exception. It will need about 500 new cities to accommodate the influx. There is accordingly a crying need for the cities to get smarter to handle this large-scale urbanization and finding new ways to manage complexity, increase efficiency, reduce expenses, and improve quality of life.
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Published on:
13 January 2016
Published in: NBM&CW January 2016
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