Zubizarreta, I., Seravalli, A., Arrizabalaga, S. (2015), American Society of Civil Engineers, Smart Cities: What It is and What It Should Be, 8pp.
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)UP .1943-5444.0000282
Smart city is one of the most important topics among urban planners in India. As a student, I really wonder how many of us can really describe a smart city. Will this program be able to change the lives of people or will it become a mere cosmetic element for a city?
Smart city is not a new concept in the global world. This provides us (Indian planners) with an opportunity to analyze the already implemented applications. Building up on them should be our major goal.
What does the paper say?
The authors have drawn attention to the concept of smart cities and how a holistic approach can be adopted for its implementation. They have talked about the importance of citizen participation and integration of different applications. Examples from different countries and their applications are explained.
They have specified European standards for smart cities, which are economy, people, living, governance, environment, and mobility. The authors have emphasized on the development of applications for not only a single classification but also should not impact other topics negatively. Energy consumption savings are usually classified as environmental applications, but they have a direct relationship with the economic savings (Zubizarreta, I., et. al).
Smart cities are not merely the execution of these applications; it is the integration between the different applications. There is no use of developing a single area within a city while the problem is on the city level.
What can we learn from the paper?
Implementation of smart city in India is divided into two parts; one is Area-based development and second is pan-city solutions. If we take up the example of Ahmadabad, ABD proposes new housing for slum and retrofitting of TOZ area. We have already seen in the past that merely providing a house to a slum dweller won’t do any good. A slum dweller requires equal economic opportunities.
The fear here is “Will the smart city be able to solve the problems that Indian cities are facing?” or “Will it be an overly-ambitious report to get funding from the government?”
