Developing countries like ours are majorly dependent on the hope for a better future—that hope is given by smart cities which mark the signs of development both economically and socially. The Smart Cities Mission is an initiative by the Government of India to accelerate the growth of cities and towns in the country. The smart outcomes planned under the mission touch upon every sphere of city life including:
- Community building
- Sustainable planning
- Resource management
- Technological advancement and more.
Launched in 2015, the mission has set a deadline for June 2023—the span within which it aims to convert 100 cities in the country into smart cities that will redefine the urban landscape of India. As we move closer to the deadline, new innovations and newer updates are coming into light to give us better clarity into this mission whilst promoting our interests.
Here are the top updates from the mission that promises us a smarter future:
ClimateSMART cities assessment has been launched for 100 smart cities
The smart cities have answered to the alarm of climate change with the new Climate Smart Cities (CSC) assessment tool that traces the reason for climate change in major cities and suggests solutions that can potentially reverse the change. It indicates important data including the greenhouse gas emissions, existing green cover, air quality index and more that help in identifying the areas that need attention. The solutions attributed to these areas of focus include a number of initiatives including waste management, energy-efficient infrastructure, water management and more implemented by National Institute of Urban Affairs.
Since the climate change has brought adverse changes across the world in this year, this assessment tool will become a revolutionary solution to our cities.
Smart cities will soon have a sustainable revenue generation model
The core concept of smart cities talks about sustainability, in a 360-degree perspective. It calls for sustainability not only in terms of LEED certified building and eco-friendly lifestyle, but also in terms of investment, revenue generation and other economical aspects. The mission is expected to evolve into a sustainable revenue generation model that can make it independent in terms of funding.
Since funding has been a main driving factor behind the completion of the projects under this mission, this news turns out to be positive for us.
Uttar Pradesh leads in the completion of Smart City projects
The smart city challenge is as tedious as it is effective. Most of the cities have faced roadblocks and delays in completing the projects as per the plan, due to a number of issues including the effect of the pandemic, adverse climate changes, calamities like floods and rains, among may other reasons. From the statistics, it is seen that Uttar Pradesh has made the most progress amidst the challenges by completing over 50% of its projects in 14 of its cities and more than 30% in the rest. Some of the noteworthy, award-winning projects include:
- Eco-restoration of Assi river at Varanasi (Theme: Water)
- Microskill development at Agra (Theme: Economy)
- Smart cities leadership for Varanasi (Second position)
- Covid innovation for Saharanpur (First position)
It is notable that the state of Uttar Pradesh is followed by Rajasthan, Delhi, Odisha and Gujarat in the order of ranking.
Gujarat completes 67% of projects in the 6 cities nominated
With almost 335 smart city projects planned, Gujarat successfully completes over 67% of them and has Surat to its credit—Surat has won the Smart City Awards of 2020 and has continued to show progress as the best performing city, across challenging areas of focus including:
- Water treatment projects
- Integrated water supply systems
- Sustainable business models
- Urban mobility and more.
Other initiatives from Surat Corporation that received good reception include:
- Bicycle for change
- Street for people
Alongside Surat with 82 projects, the below smart cities have been planned in Gujarat with respective projects and areas of focus:
- Rajkot, 72 projects focusing on master planning works of specific zones, construction of affordable housing units, improved infrastructure across waterways, roadways etc.
- Ahmedabad, 68 projects focusing on construction of underground smart bins for waste management, implementation of smart sanitation, beautification and lighting of bridges etc.
- Vadodara, 54 projects focusing on Smart upgradation of water pumping systems, development of slum-free zones, construction of flyovers, intelligent transit systems etc.
- Gandhinagar, 51 projects focusing on retrofitting of roads, use of battery-operated vehicles, upgradation of sewerage etc.
- Dahod, 37 projects focusing on automation of water supply systems, overbridge construction, development of sports complexes, cultural centres etc.
Smart cities are to be awarded in 7th Smart Urbanation 2022
The promising progress in the smart cities mission across the country is setting new standards for Indian cities that are ready for the next round of smart city awards, announced in the 7 Smart Urbanation 2022 happening in Mumbai, on August 26 2022.
Let us support the smart cities mission and be proud of our cities and their new achievements in construction and other areas.
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