Comments (0)

|

Comments This Article

 

India on the Path of Massive Urbanization

A Roadmap for Smart Cities

AK Jain

I believe that IT+IT=IT. That means Indian talent and information technology is equivalent to India tomorrow. It is my firm belief that our talent will build the future of India with the help of IT…………………. Narendra Modi.

An Overview

India is on the path of massive urbanization. From 377 million urban population, living in 7936 cities and towns, it is projected that by the year 2030, 600 million people will live in urban areas and 68 cities in India will become metropolitan (million plus). Massive efforts and investments will be required for augmenting the infrastructure services, mobility and housing. Although the cities generate 60% of GDP and 70% jobs, the state of housing and basic infrastructure services remain awfully poor, impeding sustainability and economy.

It is estimated that as per conventional practice there may be a need for 20,000 Sq km @100 ppha to accommodate the additional 200 million population. However, in view of difficult and costly land acquisition, under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, it is necessary to adopt a strategy of recycling and densification of existing urban areas and minimize the need for new land acquisition. If an overall city density of 400 ppha is adopted and about half of 200 million population is accommodated in existing urban areas, then only 2500 Sq km (250,000 ha) green-field areas will have to be acquired and urbanized. This would mean development of 100 smart cities for a total population of 100 m at an average of 1million per city.

Table 1.1: India's Urban Trajectory.

Source: Census of India, 2011 & McKinsey Report, 2010.

A city is synergy of people in space, ecology and infrastructure which leads to economic growth and acts as a cultural hub. However, the decay and haphazard development continue to scar our cities. The quality of buildings and infrastructure services remains awfully poor, impeding sustainability, safety, liveability and prosperity.  Low productivity, poor infrastructure services, particularly lack of public toilets, power, water, sanitation, sewerage, drainage and solid waste disposal, inequities, high rental and property costs, long building cycles and lack of security, especially of the women, poor maintenance and cleanliness are the hallmarks of the Indian cities. This is compounded by the lack of innovative, visionary and futuristic plans. Indian city planning and management are yet to embrace the strides in information technology in which India is a leader. This means that the cities need to be designed, built and serviced as sustainable and smart cities. These will be more automated and connected with high-quality and innovative system of services, transportation, information technology, energy efficiency and maintenance which are de rigueur of a smart city. The infrastructure services and transportation play a major role in making cities productive and sustainable. To make the best use of limited resources-financial and land, a futuristic vision is a pre-requisite in the provision of infrastructure, mobility and public utilities/amenities that would leverage community and private sector participation.

Time, quality and cost have always been the traditional factors in urban development process. Today a new value system is emerging which is enveloping these concerns. These are human safety and satisfaction, ecological sustainability, inclusion and smart services.

Making Cities Smart

Cities are complex systems which involve people, multiple agencies, departments and organizations. The availability and quality of the ICT infrastructure is not the only definition of a smart or intelligent city. Other definitions stress the role of human capital and education and learning in urban development. It has been shown, for example, that the most rapid urban growth rates have been achieved in cities where a high share of educated labour force is available. Innovation is driven by entrepreneurs who innovate in industries and products which require an increasingly more skilled labour force. Because not all cities are equally successful in investing in human capital, an educated labour force, 'the creative class' is spatially clustering over time. This tendency for cities to diverge in terms of human capital has attracted the attention of researchers and policy makers. It turns out that some cities, which were in the past better endowed with a skilled labour force, have managed to achieve spatial homogeneity by progressive clustering of urban human capital.

The breakthrough in technology has multiplied the space, energy and time. It has realized the dictum - "less is more" with the practical applications of microchips, micro-computers, microwaves, nano-technology, etc. The buildings and services are yet to capture this breakthrough. It is time that new forms of energy, services and construction are evolved. Renewal energy and recycling must be the key concepts in services and buildings. A new pattern is emerging, shrinking space and time. The network of society, cyber-space, utopia is changing the familiar borders like inside-outside, private-public, here-there, city-country and yesterday-tomorrow. The world of space and place is characterized by online exchange of information, interactions, dynamic networks and floating nodes. Recycling of wastewater, rainwater harvesting coupled with waterless toilets will save the environment and avoid impending water crisis.

To meet citizen expectations, the following key service areas need to be handled in a smart, intelligent ways:

Planning and Management: A city plan should realize full potential for citizens and businesses while efficiently running daily operations.

Human services: A city must provide services that support the social, health and educational needs of citizens.

Infrastructure: A city must provide the fundamental infrastructure to deliver services such as water, energy and transportation while making the city a desirable place to live. Cities contain intelligent networks, sustainable buildings, and mobility systems. A blueprint for smart cities focuses on intelligent computing infrastructures with cutting-edge advances in cyber-physical systems and innovation support the cities and achieving effective operations and smarter buildings. Maintenance of the infrastructure, responding to emergencies, performing preventive maintenance and conducting regular inspections is crucial part of its operation. By ITC platform, the utilities can attend the trouble by sending teams with specific skills, such as hydrant repair or valve inspection, or send along a particular piece of equipment. Utilities need ways to maximize the utilization of crews and equipment while minimizing "windshield time" the work-related time spent travelling to and from sites.

Improved facilities and asset management: Asset utilization can increase by 10 to 20 percent with the reduction of downtime and elimination of duplicate or unused assets. Building maintenance costs can also be reduced.

Reduced energy usage: Monitoring and analyzing best practice across the property portfolio, identifying anomalies in operations and tracking and identifying the best energy investments can dramatically reduce energy consumption.

Improved space utilization: Integration of major building systems on a common network helps optimize use assignment and space configurations, eliminating unused or underperforming space, as well as raising user satisfaction. LEED and Energy Star-compliant buildings typically have higher occupancy rates, with less turn over. A variety of studies have demonstrated significant productivity increase in smarter buildings.

ICT Enabled Infrastructure Services

A smart city is intrinsically linked to the knowledge - based society where innovation and technology are main drivers of growth, collective community intelligence and local capacity. This requires a planning paradigm pertinent for local-urban-regional development and innovation management. By developing sector - focused, cluster - based intelligent city strategies, territories can set in motion innovation mechanisms of global dimensions and enhance substantially their services and systems. The critical factors are those affect resource use and carbon emissions, such as energy use, transportation, waste prevention and recycling, air quality, water quality, affordable housing, green space and buildings. This implies the need to rethink and reshape the urban environment comprising transportation infrastructure, zoning, building codes, waste management, open space and greens, etc., which make the city more efficient, sustainable, and smart. The ICT (Information and Communication Technology) can help in the integration of citizen participation, governance and online consultation over plans and programmes of local development. The smart city concept includes the following:

Smart Energy: The power demands in cities are growing exponentially, generation of which emits about one-fourth of carbon footprint, besides action to reduce the power demand, the energy systems need to be smart and sustainable.

For most energy and utility companies, success will be achieved through transforming the utility network, improving generation performance, and transforming customer operations. They are making investments to upgrade the capabilities of the grid and to enable consumers to take a more active role in managing their energy use via smart meters, connected appliances, and web portals. Utilities are installing technologies that improve the efficiency of the grid, developing new capabilities for integrating renewable energy into the grid, and equipment for storing energy, so power can be made available when it is needed.

The resulting smarter energy systems will help the enormous energy saving operating costs and reduce the need to build more capacity. This also helps to anticipate detect, and respond to problems quickly; empower consumers; and help integrate electric vehicles and energy from renewable sources. The term "smarter energy", denotes integrated, scalable system that extends from businesses and homes, through the distribution and transmission systems, back to the sources of energy. A smarter energy system is instrumented, with sensors and controls embedded into the fabric of its operations; it is interconnected, enabling the two-way flow of information - including pricing - and energy across the network; and it is intelligent, using analytics and automation to turn data into insights and to manage resources more efficiently.

Smarter grids also stand to be more resistant to attack and natural disasters. A next-generation grid that anticipates, detects, and responds to problems quickly has the potential to reduce wide - area outages to near zero, and at a lower cost. Consumers empowered with better information can make smarter choices about how they use energy. By integrating energy from renewable sources like solar and wind onto the grid, overall impact on the environment can be curtailed, and cities can be more self-sufficient in energy.

Smart Utilities: aim at high quality water supply, drainage, sewerage, streets, waste management in catering to growing population. For water supply the ICT solutions, such as SCADA system, enable enhanced efficiency and transparency. Similar benefits are available in respect of solid waste management and other utilities. It is difficult to conceive of urban infrastructure without ICT solutions. ICT controlled three bins recycling adopt separate bins for trash, recyclable and compost. Collection charges drop as trash drops. Satellite controlled park and lawn micro-irrigation system cuts water consumption and pumping power.

Smart Mobility: Intelligent transport solutions can provide seamless, safer, efficient and effective management of public transport systems. Similar results are also visible from use of IT in the planning and management of transport infrastructure and services like taxies, autos, goods  transport, signaling system, signage, transport simulation, etc.

Intelligent Community Frameworks: Community facilities such as health, education, recreational and other neighbourhood services need to be planned to the highest standards of leadership in energy and environmental design (LEEDS) that save energy, materials and emissions. A smart neighbourhood strives to achieve infrastructure efficiency, conservation of water, energy and natural resources.

Smart and Green Buildings: can give energy saving up to 30 %, reduce carbon emissions, provide higher efficiency and comfort with lesser energy consumption. The city and buildings have not only to be comfortable, green and efficient but also intelligent and integrated. Super-insulated windows quadruple the thermal performance of double panes and can be made from the glass in existing windows. A sensor controlled photo-voltaic cell and smart glass technology save on air- conditioning and high energy cost.

ICT Enabled Public Services and e-Governance: ICT can enable coordination and e-governance, together with sharing the information amongst the various city departments, residents and other stakeholders. ICT enabled functions and specifics are shown in the following table:

 

ICT Enabled Functions and Specifics

	ICT Enabled Functions	Implementation Specifics
1	Energy	Energy networks, smart grids Smart meters, smart buildings Renewable energy grid Electric vehicle Power quality monitoring Energy conservation monitoring Bionic Controls Intelligent management/maintenance, MIS
2.	Public Utilities	Intelligent water and sewerage networks with minimum losses and leakages Intelligent metering, billing and payment Waste management Food Supply Plug the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) losses Identifying leaks using non-invasive techniques and advanced analytics, by managing the pressure in the network at pumps and valves, and by  reducing energy  consumption of pump motors
3	Smart mobility	Simulation modeling Smart cards Smart signals, traffic controls, variable signage, mobile enabled real time maps/routes, way finding ICT enabled traffic control Safety and security, accident monitoring, forensic analysis Infrastructure integration Maintenance, MIS and management
4.	Intelligent Community  Framework	Guide for Intelligent Community Planning Education Recreation Residential
5	Smart and Green Buildings	Integrated environment measures Smart building Building Information Management City Administration Centre Environment management Technology and Innovation Centre
6	Telecom Network  Public Service and Governance	Land Information System, digitised mapping, SDI, Geo-portal, GIS based property records, plans and transactions On line building plan approval Broadband development Home automation Internet access in public libraries ICT support and training Library business corners for starting and running small businesses Public Security System and Safety Digital business centre, automated messaging/mass short message service (SMS) Consolidated billing Business incubation center Climate street Electronic trade office e-governance

 

e-Governance

“To me, e-Governance is nothing but easy, economic and effective governance. e-Governance is a key component of good governance, which is key to sustainable development”.

Narendra Modi (Gandhinagar, 2011)

In any city there are more than 100 citizen services that require engagement with civic authorities for enquiries, registration, form submissions, payments, grievances, etc. It is a time taking process for the citizen. The availability of e-gateway for citizen service delivery has attracted much attention in municipal governance and bringing out a silent revolution in many city corporations, breaking away barriers of distance, class and gender. The GIS enables any citizen to take photo on mobile and send an SMS to the administration. The dashboard will capture and address the complaint and even escalate the matter to higher authorities, if unaddressed.

So far, e-governance services have been mostly delivered individuality, there has not been significant effort at integration. Utilizing the ICT infrastructure for delivering integrated services through web and mobile platforms will metamorphose e-governance

Mumbai has 60 layered features of GIS mapping which is geo-referenced and include the following:

• Complaint redressal platform
• Town planning permission and licensing
• Water and property tax administration
• Public works- estimates and payments
• Octroi management
• Birth and death certificate
• Property registration
• Land services and slum surveys

GIS based Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Aamchi Mumbai (My Mumbai) provides e-services which are transparent, time-bound and integrated with related modules like property, town planning, trade and market license, water billing, etc. It reduces processing time for service delivery and is convenient due to single touch point services. It has yielded an image overhaul of ULB with better and corruption free citizen services. 

Municipal Administrative Information Network (MAINet) is a platform for governance and services. It aims to optimize transparency and accountability by automated access to more than 100 citizen services in Maharashtra

Geo- Portal

Delhi geo-portal aims to bring together various line departments on a platform for e-service delivery. The system is mobile and internet based, dynamically scalable. It helps in technology enabled management of land and infrastructure, planning and development. This yields better co-ordination and exchange of information, cost and time management. Citizen engagement becomes much easier and viable by virtual Town Hall interactions. Hybrid data centre, which is integrated yet decentralised, virtualises the resources according to the requirements of each Department. The geo-portal infrastructure platform provides a virtual environment focusing on the delivery of service. Besides, responding to immediate demands, problem,   geo-portal creates a ‘future ready government’ with spread, speed and on-line e-service.

The digital systems are increasingly creating an emerging sociology of urban space. It is redefining and imbibing the idea of exclusion and inclusion. The travel smart cards is already being adopted for seamless travel in public transport, access to public spaces, payment system/gateway and social services. It is also making travelling to local offices, banks or government departments for public services redundant. Digitized revolution is also helping in adopting innovative and eco-friendly urban practices, such as virtual town hall, security, traffic simulation, property registration, taxation, etc. Smart chips and systems can be embedded almost in every urban service and structure, making them smart and intelligent. These enable self-diagnosis and self- repair. The future is already upon us, and with a digital chips getting embedded in a city’s epidermal and exoskeleton level and also its connective tissues, cities are increasingly getting digitally scripted and coded.

Making Cities Safer and Gender Sensitive

Disasters and development often go hand in hand. The Indian subcontinent is vulnerable to droughts, floods, cyclones and earthquakes. Landslides, avalanche and forest fires also occur frequently. Among the 37 States/Union Territories in the country, 22 are multi-disaster prone. As much as 40 million hectare of land in the country has been identified as flood prone, and on an average 18.6 million hectare of land is flooded annually. About 57% of area of the country is vulnerable to seismic activity. 18% of country’s total area and about 68% of total sown area is drought prone, affecting approximately 50 million people. India has a long coastline of 8040 km, which is exposed to tropical cyclones and tsunami.

 

The growth of the cities in India had been amorphous and lack of planning has led to development of anonymous, unsafe and sterile settlements. The old cities and the inner city areas, largely inhabited by the poor, have remained neglected creating socio-physical segregation. Mass housing, suburbs and rapid private transport have further disintegrated the city. As a result, the Indian cities face accelerating dangers and threats.

Safety and security are wide ranging and multi-dimensional which involve various levels, departments and service agencies. The victims are often tossed from one department to another due to administrative jurisdictions and domains. As such it is necessary to set up an Emergency Response and Safety Centre as a common platform to provide instant response, rescue and relief to the citizens by coordinated action. Digitised and networked technology is applied to build up a unified command and information platform, which offers comprehensive emergency services, both for natural disasters and man-made hazards, crimes and accidents, providing, Police, Fire, Medical, Traffic and other services and assistance. Disaster Resilience comprises six Rs- rapidity, robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, reformability and recoverability. The key is the organisation of the physical, social, economic, institutional and infrastructure resilience for dealing with the risks, dangers and disasters.

Conclusion

India's economic growth is largely contingent upon the development of cities and infrastructure.  In 20 years India’s urban population will be double of what it is today, and the World’s largest cities will be in India. This has direct bearing on liveability and economic growth, but more importantly on the sustainability of Indian settlements. It calls for reviewing the ongoing urban planning and development and develop a new vision towards building smart and sustainable cities.