SMART CITIES-3
HOW TO MAKE EXISTING
CITIES SMART
The
present Govt. has embarked upon an ambitious program to create or develop 100
smart cities. Many existing cities have been identified and now, news reports
indicate, the Government has also shortlisted consultants to help it take the
process further. This issue has been one of great interest to me and I have
already published two posts on this. In the present post I would like to share
my own thoughts on how to go about making existing cities smart.
Most
Indian cities have evolved in a haphazard manner and without much control being
exercised on what gets created where. It is surprising that the evidence of some
form of town planning can be seen in ancient cities but this went missing in
modern India
Post-independence
the instances of planned cities being developed can be counted on fingertips.
Chandigarh is an example which readily crops up in our minds. However a visit
to the city will reveal how slowly but steadily the special features are being
eroded the city has started to go the way of all other cities.
Lavassa
is another name but on all accounts it is still not out of woods. This
aspect of intelligence by hind sight by the regulatory authorities also needs
to be squarely addressed.
Delhi
represents a typical example of how not to allow a city to grow.
Area
of New Delhi, which got planned and developed in British era; colonies such as
R.K. Puram, Sarojni Nagar, Laxmi Bai Nagar etc. developed by the Ministry of
Urban Development for residences of employees of the central Govt.; private
colonies such as Greater Kailash, South extension, Green Park etc. developed by
DLF fall in one category. This was followed by some areas developed by DDA for
plotted and Gr. Housing and there rests the story.
Nestled
in between these ‘developments’ were villages which lost their character as a
village very soon and grew up as clusters which had no civic amenity/planning
but earned value from the fact that they were situated close or within other
planned developments. Typical examples are Zamrudpur, Kotla Mubarakpur,
Pillanji etc. Development within these urban villages was aided and abetted by
unscrupulous elements who paid scant regard to the problems that they were creating.
All attempts to regulate or improve were negated. Even where the developments
were razed down, as in Pillanji village next to Sarojni Nagar, they soon
resurfaced and with vengeance. This was of course under political patronage and
bureaucratic apathy.
Even
in other planned developments by DDA or DLF rampant encroachment, illegal
construction has ruined the areas and stressed the civic infrastructure.
Problem is compounded by the fact that most illegal construction/alterations
have weakened the structures and made them more prone to damage in case of any
earthquake. It is common to see that in 4 storied DDA flats the occupant of the
top floor has added another floor on the terrace, balconies have been added
where none existed, residents of ground floor have opened windows in the walls
thus further compounding to risks. Encroachments on ground have reduced parking
places and made approach for emergency vehicles next to impossible.
I
have focused on the problems of Delhi because I live here and also because if
it is happening here in the capital city one can well imagine the plight of
other cities and towns. The situation is not good and this makes the task of
converting these into ‘smart’ cities all the more difficult.
To
move forward on this long road/journey here is my take on what can be done.
1.
The
entire package has to be taken in a holistic manner and under leadership of one
authority which in turn must have a well-defined organizational structure and
must be given a set of measurable targets to be achieved
2.
Each
aspect of civic infra must be taken up as distinct field in first instance. Following
are areas which should be considered for evolving plans and implementation
a.
Roads
& footpaths and street lighting systems
b.
Traffic
management
c.
Water
supply
d.
Sewerage
system
e.
Storm
water drainage
f.
Electricity
distribution and management
g.
Parks
and other green areas
3.
The
city/town then must be split into smaller segments which can be developed
independent of the other segments in the segments mentioned above. In each city
there will be some areas where one or other service/infra could be improved
with little effort. This is what has to be targeted straight away. Harvesting of
this low hanging fruit will help establish the efficacy of the program/plan and
will be a source of inspiration and example of what can be achieved for other
areas and what benefits can be drawn by citizens. This will be a huge incentive
in moving forward. Only issue that has to be taken care of is that some works
which may be easy to implement may have to be redone at later stage as other
works get done or planning will have to account for the likely disturbance
caused by subsequent works. This can be avoided by good foresight and by
sharing with citizens that the plan is not being implemented because of technical
concerns.
4.
Management
and enforcement must be segregated. It is not necessary that a domain expert
implementing or managing a sphere may be a good enforcer. So it is necessary to
segregate these. As a typical example traffic management & enforcing of
traffic rules should be segregated. There is no point in same entity discharging
both functions.
5.
After
the basics have been got right necessary IT tools must be introduced to help
manage the systems in a better and more coordinated manner. These IT tools can
be generic which can be applied to all cities which cross the basic infra
requirements. Rolling out generic IT solutions over a large number of centers
will help keep costs within limits
6.
On
issue of implementation I am of the opinion that selection of agency can be
considered for a cluster of cities as it will enhance the package size. This is
because the basic items of works will be common and working conditions will
also be, more or less, similar. However management of work for each should be decentralized
as each site will be distinct and can move independently of other sites.
7.
There
have been lots of reports on the costs involved in developing smart
infrastructure. There is no doubt that large amounts of money will be required.
However while computing this I am of the opinion the direct and indirect
benefits also must be monetized and deducted from project estimates. I am of
the opinion that the value of the benefits that will accrue should be directly
funded by a designated authority. For balance funds it would be worth trying to
get private equity by allowing them to charge for the services rendered and by allowing
them to exploit other areas. These areas can be in waste to energy, from advertisements
being permitted on roads etc. This will further reduce or distribute costs over
a larger period of time.
While
getting basic infrastructure is very important this is something which seldom
gets noticed if it works efficiently. What gets to be seen is the green areas
and architecture of a city. This aspect must get enough importance. The latter
needs special mention. Modern architecture as seen today has hardly anything to
be commended for. One rarely sees ‘beautiful’ buildings. It is not to say that I
am any expert on this subject. My intention is that while looking at compliance
of building plans the aesthetics must be given consideration. Along with this,
at least for large projects at present, aspect of buildability must also be
taken into consideration.
I
am of also of the opinion that all new urban developments must be repeat must
be very carefully planned keeping in view current and future needs and a
propensity for us to encroach and dilute what is good.
A
request to all who may read this post to please share their views and thoughts
and indicate what may have been missed
