Innovation, Sustainability and Citizen-Centricity through Smart Cities: Lessons for India

By : Bhawna Gupta, Tanya Ahuja

Page No: 472-487

Abstract
Across the globe, smart cities have emerged as instruments for facilitating innovative and citizen-centric urban transformation with sustainable digital approaches being embodied in city planning, infrastructure and service-design. In India, Smart Cities Mission was initiated by the Government in 2015 with an ambitious endeavour to improve quality of life by employing ‘smart solutions’ in 100 selected cities by strengthening their socio-economic, physical and institutional pillars. This paper reviews some of the best global practices that can further metamorphose India’s smart cities into innovative, sustainable and citizen-centric urban spaces. This paper uses secondary data from research articles, government reports, and websites. Through descriptive analysis, it highlights the importance of policy transfers in addressing emerging urbanisation challenges and facilitating the effective implementation of Smart Cities.

Based on the review, the paper suggests ten lessons for India which include, among others, a bottom-up approach in policy and planning, employing collaborative technology, strengthening local governments and making people ‘smart’ to nudge them to act as true ‘agents of change.’

Author :
Bhawna Gupta, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Tanya Ahuja, Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/NL.2024.56.04.7