Smart Cities in India

Smart City  offers economic activities and employment opportunities to a wide section of its residents, regardless of their level of education, skills or income levels


By 2050, the world will witness a mass exodus of people into cities. 2 out of every 3 people will be living in urban areas which translates into 6.3 Billion urban dwellers. . By 2050, Asia and Africa will account for 86% the world’s urban population. India alone will add more than 400 Million people to its cities – that is twice the population of Brazil today. The consequence of this migration - especially in a fast growing economy like India - is a significant increase in the demand and consumption of resources. The coal reserves in the existing coal mines in India are likely to get exhausted in little more than 50 years at the current rate of consumption. India’s oil imports account for the biggest share in the Current Account Deficit. Cities contribute to 70% of India’s GDP. The growth of cities therefore is inevitable.

However, unplanned growth and distribution of resources could prove to be catastrophic to the economy and impede progress. Building sustainable and Smart cities from scratch and retrofitting sustainability features in already existing cities is the only way out.
Smart Cities are the only perceivable solution to urbanization of this scale.

A Smart city includes a structure that is resource efficient and has a minimal impact on the environment. Among other things, a smart city reduces the energy and water requirement by employing technology and smart construction & design techniques, reduces the generation of solid waste and uses renewable sources to meet energy requirements.

Additionally, to promote a more convenient way of life, a smart city incorporates a sophisticated Information and Communication Infrastructure. A robust transport network to move people is also established.
While retrofitting smart city-like features into an already existing city is a possible solution, it comes with its limitations. Retrofitting is more expensive and inconvenient primarily because of high replacement costs and limitations of the existing structures. The market for retrofitting is still in its nascent stages and therefore not fully understood. While areas like lighting, air conditioning, etc. have seen some technological innovation, other areas like disaster resistance are untouched. Permits and legal requirements are additional challenges.

Although building smart cities from ground up is a more feasible solution, it is a daunting task. The smart city concept has been experimented with several times in the past in different parts of the world. However, some have fallen victim to failure because of various reasons. Many unsuccessful attempts in the past were characterized by ambitious sizes of these cities, bold investments, technological misfits, poor urban planning, etc.


The Indian smart city landscaped must be engineered to encourage developing smaller and more realizable cities with technologies adapted to the Indian ecosystem and innovative financing. Building a strong support infrastructure, recreation options and promoting thriving businesses to flourish will make the city more habitable and desirable. Formation of communities must be allowed to follow a natural path.
Building smart cities is investment heavy and time consuming. However, India has to embrace sustainable methods soon to avoid eventual chaotic circumstances. The success of smart cities cannot be attributed to technologies alone. People must be educated about the importance and necessity of sustainable practices and the advantages of investing in sustainable settlements.