What is a smart city?

A city is said to be a smart city when it makes use of technology and digitization for solving its problems and providing services to its citizens. In order to understand what is a smart city,

it is important to fathom that the word ‘smart’ doesn’t confine to the characteristic of the city, but also its ability to deal with daily errands. A smart city serves to enhance the sustainability of the environment, ease accessibility and transportation services, and advance the economic and social quality of life of its citizens. It is the main goal of a smart city to enhance the well-being of all its citizens.

The concept of smart cities in India was introduced by the Government of India in 2015 through the Smart Cities Mission. This mission was launched in order to develop a city keeping sustainability and quality of life of all its citizens in mind. The main objective of a smart city in India is to bring about developmental changes in its Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities to bring them to par with global smart cities.

This is a common question that comes to our mind when we talk about smart cities in India. There are approximately 100 cities nominated by the State National Level Smart Cities Challenge in India. But only 20 cities could emerge as winners from the list with Bhubaneshwar topping the list. These 20 cities also include Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Indore, and many others.

The major goal of such smart cities is:

• To drive economic growth while developing the urban ecosystem. 

• To improve accessibility to transport services

• To promote the use of mixed land, 

• To develop more recreational spots

• To offer more opportunities for housing and development, and 

• To enhance sustainable and inclusive development.

The core elements of such cities include the least wastage of resources, proper sanitation, adequate water and electricity supply, affordable houses, proper governance, ease of transport, and digitization. The main aim of knowing what is a smart city is to understand that it is a city that is self-sufficient for all the needs of its citizens.