January 17th, 2019, Published in Articles: PositionIT, Featured: PositionIT

by Prof Vinita Yadav and Mehak Chhabra, New Delhi

Smart cities aim to apply information and communication technology (ICT) in every aspect of the city. Most of the metropolitan regions are striving to become smart, yet their aspirations and requirements vary from each other. This article explores four strategies for implementing a smart city rollout and uses the example of a metropolitan city in another BRICS country, India, as a case study.

The term “smart city” has different connotations for different stakeholders, but generally smart city development focuses upon extensive use of ICT along with high technology intensive infrastructure provision in order to enhance the quality of life of citizens. The priority of developing a metropolitan city is currently considered higher than other class size cities. Hence, concepts of cyber cities, intelligent cities, wired cities, and digital cities are all assimilated to developing such cities located in the core of a metropolitan region into smart cities.

Metropolitan region can be made smart by providing regional spectrum solutions through technological advancements in the domains of water supply, sanitation, electricity supply, governance, regional mobility, and so on. ICT-based solutions help improve access and bring transparency in the delivery of regional scale infrastructure [1].

In using ICT for service delivery in a metropolitan region, there are two prime interpretations: The first interpretation is extensive use of digital technology in the provision of regional infrastructure. The technology is used in all the arenas, i.e. smart transportation, digitally-controlled service provision, modern building management systems and so forth. For example, Bangalore Metropolitan Region has implemented a real-time monitoring system to manage and regulate traffic flows. Such a system has enhanced the efficiency of travel by reducing residents’ travel time and cost. The second interpretation is usage of ICT for economic development, improving the system and human capital through good governance [2].

Smart cities mission in India

The Government of India initiated the “Smart Cities Mission” to develop 100 cities so as to ensure an improved quality of life for their residents. The countrywide smart cities competition was launched in 2012 to select the best performing cities on criteria as basic as the increase in the number of sanitary latrines at household level, percentage of contribution of user charges and tax revenues to the total budget of Urban Local Bodies (ULB), to more advanced criteria such as online grievance redressal system, auditing of accounts and annual publishing of statement of expenditure of municipal budget.

In the first stage, the competition was held among various cities within a state, while in the second stage selected cities from each of the states to compete against one other at the national level for the final selection. Following this process, the top 100 performing cities were selected for the aid of about 1-trillion Rupees from 2017 to 2022 [3]. (The ratio of central and state government is 50:50.)

Strategies for developing a smart metropolitan region

The four-pronged strategy of retrofitting, re-developing, greenfield development and a pan-city initiative, based on an area development approach, is being suggested for a smart metropolitan region’s development.

Retrofitting

Retrofitting is used as a tool to improve the metropolitan city’s aesthetics. The retrofitting involves no change in the existing building structure or infrastructure facilities, but does involve the deployment of smart and technology intensive solutions for the infrastructure. This helps to make metropolitan region more sustainable and liveable. The minimum area requirement for retrofitting is 202 ha. In the selected cities, the areas where retrofitting is being undertaken, includes Bhendi Bazar in Mumbai and Connaught Place in New Delhi.

Re-development

The re-development of existing built-up space aims to renew the core areas within a metropolitan region. It involves creating the new layout encompassing mixed land use development with higher Floor Space Index (FSI) and ground coverage and its implementation by replacing old and dilapidated built-up areas located in the core. The minimum area requirement for such re-development projects is 20 ha. The Indian Government is in the process of completing a project of redevelopment of the East Kidwai Nagar government housing colony project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi.

Greenfield development

Green-field development seeks to incorporate smart solutions in vacant available land, and provide solutions especially for those metropolitan cities where the population is increasing at a high rate. The minimum area requirement for green-field development project is 100 ha. Such green-field developments have provided affordable housing for the poor. Another example of greenfield development is the proposed Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) city in the state of Gujarat. The GIFT city is proposed as an information technology (IT) services and financial hub. The GIFT city would be located on the banks of the river Sabarmati and will act as a benchmark for the smart cities to be developed across the country.

On the other hand, brownfield land is an area previously used but which subsequently became vacant [4]. In brownfield development, the existing infrastructure is subjected to improvement rather than new construction. For example, a sewerage system in brownfield development would mean laying new sewer pipes by removing the old pipes at the same location or increasing the size of existing sewer pipelines for enhancing the efficiency of the system.

Pan-city development

Pan-city development involves applying smart solutions to the existing city infrastructure. This includes introducing smart transportation system, which comprises elements of smart mobility and smart parking. The transit-oriented development, computerised and mechanised traffic light control systems, passenger information systems as well as a system to track traffic violation are some examples of smart mobility that India undertook. Regional mobility shares close bonds with accessibility and encompasses sustainable and green strategies. Keeping this in mind, public bike sharing (PBS) was implemented in various towns. A few examples include Cycle Chalao in Mumbai, PBS system in Bhopal, Sanjhi cycle in Karnal and Freedom to Move in Thane.

Case study of Faridabad Metropolitan Region

Through a case study of Faridabad metropolitan city, located in the National Capital Region of India, the implementation of Smart City Mission and its applicability is assessed.

Faridabad is the second largest city after Gurugram in the state of Haryana. It adjoins the national capital city Delhi in the south-eastern direction. It has become a district in the year 1979, and by the year 2000 has developed into an industrial town. However, recent attention is on its real estate sector. It is connected to the national capital by a metro train which provides ease of travel for the daily commuters. According to India’s 2011 census, it has a population of more than 1,4-million residents, giving it the status of metropolitan city. Due to its size and complexity, the chief minister of the state in September 2018 announced plans for constituting Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA), similar to the Gurugram Metro Development Authority (GMDA), to manage and govern the metropolitan region [5]. It is also the first city in Haryana identified and selected by Ministry of Urban Development in the Smart City Mission.

The aim of the Smart Cities Mission in Faridabad is to make habitation more efficient and liveable. Under the area-based development approach of the mission, around 512 ha of land in the five residential sectors (i.e. 19, 20, 20A, 21B and 21D) have identified for development.

The various projects proposed to be undertaken as part of the mission include transit-oriented development, beautification of intersections at National Highway-44, intermediate public transport (IPT) stands, public bike sharing, smart parks, open air smart gyms and smart toilets (see Fig. 1). The projects aim to introduce technological advances in various domains of the fabric of the metropolitan region.

Mobility and public bike sharing

The public bike sharing project is a pan-city development initiative, and the rationale behind it is that 35% of the total travel trips are performed by non-motorised transport (NMT) modes or by walking [6]. Despite the high percentage of NMT, the city lacks dedicated lanes for cycle and adequate footpaths. Due to non-availability of cycle tracks, the users are compelled to use carriage ways for cycling and walking. During raining season, water logging creates difficulty in driving, but the situation becomes even grimmer for cyclists. Besides this, the dumping of solid waste on the roadside aggravates the situation by reducing the road space available for vehicles as well as cyclists and pedestrians. Although large numbers of commuters use metro rail services between Delhi and Faridabad, the absence of last mile connectivity at all metro stations force the commuters to use private vehicles or shared intermediate public transport. This created the need for public bike sharing.

At Faridabad, this sharing system encompasses a network of cycle rental stations. The system is highly flexible allowing the users to rent a bicycle from any station and return it at any other station in the system. There are several perceived benefits of the project such as improved air quality, enhancement in quality of last mile connectivity, and increased affordability. The provision of a green solution in the form of bike sharing will have other benefits such as a feeder service to the metro transit users, minimised levels of pollution and reduced journey time.

Greenfield vs brownfield development

The Smart City Mission envisages development in the form of greenfield development, i.e. incorporating smart solutions in vacant areas. However, due to lack of space available for greenfield development, most of the development in the metropolitan region is brownfield development. One of the brownfield development projects under the Faridabad Smart City Mission is beautification of National Highway No. 44. For this purpose, a subsection has been identified between the National Hydroelectric Power Generation company (NHPC)’s intersection to Bata Chowk. The project involves the development of five major intersections of the region along NH-44, namely NHPC intersection, Badhkal Chowk, Old Faridabad intersection, Ajronda Chowk and Bata Chowk.

However, the project does not include work on right of way. The numerous issues linked with these intersections triggered the need for the project. There is no provision of water supply on any of the intersections, creating hindrance in watering the landscape. Besides this, there is no street lighting on the majority of the intersections, raising safety and security concerns. The intersection has heavy traffic flow and become further congested during peak hours. It lacks plantation and greenery to provide relief to the commuters. The continuous effluence of polluting particles from the vehicles has also deteriorated the quality of soil leading to the suggestion that the soil might require additional input to support plants.

To overcome these challenges, the project involves improving the aesthetics of the intersection and ensuring greater safety and security for the passer-by. This has been done by providing landscaped areas and planting various creepers and other plants. The horticulture department proposes planting only native plants which have low water requirement. These plants grow faster and are easily adaptive to the natural environment. To improve the soil quality, there is a proposal to replace the existing soil with good earth filling borrowed from outside the area. The movement within the landscaped areas shall be restricted with the help of gates and railings. This will also protect the plants from encroachment and stray animals. A permanent water source at the intersection will be provided from the existing water supply lines along the NH- 44 for watering the proposed landscaped area regularly. Similarly, installation of several lighting fixtures such as linear wall wash, ground luminaires, bracket lights and more has also been proposed along with measures to ensure regular power supply. The lighting will ensure safety of travellers as well as further enhance the beauty of landscape. A traffic police kiosk at each intersection is also proposed as a part of the project.

While adding smart element to the city region, one can also improve the basic necessities. For example, drainage is a basic requirement for the normal functioning of any metropolitan region. Due to the topography of the region, heavy spells of rain lead to accumulation of water on the streets in most of the areas. This affects the mobility of the residents. Hence, basic necessity such as drainage needs priority under the Smart Cities Mission.

Balance between the built-up area and green open spaces is essential. The built-up areas have to be balanced with the open and green spaces. Although Faridabad residential areas have green open spaces many of them are not well managed. With the improved connectivity through metro trains with the National Capital Region, the housing demand has increased. To cater to the increase in demand, many new housing projects have been launched. This has created an extra burden on resources. The rise in the demand for housing has not been matched with the availability of social infrastructure. For intra-city transportation, metro trains, daily passenger trains and government and privately-run buses exist, but the demand for intra-city transportation is mostly met by personal or private modes of transportation. The intermediate public transportation (IPT) system is not regulated, and therefore leads to higher vehicular pollution. The accessibility to public transportation system is limited only on the main routes. The mobility is a major issue which hinders the growth of metropolitan region as a smart region. Thus, the provision of basic infrastructure is imperative before attempting to provide smart infrastructure.

Conclusion

There is no universal accepted strategy to make a metropolitan region a smart region. It requires amalgamation of different attributes of regional development. The interpretation of being smart varies from country to country and even amongst the various cities of the same country. It also dependents on various factors such as aspirations of the citizens, level of infrastructure development, and availability of resources. While the government is focused on making the mission a success, it is essential for the planners involved in policy making to realise the importance of first achieving the hundred percent provision of basic necessities before striving for bringing in advancement in the provision with the usage of technology.

References

[1] Hollands, R. G. (2008). Will the Real Smart City Please Stand Up?, City: Analysis of Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action, 12:3, p. 303-320.
[2] Kitchin, R. (2014). The Real-Time City? Big Data and Smart Urbanism, Geo Journal, 79(1), p. 1-14.
[3] Government of India (2015). Smart Cities: Mission Statement & Guidelines, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, New Delhi.
[4] Newby, A. (2011). Greenfield? Brownfield? How to avoid the minefield of site selection. Accessed from http://www.wiley.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Wiley-Article_Site-Selection_V3.pdf, accessed on 19 November 2018.
[5] Times of India (2018). Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority to be set up: Haryana CM, PTI | Sep 13, 2018, 22:56 IST, accessed from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/faridabad/faridabad-metropolitan-development-authority-to-be-set-up-haryana-cm/articleshow/65801212.cms,  accessed on 16 October 2018.
[6] Department of Town and Country Planning, Haryana (2010). Consultancy Services for Preparation of Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Faridabad – Ballabgarh Complex. Prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates. Accessed from https://wricitieshub.org/sites/default/files/Comprehensive%20Mobility%20Plan%20for%20Faridabad%20-%20Ballabgarh%20Complex.pdf, accessed on 19 November 2018.

Contact Vinita Yadav, Delhi Polytechnic, v.yadav@spa.ac.in

 

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