Smart city: What India can learn from others

‘Smart’ has become the catch phrase these days. After the new-age phones, it is time for cities and homes to turn smarter and efficient. While visionaries chalk out a plan for how policies and technology should pan out to make the vision a reality in India, perhaps there is a lesson we could learn from cities that have already implemented it.

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In a recent conference on ‘Smart Cities’, Binaifer Jehani, director-research at CRISIL Research pointed out what we could learn from smart technologies implemented across countries. “Smart Cities will minimise wastage and optimise usage of indispensable resources like water, electricity etc. Rainwater harvesting, intelligent lighting systems, energy efficient cooling systems, smart grid to minimise power loss during distribution and waste-water treatment plants to enable recycling should be implemented”.

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Cities like Cape Town have internet access in public libraries which also have business corners for starting small business while Suwon boasts business incubation centres as well. Amsterdam boasts a climate street that attempts carbon dioxide reduction and environmental saving. This was part of Amsterdam’s aim to feature as a top sustainable city by 2040.

Jehani also looks into the finer details. Amsterdam, Chattanooga, Dublin, Malaga and Masdar boast energy networks such as smart grids and buildings while electric vehicles are common in Amsterdam and Malaga. Energy conservation monitoring is prevalent in Shenyang. As for telecom network, Malaga and Masdar boast home automation.

Talking to Magicbricks, Ayyush Kalia, manager, Coliers International- Mumbai pointed out, “Home automation is very common in cities like Manhattan. Although, the percentage of such homes in India is less, it stands a good chance. Expats, NRIs and HNIs who have lived abroad for long often like to see these facilities back home in India. They see them as a need and not a luxury although prices in India for smart automated homes would be according to luxury standards”.

At a recent discussion on ‘Buy now or Wait’, developers from Delhi NCR discussed how Smart Cities should be human-centric that preserves our culture and at the same time are efficient. As an example, the panel also came to the conclusion that retrofitting Noida and Gurgaon to make them Smart Cities would be progressive.

The focus of building any city as ‘smart’ is that it should be inclusive and no right should be denied to the underprivileged.

Source: http://content.magicbricks.com/industry-news/smart-city-what-india-can-learn-from-others/79513.html