National Sustainable Habitat and Smart City Mission- September 12th -Delhi

Understanding the term "Smart Cities".

I am invited for a meeting with other colleagues who wield similar responsibility as myself as "Urban Development Ministers" who will attend the seminar in Delhi on the 12th of September 14', where focus will be on the creation of " Smart Cities" as one of the main agenda for the confluence. " National Sustainable Habitat and Smart City Mission"  The state will pitch for 10 cities to obtain such status though the names of the cities are yet to be finalized.  

Understanding the term "Smart Cities" is important .It also is a very broader subject when we term cities as smart and many a times it is understood as just technology leverage that will make the city smart. but in reality for a city to qualify of to be termed as "Smart"  depends not only on the city's endowment of hard infrastructure  ("physical capital'), but also, and increasingly so, on the availability and quality of knowledge communication and social infrastructure ('intellectual capital and social capital').

This concept of Smart city is an strategic approach to encompass modern urban production factors in a common framework and to highlight the growing importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), social and environmental capital in profiling the competitiveness of cities. The significance of these two assets - social and environmental capital - itself goes a long way to distinguish smart cities from their more technology-laden counterparts, drawing a clear line between them and what goes under the name of either digital or intelligent cities.

A city can be defined as ‘smart’ or achieves such status when investments in human and social capital and traditional (transport) and modern (ICT) communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life, with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement.

Smart cities can be identified on the basis of regional competitiveness, transport and ICT economics, natural resources, human and social capital, quality of life, and participation of citizens in the governance of cities.

On 10th September before I head to Delhi for " National Sustainable Habitat and Smart City Mission" conference.  I met up with the concerned officials, Corporate  and board members of respective  departments to debrief about the conference. Excerpts from that meeting covered by media is below…

http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/state-keen-on-making-towns-smart-rather-than-build-new-ones/article6398212.ece/?maneref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2F

http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/karnataka-keen-to-develop-existing-towns-as-smart-cities/article6398142.ece/?maneref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2F

http://m.deccanherald.com/content/430222/towns-must-developed-039smart-cities039.html/


...at the Conclave of Ministers of States and Union Territories on Smart Cities.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/states-should-take-the-lead-in-smart-cities-project-venkaiah/article6406720.ece

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/many-countries-interested-in-developing-smart-cities-in-india-venkaiah-naidu-590909