By: Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO, Tata Housing
Track2Realty Exclusive: The concept of city-states is centuries old. Ancient Greek cities of Athens, Sparta and Thebes were known to be poleis (singular polis) and what set them apart from their ‘non-poleis’ neighbors was these were self-governed and autonomous city-states. Relevant examples in today’s modern world are Singapore, Vatican City and Monaco.
Is there a relevant Indian counterpart to these global city-states? Probably not, but Chandigarh comes close.
Smart Cities and city-states are two sides of the same coin. Well-planned, with excellent public transportation, housing for all, potable drinking water, proper sanitation and drainage systems, and roads: these are the amenities that define Smart Cities. What is needed to make these cities smart? In my opinion it is self-governance and independence from the local authority.
Roadblocks in the way of these amenities – be it in the bureaucracy or the lack of will – is the biggest challenge that our cities will have to remove in order to become Smart Cities.
In India, according to global consultancy firm the Boston Consulting Group, 31% of the population lived in cities and that number is expected to go up to 35% by 2020. The number of cities in India with a population of over 1 million has gone up from 35 in 2001 to 50 in 2011 and is expected to touch 87 by 2031.
While most of our urban cities started out as well-planned metropolises, they all resemble what can only be termed as ‘urban sprawl’. Haphazard construction, illegal water and electricity connections, illegal pavement construction only add to this mess, and not only do they temporarily not solve housing issues for the migrants, they actually end up adding to the infrastructure woes of the city.
For the planners, who were earlier dealing with issues that come with the turf, getting rid of these new problems only adds to their misery.
The answer to all these issues is in self-governance and e-governance.
….to be continued
