Urban Update May 2015

All India Institute of Local Self Government

UrbanUpdate

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities Volume II - Issue I May 2015

Union Cabinet’s nod to the 100 smart cities project and a new urban renewal mission will augment the pace of

building efficient urban infrastruture in Indian cities

a giant leap towards smarter cities

India looks beyond FDI to finance smart cities

Finance

Is the merger of ULBs really a boon or simply another bane?

Municipal Merger

Cities need to invest in low carbon infrastructure systems

Clean Energy

DMIC to provide an economic focus to the vision of Smart Cities

Industrial Corridor

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4 May 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

InsIde | Volume II, Issue I

InsideCover story20 A giant leap towards smarter cities Union cabinet’s decision to approve Rs one lakh crore will certainly augment the pace of Smart Cities development24 Break silos for better urban governance The most effective approach is to look at a city’s multiple systems simultaneously, rather than focusing on how to fix a particular element27 Urban Ekistics Centre: For improved urban living Urban Ekistics Center to explore regional strength in design, research, finance and engineering services

Centre stage30 India looks beyond FDI to finance smart cities Indian government is looking at various options to finance Smart Cities project that requires an investment of over USD one trillion

Columns34 Municipal merger: fact or fancy? Is the municipal merger really a boon or simply another bane resulting out of certain political compulsions?

38 Energizing our citizenship The government and the governed have to come together to make a beginning for ensuring a better governance ethos

40 Sustainable urban mobility Urban transportation system should allow all the users to meet their basic mobility needs in a way that preserves human and ecosystem health

42 Learning from the DMIC for Smart Cities The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to provide an economic focus to the vision of making the cities smart

artiCle44 Decarbonising cities Cities need to invest in the planning, construction and improvement of low carbon infrastructure systems

urban agenda46 Healthy cities Urban health advocates should identify successful models

regulars6 Newscan 7 Pin Point 11 City Brand 15 City Images

30

5www.urbanupdate.in | May 2015

EDITORIAL

Ranjit Chavan

President-AIILSG

Ramanath Jha

Editor-In-Chief

Director General-AIILSG, [email protected]

Apresh C Mishra

Managing Editor, [email protected]

Ashok Wankhade

Consulting Editor, [email protected]

Lojy Thomas, Aiilsg

Associate Editor, [email protected]

Abhishek Pandey

Principal Correspondent, [email protected]

Meenakshi Rajput

Graphic Designer, [email protected]

Volume II - Issue I

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T echnological advances throw up unprecedented challenges, not merely for businesses, but also for entities such as cities. If harnessed with speed and wisdom, they can provide us with tools that advance enhanced productivity, economic growth and social well-being. Information and Communication technologies and their applications can impart huge benefits

in manufacturing, efficiency, environment, health, education, public safety and above all governance. A widely accepted name attached to cities that walk this path is ‘smart cities’.Quite clearly, any city that wishes to join the modern technological ‘pantheon’ will have to achieve smartness. This would transform the way information flows, the way people work and the way cities compete.

The announcement of India’s Smart Cities Project is aimed at capturing that global competitive edge for our cities, and in turn for the country. Indeed, as the world economy gets dominated by cities, it is vital that cities are equipped with the tools of smartness. The Project is precisely timed. India, presently with a low urban base, is at a turning point in its urbanization. Poised to grow at a swift pace along with a resurgent economy, it can derive advantage from the latest technological developments, especially in ICT.

Some believe that the best way to proceed towards smart cities would be the crafting of ‘smart green-field cities’. They contend that existing cities are not in such shape that they could be converted into smart cities. Instead, new cities would be well planned, world class digital cities capable of attracting huge investments by their sheer quality of infrastructure and ease of doing business. However, evidence confirms that green-field cities would take several decades to create. Additionally, the process of locating sites, acquiring land, planning and infrastructure engineering, R&R, finding considerable resources and attracting investments during a period of global economic downturn is ill advised. Hence, instead of attempting massive urban production in the first instance, it is wiser to set up smaller smart areas in expanding cities and assess the outcomes of such an experiment.

The more embedded such technology is in the city across its numerous functions, the smarter it would be. However, before digital technologies are embedded in a city, a city must reach a degree of readiness in infrastructure. A city, for instance should have cleanliness and hygiene, quality water, power and transportation. This brings us to the question of functions to which digital technologies would be applicable. This indeed is a wide spectrum. But they could, among others, extend to approvals management, e public participation, citizen complaint redressal system, public safety and security, tax management, urban planning, transportation and traffic management and management of all physical infrastructures.

The presence of quality infrastructure embedded with digital technologies would still leave the need for ULB and citizen capacity apart from finance. A capacity building program that encompasses training, education, contextual research, knowledge exchange and a rich databaseneeds to be put in place. It is here that AIILSG can play a significant role. Its long experience in working with ULBs, elected representatives and citizens, on the one hand, and its huge background in handling a whole host of municipal infrastructure issues, on the other, provides it great insight and strength in both handholding ULBs and all round capacity building.

Road to Smart Cities


NEWSCANBRIEFS


they have access to more data than ever – and they are increasingly using it to improve people’s lives,” said Michael R. Bloomberg. “We’ll help them build on their progress, and help even more cities take steps to put data to work. What works? That’s a question that every city leader should ask – and we want to help them find answers.”

The $42 million effort is the nation’s most comprehensive philanthropic initiative to help accelerate the ability of local leaders to use data and evidence to improve the lives of their residents. What Works Cities will provide mayors with robust technical assistance, expertise, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities that will help them enhance their use of data and evidence to improve services to solve problems for communities.

The program will help cities: Create sustainable open data programs and policies that promote transparency and robust citizen engagement; Better incorporate data into budget, operational, and policy decision making; Conduct low-cost, rapid evaluations that allow cities to continually improve programs; and Focus funding on approaches that deliver results for citizens.

A consortium of leading organizations has been assembled to inspire, challenge, and support cities. Together, these partners will deliver a comprehensive program of support, promoting tested as well as innovative new approaches.

“With Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment in What Works Cities, the national movement to use data and evidence to solve government challenges has just been elevated to a new level,” said Michele Jolin, CEO & co-founder of Results for America.

What Works Cities initiative will capitalize on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ data-driven approach. “

While cities are working to meet new challenges with limited resources, they have access

to more data than ever – and they are increasingly using it to

improve people’s lives

Michael R BloombergFounder, Bloomberg Philanthropies

NEW YORK: What Works Cities is the latest initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation portfolio which promotes public sector innovation and spreads effective ideas amongst cities.

Through partners, Bloomberg Philanthropies will help mayors and local leaders use data and evidence to engage the public, make government more effective and improve people’s lives. U.S. cities with populations between 100,000 and 1 million people are invited to apply.

“While cities are working to meet new challenges with limited resources,

NEWSCAN

Bloomberg launches “What Works Cities” initiative

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the launch of the What Works Cities initiative, a $42 million program to help 100 mid-sized cities better use data and evidence


BRIEFSNEWSCAN


Like Japan we shd allow urban taxpayers to name a rural panchayat to which a small part of their taxes wd be sent

#SmartCities will only be sustainable cities if they use tech to promote urban economies based on walking & cycling

Should scarce water resources go to those that can pay more? Urban India is at a flashpoint over #Water Inequality.

I wish there was a nationwide discussion about #smartcities before the idea is pushed. Let’s not have another #SEZ in the name of growth.

Baijayant Jay Panda@PandaJay Member of Parliament

Rick Robinson@dr_rick IT Director for SmartCities, Amey

Shekhar Kapur@shekharkapur Filmmaker

Devinder Sharma @Devinder_SharmaIndependent Journalist

BUZZ

PIN POINT

One (city) having the provision of basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of smart solutions, keeping citizens at the centre.M Venkaiah NaiduUnion Minister for Urban Development

The world is experiencing an unprecedented transition from predominantly rural to mainly urban dwelling.

In 1950, a 3rd of the world’s inhabitants lived in cities. By

2050, metropolis dwellers are anticipated to account

for greater than two-thirds of the world’s inhabitants

European Union has been working with Maharashtra

on making Mumbai a smart city. The EU

brings with it a range of expertise from its

member states to make Indian cities

more liveable amid growing population

pressure on these cities

Smart cities are not just about use of technology. It should have inclusive programmes to accommodate 30 per cent of the population, who are poor and live in urban areas.

Alice CharlesHead of Urban Development

World Economic Forum

Joao CravinhoEU Ambassador to India

Vinay Kumar SorakeMinister for Urban

Development (Karnataka)


NEWSCANBRIEFS

Development plan for greater BerhampurThe Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) approved the new Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for greater Berhampur. BDA chairman Subash Moharana said that the CDP of Berhampur would next be sent to the State govt for approval.

Australia supports Ganga RejuvenationAustralia has promised its full support to Ganga Rejuvenation plan. Australian Minister for

Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop said her country will be too happy to extend all technological support to India for its mission to clean Ganga. She said her country has developed a “Score card” to control effluent discharge into the rivers.

Roundabouts in Bhagalpur to be beautifiedAimed at makeover of the Bhagalpur town, the beautification plan will be undertaken under “Mukhyamantri Shehri Vikas Yojana” and the district urban development authority (DUDA), under state urban development and housing department, has been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the estimate and execution of the works.

NEW DElhI: In a determined bid to recast the urban landscape of the country to make urban areas more livable and inclusive besides driving the economic growth, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation of 500 cities (AMRUT) with outlays of Rs 48,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore respectively.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, each selected city would get central assistance of Rs. 100 crore per year for five years. Smart City aspirants will be selected through a ‘City Challenge Competition’ intended to link financing

with the ability of the cities to perform to achieve the mission objectives. Each state will shortlist a certain number of smart city aspirants as per the norms to

be indicated and they will prepare smart city proposals for further evaluation for extending Central support.

This Mission of building 100 smart cities intends to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets, resources and infrastructure with the objective of enhancing the quality of urban life and providing a clean and sustainable environment. Special emphasis will be given to participation of citizens in prioritizing and planning urban interventions.

It will be implemented through ‘area based’ approach consisting of retrofitting, redevelopment, pan-city initiatives and development of new cities. Pan-city components could be interventions like Intelligent Transport Solutions that benefits all residents by reducing commuting time.

Under smart cities initiative, focus will be on core infrastructure services like: Adequate and clean Water supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Efficient Urban Mobility and Public Transportation, Affordable housing for the poor, power supply, robust IT connectivity, Governance, especially e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of citizens, health and education and sustainable urban environment.

Cabinet approves AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission to foster urban development

Under the Smart Cities Mission, each selected city would get central assistance of Rs. 100 crore per year for five years. Smart City aspirants will be selected through a ‘City Challenge Competition’


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Meghalaya UD authority to seal 12 illegal buildings The Meghalaya Urban Development Authority will seal the 12 illegal buildings constructed in violation of the Meghalaya Building Byelaws, 2011, by the end of the month as per the order of the high Court of Meghalaya.

Jammu to be developed as smart city: GovtDeputy CM of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh emphasized on creating modern infrastructure in the JDA owned colonies besides undertaking new projects as per the futuristic needs of the people of the Jammu. he also impressed upon the officers to develop Jammu as a smart city in a much planned way.

Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project works beginConstruction work in respect of Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project has begun within three months of the project being sanctioned by the central govt. The Rs.10,773 cr project envisages 37.66 km of Metro Rail with and elevated portion of 31.43 km and underground portion of 6.33 km.

Task Force on interlinking of riversMinistry of Water Resources, River Development has constituted a ‘Task Force’ on Interlinking of Rivers comprising experts and senior officials to look into the issues relating to Interlinking of Rivers (IlR) in the country.

BENGAlURU: Karnataka is hopeful that at least 10 of its cities would be included in this flagship programme that would give a fillip to infrastructure development.As of now, the State is awaiting guidelines on the project from the Centre to chalk out its plans. Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said that there were indications that the Centre might issue the guidelines in May.“Going by the population size and other parameters, at least 10 cities in Karnataka must get approval under the smart cities project,” he said. The State has already proposed some cities and towns to be included in three categories for the smart cities project.They include Ramanagaram, Channapatna, Devanahalli, and Tumakuru under the category of towns and cities with a population of less than 5 lakh; Kalaburagi, Belagavi, hubballi-Dharwad, and Mangaluru under the category with a population of 5 to 10 lakh; and Vijayapura, Udupi and hosapete under the heritage category, he said.

Karnataka will have at least 10 smart cities

JAlPAIGURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government would develop seven smart cities in the state. The location for six smart cities had already been finalised, while that of the seventh one would be finalised soon, Banerjee said. The seven smart cities, which would have all modern facilities for decent living, would be located according to the importance of the places, Mamata said. The smart cities will come up near Siliguri, near Gazol in Malda district, near Kalyani in Nadia district, near Bolpur in Birbhum district, near the industrial towns of Asansol-Durgapur covering Churulia, birth place of Kazi Nazrul Islam, near Garia in the southern outskirts of Kolkata and the last one near the state secretariat Nabanna.

The state government had adequate land for these projects which would be developed by the state Urban Development Department, the chief minister said without elaborating on the allocation of funds for the projects or other financial details.

Seven smart cities to be developed in WB

Cabinet approves AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission to foster urban development

Union Cabinet approved Central spending of about Rs one lakh crore on urban development under two new urban missions over the next five years


NEWSCANBRIEFS

Now, Vividh Bharati Service on FMMinister of Finance, and I&B, Arun Jaitley introduced the Vividh Bharati services from Delhi, on the FM platform. he said that it would address the content and entertainment needs of the audiences residing within the NCR region.

Rajasthan set to amend rules to increase tax revenue Rajasthan government is set to widen the scope of urban development tax, covering buildings even on plot sizes of 50 sq metre (residential) and 20 sq metre (commercial). The unit for calculating tax too would be changed from the existing sq yard to sq metre.

BBMP shells out Rs 40 Lakh for lawyers’ feesThe Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is shelling out about Rs 40 lakh towards lawyers’ fees for choosing to file 3,470 caveats. BBMP gave the responsibility of filing the caveats to a panel of 70 advocates.

Vijayawada metro rail works to begin soonAndhra Pradesh govt recently said works on the proposed Vijayawada metro rail project with an initial estimated cost of Rs 6,823-crore would begin from June. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) principal adviser E Sreedharan, has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of the metro, coming up in two corridors covering a total distance of 26.03 kilometres, an official release stated.

‘India for deeper engagement of ADB for smart cities, railways’

BAKU/NEW DElhI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today sought “deeper engagement” of the ADB for development of smart cities, industrial corridors and railways as part of flagship initiatives like ‘Make In India’ and ‘Skill India’.

“India is expected to grow at 7.5-8 per cent in both 2015 and 2016. This only reaffirms India’s fascinating growth prospects. In a time span of less than a year, our government has taken a number of steps to revive the economy.

“Our goal is to place the Indian economy on a high and sustained growth trajectory through focus on infrastructure development, skills development, improving ease of doing business and economic reforms including comprehensive social safety net and fiscal discipline,” he said.

Jaitley was speaking at the First Business Session of the 48th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Baku in Azerbaijan. The ADB should aim at an annual business of USD 20 billion by 2020, he said, adding, “Twenty by Twenty should be (ADB’s) corporate goal, the Mantra ... ADB not only needs to become bigger, it also needs to become better, as a model among the MDBs (multilateral

India sought engagement of Asian Development Bank on development of Smart Cities, Industrial Corridors, Rail transport

“

Our goal is to place the Indian economy on a high and sustained growth trajectory through focus on infrastructure development, skills development, improving

ease of doing business and economic reforms including

comprehensive social safety net and fiscal discipline

Arun JaitleyFinance Minister

development banks)”. Observing that India is ADB’s largest client, Jaitley said the partnership should now move to the next level. “In addition to supporting conventional infrastructure projects, we would like a deeper engagement on development of Smart Cities, Industrial Corridors, Rail transport and manufacturing and job creation through flagship initiatives of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’,” the Finance Minister said.


BRIEFSNEWSCAN

ost of the big cities across the globe could become favourite d e s t i n a t i o n s of tourists and

businesses because they had space for all kinds of people and culture; poor, rich, intellectuals, businessmen, traders, artistes, etc. According to Oxford English Dictionary (OED), cosmopolitan means: “having an exciting and glamorous character associated with travel and a mixture of cultures”. So does India have a true cosmopolitan city? The answer is both yes and no.

Yes. There are many Indian cities where people from various regions speaking different languages and having varied cultural background live with ease. The industrial cities in India like Mumbai, Kolkata, and later, Delhi, Bangalore and hyderabad attracted people from across the width and breadth of the country and world. This could happen because of equitable employment opportunities these cities offered to its dwellers.

Many Indian cities cannot be called true cosmopolitan cities because they are not able to provide safe environment to its people. Racism and regionalism are blots on the image of cosmopolitan images of cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Several instances have been reported in Mumbai since Independence when

Being CosmopolitanCities are becoming melting pots of varied range of cultures by attracting people speaking different languages, coming from different social milieu and background, having diverse food habits and fashion understanding. This kind of mix gives tremendous vibrancy to a city and makes them a true cosmopolitan city

M


Abhishek Pandey, Principal Correpondent

fanatic groups orchestrated campaigns to shoo away South Indians and later North Indians. In such acts, many people had to flee the city for their safety. Delhi has no better record. Racial violent incidents particularly against people from North East and African countries had hurt the city’s image. Similar incidents against the minority population in other cities too

The situation is not as bleak as it was a few decades ago. law and order in cities is getting better and many cities in India can claim to be true cosmopolitan cities. The opening of economy and setting up of multi-national companies lured people to cities of their interest. That is quite visible in metro cities where people from all parts of the country come, visit and live too.

In Mumbai, for example, more than half of the population speaks languages other than Marathi. Mumbai is home to considerable population of hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Jews, Christians, and Buddhists. According to Census

data, the religious composition is 68 percent hindus, 17 percent Muslims, 4 percent Christians and Jains and the remainder being Parsis, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews and Atheists. The native Maharastrians constitute 42 percent, Gujaratis 18 percent, North Indians 21 percent, Tamilians 3 percent, Sindhis 3 percent, Kannadigas 5 percent and others. Similar is true for many other growing metropolitan cities. Mumbai that is known as the Business Capital of India is home to one of the largest slums in the world. The city that has humongous film industry provides employment to hundreds of thousands people coming from different states of India and various part of the world.

Similarly, with the establishment of multi-national IT companies in and around Bengaluru, the city also wears the tag of a cosmopolitan city. It has 25 percent Tamilians, 14 percent Telugites, 10 percent Keralites, 8 percent Europeans, and 6 percent a mixture of all races.

CIty BRANdCIty BRANd


NEWSCANBRIEFS

114 cities sign on to rehabilitating the Jordan RiverThe mayors of 114 American and Canadian Great lakes cities signed a memorandum of understanding to take part in efforts to rehabilitate the Jordan River. The mayors signed the preliminary partnership agreement at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Water after Borders summit. Among the participating cities are the major metropolises of Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and Montreal.

Shimla Municipal Corp earmarks 320cr for disaster mgmtShimla Municipal Corporation decided to invest Rs 321.50 crore for disaster management and climate change under its revised city development plan. Shimla deputy mayor Tikender Singh Panwar said they would do the retrofitting of important buildings to reduce disaster venerability and make it climate resistant.

AMC to set up windmillsAMC will soon set up a 4 MW windmill farm on the outskirts of the city. The Rs 30 crore project will be operated for 20 years with a 10-year operations and maintenance contract. AMC at present pays electricity bills worth close to Rs 195 crore a year for utilizing three crore units of electricity. It plans huge savings by harnessing wind energy and even biogas generated from the corporation’s sewage treatment plants.

Yokohama offers to make Kakinada smart city

Essel partners with German firms for smart cities, green energy

hYDERABAD: Japan’s Yokohama City Council has come forward to collaborate with Andhra Pradesh to develop Kakinada district headquarters into a smart city, AP state government officials announced.In November 2014, an AP delegation had visited Japan and Yokohama port, a state government release said. In a meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Yokohama port president Masayuki Takashima and other delegates gave a presentation on Yokohama City development, the release said.

Yokohama happens to be Japan’s second largest city in terms of population. Yokohama City Council officials said they will visit Kakinada soon and identify areas

of collaboration with the AP government, the release said.

“Currently, there’s a four-lane road between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada. Soon, we plan a beach road covering three states and one Union Territory,” Naidu was quoted as saying, adding that it also has two ports.

The AP Chief Minister sought their expertise in city revamping, waste management, tourism, enhancing infrastructure and civic amenities as well as reducing pollution, it said.

“Given that Japan is strong in electronic hardware, you could also lend your expertise by helping us with our electronics hardware park in Kakinada,” he said in the release.

BERlIN: Essel Group entered into technology transfer agreements with three leading German firms at the Hannover Messe 2015 in Germany.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for transfer of critical technology in wind and solar energy was signed with FeCon Gmbh, a subsidiary company of Wind and Sun Technology Gmbh. A

similar pact was also inked with Passavant Energy and Environment (PE&E) Gmbh for mega scale waste-water treatment projects in India. A letter of intent (loI) has also being signed with Schneider to develop smart city projects in India.

Dr Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group, also moderated a panel discussion on smart cities during the event while Amitabh Kant, secretary – Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), unveiled the Essel smart city framework.

According to the Essel management, FeCon Gmbh will assist Essel in developing and manufacturing wind turbines in India along with power station and grid equipment for solar and wind energy to suit Indian conditions.

As for the MoU with PE&E – known worldwide for its sludge digestion technology, it will provide Essel with access to groundbreaking technologies and processes in municipal waste water, sludge, water, and industrial waste water treatment.

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NEWSCANBRIEFS

NDMC to impart self-defence training to women employees

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to impart self-defence training to its female employees. The civic body’s security department and the workers union is organising a 10-day self-defence training programme for women employees. Women safety and self-defence trips will be shared by expert trainers from the Special Police Unit for Women and Children.

RMC launches Bicycle Sharing ProjectRajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has started bicycle sharing service with 60 new ranger bicycles received as donation from private individuals. Bicycle control rooms are opened at four places in city. Each will have 15 bicycles. Bicycles will be available fo free for first two hours, after which every hour would cost Rs 5.

JMC plans waste-to-energy plantJaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) is planning to set up small-scale waste-to-energy plant to generate electricity. In this regard a Bangalore private firm has been appointed which will submit the project report in four months. The JMC plans to generate nearly 6MW in a day from 650 tonnes of waste.

Smart cities can blend heritage, future, says French ambassador Francois Richier

Every State to get one Smart City

India, Iran sign MoU on developing Chabahar port

PANAJI: Smart cities are not just about the future, but ideally should be rooted in the past too, suggests Francois Richier, ambassador of France.France along with the US, Japan and Singapore is keen on partnering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans to build 100 smart cities across the country. Richier said the city of Toulouse in southern France, which is already recognised as a smart city by the European Union, is a perfect example of the glorious past blending with cutting edge futuristic concepts.“To make a smart city, you do not need to destroy the city. You have to ensure that you can put in all the urban services

within the city while respecting it,” said Richier, who was in Goa to attend a function onboard French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is off Goa conducting a joint naval exercise with the Indian Navy.“...once the list is out, we will express our preferences and will discuss with the government of India and...the state government to agree on which cities we will take care of. Of course, it has to come from the city as well. We are not going to take over the city, but it has to come from the people in the place because if they want to have an American city, they should not ask the French to develop that,” Richier said.

NEW DElhI: Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu assured the Rajya Sabha that every State in the country will get to develop at least one city as Smart City under the central government’s initiative of developing 100 smart cities.

Replying to a Starred Question raised by Dr KVP Ramachandra Rao in the Upper house, Naidu said that the Union Cabinet accorded approval for the Smart Cities Mission and guidelines for its implementation including the criteria for selection of cities are being finalised. The Minister clarified that the process of selection of cities for developing them as smart cities will be initiated after the guidelines are issued to the States.

TEhRAN: India signed an agreement with Iran for the development of the strategically important Chabahar port which will give India sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The pact was signed after comprehensive talks between visiting road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari with the Iranian leadership in Tehran.

Iranian President hassan Rouhani, in his meeting with Gadkari, said, “Resumption of Iran-India cooperation in the southeastern Iranian port city of Chabahar would lead to a new chapter in relations of two countries.”

Chabahar port is located in Sistan-Balochistan Province on Iran’s southeastern coast and is of great strategic utility for India which will get sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The port will be used to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation costs. The port will be developed through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) which will invest $85.21 million.


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City that never sleeps!Mumbai 24x7

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CIty ImagES

Maharashtra government recently moved a proposal to make Mumbai a 24*7 city under which restaurants, bars and pubs are to be allowed to remain open till early morning. People were excited but the decision is put on the backburner as State home department says that the night life will lead to the deterioration of law and order in the city and put unnecessary pressure on the police. however, Police Commissioner of Mumbai said that police would implement the proposal if asked to. Earlier, the high Court had restrained the government from implementing its proposed decision unless it satisfies the court that it has conducted an impact study on the safety of women. The decision on the issue is expected to come in a month’s time.


NEWSCANBRIEFS

PCMC to tackle hyacinth

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation will soon start removing water hyacinth from Indrayani River to curb the mosquito menace. The contractor will start work in a few days in Moshi and Charholi. Water hyacinth has already been removed in Talawade and Chikhli.

NEFIS condemns action against street vendorsNEFIS condemned Imphal Municipal Corporation’s recent cleanliness drive under which women street vendors were being prevented to sell vegetables on the footpath. In an official release, NEFIS said “While the corporation is worried about the cleanliness of streets it is least worried about street vendors.”

KA assembly passes bill on trifurcation of BBMPKarnataka legislative Assembly recently passed a bill to trifurcate Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the city civic body, with a voice vote. After failing to get the Governor’s assent for an ordinance on trifurcation of the city civic body, a one-day session of Karnataka legislature was convened today to pass the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill 2015.

Odisha Leads in Construction of Community Toilets: MoUDNEW DElhI: Odisha is the leader in construction of community toilets while Gujarat is ahead of other states in building of household toilets, according to the Urban Development Ministry data.As per the data, 2,70,069 household toilets were constructed across the country during the last financial year, out of which Gujarat accounted for 60 per cent with 1,65,376 toilets.

Madhya Pradesh constructed 99,151 household toilets followed by Karnataka with 4,697, the data says. In the segment of community toilets, a total of 1,222 seats were built during 2014-15.

Odisha was ahead of others, having constructed 740 seats. Andaman & Nicobar Islands reported construction of 200 and Karnataka has built 100 community toilet seats. In promoting solid waste management, Gujarat led others having reported 100 per cent collection and transportation of municipal solid waste in 120 of the 195 towns in the state.

Odisha has done so in respect of 107 towns and Karnataka in 40 towns. In all, 329 of the 4,041 statutory towns have reported 100 per cent collection and transportation of municipal solid waste.

The Central government had launched ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ on October 2, 2014 with the objective of ensuring cleanliness in all the 4,041 statutory cities

and towns of the country by October 2, 2019 which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The five-year Swachh Bharat Mission is to be implemented at a total cost of Rs. 62,009 crore with a targeted construction of 1.04 crore household

Asia’s booming cities at climate change riskSINGAPORE: The battle against climate change is likely to be won or lost in Asia’s expanding megacities, said an Asian Development Bank report recently. Asian cities are poised to contribute more than half the rise in global greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years if no action is taken. But with planning, resources and political commitment, cities can be part of the climate change

solution. Bangkok, Dhaka, Guangzhou, ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, Manila, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Yangon have one thing in common. These low-lying or coastal cities are all highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, floods, and other impacts of climate change.

Inland cities in the region could be suddenly devastated by sudden extreme weather events like typhoons, or suffer


BRIEFSNEWSCAN

Odisha Leads in Construction of Community Toilets: MoUD

Odisha govt moots urban cadre for ULBs

BhUBANESWAR: Odisha government has decided to create a new cadre for administration and other needs of the Urban local Bodies (UlBs) from the current fiscal year.

While hectic exercise is on at the bureaucratic level to determine the shape and size of the new cadre, the Finance department has given its approval to the draft proposal.

With the creation of the new cadre which the Urban Development department plans to put in place from the current fiscal, state government employees will no longer work in UlBs in Odisha. The new cadre is expected to have 3,213 posts. Keeping in mind the nature of services associated with municipal bodies, the cadre has been divided into eight categories. ‘Odisha Municipal Administration Service’ is the topmost among the eight categories. The other categories are ‘Odisha Municipal Engineering Service’, ‘Odisha Municipal Planning Service’, ‘Odisha Municipal health Service’, ‘Odisha Municipal Community Development Service’, Odisha Municipal Ministerial Service’ and ‘Odisha Municipal e-governance Service’. however, there is a proposal to outsource the ‘Odisha Municipal e-governance Service’. Candidates selected for ‘urban cadre’ will not be considered as employees of the state government. Presently, there are five municipal corporations, 45 municipalities and 61 Notified Area Councils (NACs) in the state.

Asia’s booming cities at climate change risk

Govt inspects vulnerable buildings and metro stationsCentral and state government agencies inspected old and under-construction buildings as well as underground metro stations in NCR after the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Government officials said that quick response team (QRT) vehicles have been coordinating with other departments, including Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), and the state health department to check any damage to property or human loss.

Ajoy Mehta becomes new BMC Commissioner

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis replaced Sitaram Kunte as the BMC commissioner with IAS officer Ajoy Mehta. Kunte, (batch of 1985), whose term as the BMC chief was due to end on April 30, was transferred as Principal Secretary of Environment Department, a position held by Mehta.

Indus Towers to go for street infra for 3G, 4GIndus Towers and its partner telecom operators plan to invest about Rs 220 crore over the next three years to equip 3,000 streetlight poles in the entire New Delhi Municipal Corporation area with 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, with a target of 1,000 poles each year.

toilets, 2.51 lakh community toilet seats and 2.55 lakh public toilet seats besides assisting 37 crore urban people in solid waste management.

Construction of toilets is accorded priority under the Mission to enable “open defecation free” urban areas.

rising temperatures and increasingly uncertain weather that damages infrastructure and livelihoods.

“Climate proofing is crucial. ADB is working toward integrating management of disaster risks while building bridges, power plants, or other infrastructure,” said Preety Bhandari, head of ADB’s Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Unit.


NEWSCANBRIEFS

Bengaluru top real estate destinationNEW DElhI: Bengaluru is at the top position in the list of 14 best real estate destinations in the country for housing segment while the cities in the national capital region are at the bottom, a study said.

PropEquity, an online subscription based real estate data and analytics platform, said the rankings are based on various parameters like price appreciation, supply, sales, unsold inventories, delays in project completion and size of the market, among others.

“Bengaluru has emerged as the number one destination in most of the parameters evaluated for studying

India’s top real estate destinations,” PropEquity said in a statement.

Pune is at the second place in the list, followed by Chennai, hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Mumbai, which ranked first five years ago, has now slipped

to the 8th position. “Surprisingly, Gurgaon has dropped to 10th position as the region is marred by project delays, expensive properties and a demand-supply mismatch,” it added. The report highlighted that all the NCR cities occupy the bottom rankings, depicting the weakness in the region. Noida, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Faridabad are at 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th positions, respectively, in the list.

AMC to set up radiation-based sewage treatment plantAhmedabad Municipal Corporation has joined hands with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to set up a sewage sludge hygienisation plant based on radiation technology at Ahmedabad. BARC will provide all technical and scientific support for setting up a dry sewage sludge hygienisation Cobalt -60 gamma irradiation plant at Ahmedabad.

Odisha seeks to double housing land for poor Odisha government is planning to reserve at least 20 percent of the land for affordable housing, up from 10 per cent at present. Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has planned to construct about 100,000 affordable houses in all 14 zones of Bhubaneswar.

Concession for following eco-normsPune Municipal Corporation recently approved a proposal to provide a discount in premium charges for buildings that follow eco-housing norms. PMC has proposed a concession of 10 to 50 per cent on premium charges.

BMC to adopt hi-tech cleaningBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to use technology to keep the Eastern Freeway (Eway) and the Santacruz-Chembur link Road (SClR) clean. The civic body has proposed to spend Rs. 90.52 lakh for two years to procure electric brooms.

NEW DElhI: As many as 27 urban bodies including municipal corporations and ur-ban development authorities have put in place Online Building Plan Sanctions that help in reducing the time taken for according necessary approvals. Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo informed lok Sabha in a written reply.

Maharashtra leads the list with 7 of its urban bodies going online followed by Kerala with five. Municipal Corporations who have done so include those of : Greater Mum-bai, New Delhi Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation of South Delhi, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Coimbattore, Indore, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Thiruvanan-thapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Ujjain, Gwalior, Ulhasnagar, hubil-Dharwad and lavasa.

More urban bodies to sanction building plans online

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COVER STORY | Smart Cities

Team UrbanUpdate

Union Cabinet’s nod to the 100 smart cities project and a new urban renewal mission will augment the pace of building efficient urban infrastruture in Indian cities


A GiAnt LeAp towArds smArter cities

21www.urbanupdate.in | May 2015 21www.urbanupdate.in | May 2015



“Will be spending Rs one lakh crore in next five years to recast country’s urban landscape. Substantially hiked outlay from Rs 42,900 crore provided for nine years of JNNURM implementation

Venkaiah Naidu, Union Urban Development Minister

he urban centres of the country are ready to be rejuvenated as the Union cabinet approved Central Government spending

on urban development under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and Smart Cities Mission.

The country’s urban population contributes over 60 per cent of India’s GDP; in 15 years this will be 70 per cent. On the other hand, there is little incentive for people to migrate out of cities. Earlier attempts at providing better urban infrastructure or at creating new townships have not been able to deal with the issue of liveability satisfactorily. Even

successful special economic zones have had to contend with the issue of lack of social infrastructure, which usually means access to avenues of education, health, arts, sports, and so on. There are numerous definitions of a smart city but the Modi government’s idea of one usefully encompasses institutional infrastructure (governance), physical infrastructure, as also social infrastructure.

Implementation of the Mission will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, constitution of professional municipal cadre, devolving funds and functions to urban local bodies, review of Building bye-laws, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies,

energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning.

ImpactA recently launched NASSCOM report suggest, he government’s smart cities programme can create business opportunity to the tune of $30-40 billion for the ICT sector alone over the next five-10 years. “We are estimating that it would be in the range of $30-40 billion over the next five to 10 years and this is on the assumption that about 10-15 per cent of the outlays on smart cities would be for the ICT component,” Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said when asked about the business opportunity for IT sector under the smart cities mission.

Experts have suggested that the

T

2 3 41City challenge

competition

Each Smart City aspirant will be selected through a ‘City Challenge

Competition’ intended to link financing with the ability of the

cities to perform

Selected city gets Rs 500 cr

Each selected city under the scheme would get Central

assistance of Rs 100 crore a year for five years

All states will get at least one

smart city

A Special Purpose Vehicle will be created for each city to implement

Smart City action plan

Focus on core infra services

The Mission intends to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets,

resources and infrastructure


“We are estimating that business opportunity for the ICT sector would be in the range of $30-40 billion over the next five to 10 years and this is on the assumption that about 10-15 per cent of the outlays on smart cities would be for the ICT component

R Chandrashekhar, President, Nasscom

entire initiative could probably cost over $5 trillion in today’s value, and may spread over at least 20 years.

The standardisation of city systems could lead to exponential increase in adoption of innovations within the city systems, which, in turn, could lead to creation of new kinds of industries that hitherto do not exist. And just as in many leading economies, innovation is expected to contribute a lion’s share to the GDP.

Opportunities“While the outlay of Rs.100 crore per city for the smart city programme may appear to be on the lower side, this would hopefully be supplemented by the state government and the corpora-tion/urban local body and more impor-tantly the private sector,” said Arindam

Guha, a senior director, Deloitte.“For private sector players to invest

in this space, most cities would have to take a relook at their tariff structure for urban services so that they not only recover the cost of service delivery but are also able to service these investments,” Guha said.

Each state will shortlist its smart city aspirants in line with norms that will be specified later and submit proposals to the centre for evaluation and financial support, according to a statement released by the ministry of urban development.

“Cabinet’s formal sign-off on the creation of smart cities clarifies the next steps on this big initiative announced by the government in the budget,” said Neeraj Sharma, Partner, Walker Chandiok and Co. Llp.

“Given the facets of a smart city, this creates a significant opportunity for companies in real estate and in infrastructure sector, apart from companies in IT (information technology), waste management and others.”

Challenges aheadThe Cabinet approval marks the first of many steps, as also the easiest, that will be required for the project. The challenges start now. Of course there is no doubt that this has created tremen-dous enthusiasm amongst many pos-sible stakeholders, including service providers who have been part of smart city projects elsewhere in the world. Countries such as Japan, Singapore and Germany, among many others, have evinced interest to be a part of this. Yet, in its scale and complexity the project will be second to none.

The official estimates of per capita investment requirement is Rs.43,386 for a 20-year period, or a total investment of Rs.7 lakh crore. Creating a smart city isn’t just about creating the physical infrastructure — roads, clean water, power, transport and so on, things India finds difficult to deliver to its citizens nearly seven decades after Independence. It is hoped that public private partnerships (PPP) will deliver but the mechanism seems to need a lot of tweaking in order for it to work, a fact acknowledged in the recent Budget.

The big challenge will be to create self-sustaining cities, which create jobs, use resources wisely and also train people. This also means more autonomy for these cities. Whether that can happen is a moot question depending heavily on the maturity of the Indian political system.

4 5 6Focus on core infra services

The Mission intends to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets,

resources and infrastructure

Which cities gain the most?

Cities like Varanasi, Vizag, Ajmer etc. can stand to draw huge benefits out of this mission

because the Smart City Mission is ambitiously widespread to include

AMRUT

It seeks to lay a foundation to enable cities and towns to eventu-

ally grow into smart cities, will be implemented in 500 locations

with a population of one lakh and above



Advait AundhkarDirector, Urban Ekistics Centre, [email protected]

Smart Cities in India are evolving. It will continue to be important be aware of and responsive to the different ways future Smart cities shall emerge, because they will show path how cities will matter and in what ways they will need to succeed

Break silos for Better urBan governance

T he trend of future Smart cities is multi-disciplinary, evidence-led and conceptually w a t e r t i g h t . Understanding the

intention and meaning of all the terms in play will become a key part of sound decision-making.

The global integrated cities solutions

market is valued at £200 billion by 2030 and there’s an estimated global infrastructure investment of £25 trillion required over the next 20 years, too. In India, proposed investment of INR 40.9 trillion is indicated at the EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) sector and about INR 17.1 trillion (about 42 percent of the planned investment) in the

infrastructure sector. This indicates that almost 35 percent of the global infrastructure investment requirement is estimated for Indian cities.

With so much at stake, the new development initiatives by the Government would require assurance that the money is spent in the best way. Given the complexity of urban problems, the most effective approach


to resolving them considers a city’s multiple systems simultaneously, rather than focusing on how to fix a particular element. A city systems approach is just this; it considers the city as a system and designs solutions to have maximum positive impact while minimising negative unintended consequences.

Adopting a city systems approach is challenging, as it requires a new integrated way of working. Firstly, Planners, designers, engineers and financiers must work beyond single disciplines to develop a sufficient understanding of the urban system. Secondly, diverse stakeholders need to be involved to implement these designs. Planning a Smart future in cities requires breaking down institutional silos to develop truly integrated solutions.

Upgrading and the provision of new “smart” infrastructure require a large volume of investment, and financing these initiatives is a huge challenge for cities due to pressure on scarce public finances. The Government of India high powered expert committee (HPEC) estimated capital investment in urban infrastructure, renewal and redevelopment and capacity building for the 20 year period 2012-13 - 2031-32 is INR 39 lakh Crores. The sub-division of funds is as follows:

Sector INR in Lakhs

Water Supply 320908Sewerage 242688 SWM 48582Storm Water Drains 191031 Urban Roads 1728941Mass Transit 449426 Street Lighting 18580Traffic Support Infrastructure 97985 Renewal and Redevelopment 408955Other Sectors 309815TOTAL 3816911

(Approx. 39 Lakhs)

Environmental Social Economic GovernanceGarden Cities Participative Cities Entrepreneurial Cities Managed CitiesSustainable Cities Walk-able Cities Competitive Cities Intelligent CitiesEco Cities Integrated Cities Productive Cities Productive CitiesGreen Cities Inclusive Cities Innovative Cities Efficient CitiesCompact Cities Just Cities Business Friendly Cities Well-run, well-led CitiesSmart Cities Open Cities Global Cities Smart CitiesResilient Cities Liveable Cities Resilient Cities Future Cities

InnovationIndian cities have long been a beacon for the brightest minds and a potential centre for technological advancement. The recent initiatives of Indian Government to venture into Smart Cities shall help cities to probe into how digital technologies with sustainable urban Planning can help us with the opportunities and challenges of India’s economy and population growth.

The MOUD initiatives underlines that Indian cities are also the sites of tremendous innovation. Cities can be great proving grounds for technologies, providing opportunities for people to invent new things, and opportunities to test and sell them. Cities therefore present an opportunity for suppliers and consumers of smart technologies.

Smart technologies could help address some of the challenges of urbanisation by helping to optimise resource consumption and improve services through better management of demand and supply. The scale of the possible savings is significant. A recent survey of water utilities found that utility companies could save between $7.1 billion and $12.5 billion each year by using smart water solutions.

Smart and Future CitiesConception of success There are different interpretation for “Future Cities”, “Smart Cities”, “liveable Cities”, “Eco-Cities” and more. Bringing clarity to this field will help focus towards nurturing cities that individual citizen wants to live, work and travel in. There is confusion over

the distinction between Smart cities and Future cities.

Future cities are innovative physical infrastructure projects which are often but not exclusively associated with low carbon economies. Smart city solutions apply digital technologies to address social, environmental and economic goals. Smart city solutions can combine physical and digital infrastructure or can be based on digital infrastructure

alone. This confusion is a barrier. The above chart illustrates just a few

of the terminology and conceptions of success which are most widely used by those working in specific city-related fields, or concerned with particular future city outcomes. Sometimes phrases take on both narrow and wide meanings when used by different audiences. For example ‘smart cities’, when used in a narrow sense, refers to the way Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can improve city functionality, proposing that use of the right hardware, software and technology platforms can solve many or most urban development challenges. However, a broader conceptualisation of smart cities – more commonly considered by academic and policy user groups, rather than corporate - places emphasis on good city governance, empowered city leaders, smart or ‘intelligent citizens’ and investors in tandem with the right technology platform.

Google search trends shows five of the most common future city search terms “Future cities” has strong appeal throughout the world, and is a common



search term in India, Mexico and Brazil as well as in North American and the UK.

Smart Cities typically refers to enhanced city systems which use data and technology to achieve integrated management and inter-operability, but can also take on wider meanings to reflect social and political forms of smartness. In order to ensure efficient management of Smart Cities, urgent steps are required relating to strengthening urban governance, capacity building, urban financing, improving performance of service delivery outcomes through service level benchmarks and creating urban strategy based on its spatial patterns.

We need to think about cities as systems that can be joined up to work better together. We need to accelerate Urban Ideas to market, to grow the economy and make cities better. Innovation on future smart cities is a key part of these activities, both for boosting the understanding of these new smart technologies and championing urban innovation that will spur entrepreneurship and help secure the future of Indian cities to be positioned as a global market leader.

Our market assessment illustrates that smart solutions in five verticals: water, waste, energy, transport and assisted living shall bring out a significant impact in Indian cities. However, it is difficult for smart solution and innovative companies to deploy solutions in Indian Cities due to a fragmented vision on how cities and a reluctance to deploy untested, proven but innovative products and services. The pilot projects deployed are mostly abroad and there is absence of trials of products which can take advantage of smart technologies.

The latest initiatives of Ministry of Urban Development on strengthening urban infrastructure are:

♦ Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) - 400 cities. ♦ National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) - 12 cities. ♦ Smart Cities - 100 cities ♦ Swachh Bharat Mission - 4041 Statutory towns/cities

Panacea for better Urban fUtUre

Age of Digital CommunicationWe are standing on the brink of the third digital communication age. The first was the telecom age, which enabled global voice communication anywhere, anytime. The second is the age of the Internet where information has become readily available, frequently for free, to anyone with access to a computer or a cell phone. The proliferation of both telecommunications and the Internet occurred due to the combination of technology and affordability, which lowered the entry barrier for billions of people across the globe.

We are standing at the edge of the third age that will bridge the last physical gap between things (inanimate objects, physical assets) and the existing global communication infrastructure – the age of Smart Cities where physical assets are Internet of Things (IoT), storing Big Data, comprising network of Sensor.

Cities will be a major test-bed for the proliferation of the IoT on the managing, planning and operation of assets. The Internet of Things is essentially the general phenomena whereby digital networks are connecting up infrastructure, appliances and people through various digital devices. It is estimated that 50 billion such devices will be connected by 2020. There are three main types of IoT interaction.

First, Machine-to-Machine interaction as used in sensor-controlled mechanisms. Second, Machine-to-People interaction as used in online purchases, RFID cards such as ‘Oyster’

cards. And, the third kind is People-to-People interactions as used through Skype, Twitter, etc.

These interactions have the potential to transform how public, private and community services are delivered and how people interact with each other and their environment. Imagine a data-driven energy network that helps communities manage electricity consumption to reduce strain on the grid; sensors scattered across the city that tell you which park has the cleanest air for your child to play in; or an app that helps everyone get home from work as fast as possible by measuring congestions on roads, subways and pavements. That’s what we need to aim for. To do that, new urban development models need to introduce new methods, strategies and utilise the strengths of one another to provide more efficient, cost-effective services.

These new asset networks will allow sensor-enabled physical objects — home appliances, factory products, infrastructure assets and cars in a city — to talk to one another, to people or to computers.

This remarkable change is giving rise to a new kind of city. One that gets smarter, faster and futuristic. The basic recipe for smarter cities is to collect that data, analyze it and use it to improve quality of city life – to make traffic flow more smoothly, to help police be more efficient, to ensure that water supply meets demand, and more. Needs and approaches differ among cities, countries and regions.


Advait AundhkarDirector, Urban Ekistics Centre, [email protected]

Urban Ekistics Center of AIILSG explores Urban and Regional strength in design, research, finance and engineering services and pathfinder for innovative Smart Urban Technology resolving complex civic issues and has dedicated itself for the empowerment of local bodies

To improve urban living

A ll India Institute of Local Self Government has set up Urban Ekistics Center. The term Ekistics (coined by

Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis in 1942) applies to the science of human settlements. It includes regional, city, community planning and dwelling design.

The centre has dedicated itself for the empowerment of local bodies and good local governance. In the Center, we accelerate and help to bring urban ideas to market, to grow the economy and make cities better. We work on designing smart technologies prototypes that is tested in the real urban setting, once these prototypes are proven we help in spreading these designs across Indian cities to improve the service standards, protect the environment and improve the quality of life. Urban Ekistics Center is a space for our collaborators to come together, develop and test new ideas and work with our team of expert staff.

It is planned to be a world leading Urban Technology facility to conduct proof of concepts, validate new solutions to city challenges and host online urban data for various decision making functionalities. We’re developing innovative financial and business models to help encourage the adoption and scaling of new

processes and technologies in major developments and infrastructure projects.

Our interest in “Smart future in Cities” is best understood based on the following set of inter-related trends:



Signature Cities India City Competitiveness Report 2014 states that the smaller cities are booming fast and are steadily going to contribute significantly towards the prosperity of the nation. They are the budding growth centers, which are continuously improving their competitiveness levels year-on-year. The need is to nurture them as per their unique characteristics and make them the best in class. Therefore their potential should be harnessed accordingly so as to compete with the global cities on certain parameters.

The signature forms of many cities are linked to either one of the life forms or a combination of these life forms. The Urban and social environment of these cities varies based on its location, cultural heritage, identities and activities. Importantly, these complex forms poised a challenge for Urban Planners and Policy makers in framing policies for cities.

For instance – the intrinsically linked Pol areas and Sabarmati Riverfront of Ahmedabad, Core areas with Dharavi of Mumbai or ghats of old city of India – Varanasi and Kolkatta is a signature land use. In the race of modernity following independence, the country’s planners, architects and engineers made the grievous error of believing that the answer lay outside. They adopted city-building practices from the developed world and ignored the local answers which emerged over centuries.

Planners and architects permitted and encouraged concrete buildings and discarded local craftsmanship. They brought in grand plans for cities that denied the fine-grained fabric of Indian neighbourhoods. Architects did away with the country’s indigenous aesthetics that respected its climate. Instead, they built Swiss chalet-like roofs with Chinese tiles and added gimmicky vaastu effects. India’s modernity had little to do with its past.

Every city is unique and the challenge is to identify their unique signatures. The signature of a city bears on the identity of its citizens, and vice versa.

The urban environment that makes up cities reflects human needs and values. If you think of three big cities in India like Mumbai, Kolkatta and Delhi, the citizens who live there will say that their city is nothing like the others. This is also reflected in the individual: the identity of somebody living in Mumbai is different from somebody living in Durgapur or Panjim. When we choose to live in cities, it is not for their resources or urban ‘buzz’, it is because we fundamentally identify with them.

We like our cities because we identify with them, beyond a point of convenience and the fact that cities house everything one might need. People often say “oh I didn’t like that city very much, I didn’t get a good vibe” – the vibe they are talking about is the spirit of the city – and every city’s spirit is different. So when we truly identify with a city, we often decide to spend our entire lives living there. We become part of it, and although seemingly like a cog in the wheel, every single person who lives in a city is contributing to its identity. In a way, cities are just like people. It takes a great deal of time and effort for a person to change their identity, and this applies to cities too.

Data and Analytics Resources for Smart Cities Cities are systems with many different functions such as transport, trade, administration, innovation, economic and social systems, and culture. They also simultaneously function as part of a number of complex, interdependent systems at different scales; for example, regional, national and international. A ‘smart city’ therefore, might be best thought of as being ‘the effective integration of physical, digital and human systems in the built environment to deliver a sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future for its citizens. To this end, smart cities mobilise many new technologies, particularly those that are digital, in reaching towards these goals. Considering this fact, Urban Ekistics Center has created an Asian Observatory of Data and Analytics.

New data is being generated on an

Cities provide a rich source of data on multiple scales and this will increase in the future as the Internet of Things and other data sources become more widely available -Sensors in the fabric of buildings and the environment will increasingly supplement people-derived data. In this way, cities provide both the resources (data) and environment to test new approaches at different scales. These approaches have the potential to offer considerable potential benefits for citizens – allowing them to be healthier, happier and more productive

It will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of civic service provision in complex, interdependent environments - Greater availability of data, new analytical capabilities and computational capacities will significantly increase the resolution of available information on the performance of city systems and dynamically predict and optimally respond to situations. City planners will be able to address concerns by pointing

OppOrtunities fOr cities thrOugh Data anD analytics

enormous scale and nowhere more so than in cities. Many everyday activities and interactions within urban environments can be harnessed to generate a variety of data, ranging from apps and social media to satellite imagery. It is not just the quantity but also the veracity of data which is increasing. Emergent information technologies show what people do, not just what they say they do. However to make sense of this vast data-flow, it is necessary to develop better ways to analyse it.

With new data-generating technologies, new methods of analytics, such as machine learning,


data mining, pattern recognition, profiling, simulation and optimization algorithms are also emerging fast. Cities can increasingly be seen as a key challenge – a modern-day ‘enigma code’. Harnessing data and analytics to make sense of the patterns within this code and thus cracking the ‘science of cities’ is a key future challenge.

The Future of Cities – an emerging Science for Smart Cities

Technological and conceptual breakthroughs in the way we think about cities and recognise their potential has added a great deal of momentum to these mega Smart Cities trend.

At least four macro trends are

visible on our journey towards Smart Cities. They are: the surpassing of 50% urbanisation globally, the expansion of cities into metropolitan areas and regions, the seriousness of environmental and climate change challenges and the shift in the centre of gravity of the global economy combined with population mobility.

Together, these factors are focusing minds and attention on the future cities much more clearly with different phrases and buzzwords becoming more popular at different times. Sustainable cities, digital cities, eco cities and smart cities have all had their spot in the limelight, and resilient cities is now enjoying its own spell as a guiding terminology among research, policy and technology communities.

Generators A set of innovators, thought leaders and agenda drivers are emerging in the Smart and future cities space. These individuals and organisations are the ‘generators’ or influencers whose innovation catalyses and inspires activity nationwide. Among this group of ‘generators’ are:

The think-tanks and thought-leaders: National Institute of Urban Affairs, Mc Kinsey Global Institute, Michael Bloomberg and Bloomberg Associates, The Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore, etc.

The inter-governmental organisations and their specialist departments: UN-Habitat, EU regional policy, World Bank and WBI, Cities Alliance and OECD Territorial Development.

Academic urban laboratories: Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, Centre for Environment Education, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, School of Planning, Indian Institute of Space, School of Building Science and Technologies, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, KELTRON, etc.

The technology developers and vendors: Siemens, Cisco, Microsoft, Arup and IBM.

City networks: All India Institute of Local Self Government, Bombay First, Mumbai Metropolitan region Development Authority, UCLG, EuroCities, CityNet, C40, ICLEI and many others.

It is from these institutions, individuals, and networks that new interpretations of future & smart cities are cultivated, developed, disseminated and first applied.

Adopters A second group of actors adopt the ideas for themselves. This is well illustrated in the corporate world, where the ideas generated by Siemens, IBM and Cisco have been picked up by a wider group of multi-nationals, such as Cap Gemini, KPMG, PwC, E&Y, Accenture, Schneider Electric and Hitachi, as well as those in sectors as diverse as construction (L&T) and Policy & law (Il&FS, CRISIL). Financial institutions, philanthropic organisations and university departments also adopt future and Smart City language and build programmes and initiatives around them. Adopters turn new future and Smart City ideas into globally relevant practice.

Adapters Adapters are often city governments or private sector providers that look to use monikers such as ‘smart city’ or ‘city of innovation’ to establish a new project, vision or market in a local setting. One example of adaptation is the idea of the ‘liveable city’. When it first emerged, the phrase was used mainly in the context of quality of life with concerns about pollution, congestion and safety. The term was picked up very early in Singapore, however, where it also refers to a city’s global (economic) competitiveness. Singapore’s liveability discourse and agenda, which was developed to a large extent by the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, has become a defining benchmark for other Asian cities seeking to make the transition towards higher value economy and higher functionality city systems (Roy and Ong, 2011).

to real evidence of benefit. Urban analytics will enable

increasingly integrated, responsive modes of urban governance - The provision of open data platforms will not only increase the levels of transparency and accountability of city governance, but will also facilitate more direct forms of engagement and involvement in decision-making

Increased urban resilience - Having better information and being able to use data to inform decision-making more effectively will help cities prevent, or at the least recover quicker from environmental shocks, such as air pollution and flooding, as well as identifying severe threats to their functioning. Increased resilience with respect to pollution and weather could help cities cope with climate change much more effectively in the decades to come.

Revealing hidden synergies - In recent years dramatic improvements in information and communication technology - especially social media, mobile devices, e-commerce and analytics - have made it easier for people and organisations to make contact and interact. Information about supply and demand has become more freely available; and it is increasingly easy to reach consumers through online channels.


Centre Stage | Foreign Engagement

India looks beyond FDI to finance smart cItIesGood things come with a cost. The government’s decision to build 100 smart cities requires investment of around one trillion USD for development of trunk and internal infrastructure in five years time. The government has eased FDI norms for housing and construction to bolster Smart City Mission but that does not seem enough. It demands an infallible financial strategy to expedite the project on ground


Abhishek PandeyPrincipal [email protected]

o augment the Smart City Mission and make it financially sustainable, Indian government is laying red carpet for the friendly nations and

multinational companies to invest in the humongous mission.

Many countries across the globe are making efforts to develop Smart Cities in order to improve civic amenities, operational efficiencies in service delivery, maximize environmental sustainability efforts, and create new citizen services based on the technology platform. However, the ability to meet these goals is challenged by financial constraints that become impediment, hold back, or even obliterate the ability for governments to enrich their communities.

As per the estimation from the report ‘Market Study on Upcoming Smart Cities in India, 2015’ by TechSci, the smart cities project in India would entail investments of around USD 2 trillion for development of trunk and internal infrastructure in 100 cities planned under the project.

The report says that the government is focusing on encouraging Public Private Partnership (PPP) for successful implementation of smart city project in India. Financial and IT services sectors are on the priority list of the government to garner investments from leading companies such as Cisco, EMC, GE, IBM, Bajaj, etc. in coming years. Few of the major companies that are currently involved in project planning of these cities include Halcrow, Synoate, Knight Frank and AECOM India.

Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a global

management consulting firm, said in a statement, “The first phase of Dholera smart city in Gujarat is expected to be completed by 2023. Financial and IT services are the focus areas of development in the first phase of Dholera smart city. Overall cost involved in building infrastructure in the first phase of Dholera smart city is expected to be around USD 2.73 billion.” Similarly, the research firm KPMG has also estimated that India would need around one trillion USD for Smart City Mission.

The Union Government’s budget 2014-15 allocated INR 70.6 billion for developing 100 smart cities. But the investment in each Smart City is estimated to be in excess of $10 billion. It is clear that the budgeted funds alone will not be enough to fully finance the development of infrastructure in these cities.

In addition to that the cabinet has allocated over 98,000 crore rupees spending on Smart City Mission. Under the mission, every selected city will get Rs 100 Crore per year for the next five years.

Financial strategy According to the concept note on smart cities prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development, the government has focused on leveraging resources from both domestic and overseas investors. It is in addition to the budgetary resources available with various levels of government.

As a first step for leveraging such resources for the municipal sector, the Central government intends to establish a Fund consultation with other ministries, multilateral, bilateral developing agencies and banks. This

T


Centre Stage | Foreign Engagement

fund may blend grant funds from: CSS (Central Government allocation), borrowings from multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies and Bonds subscribed by national and state level land development agencies (e.g. HUDA, PUDA, DDA etc.). The pooling of monies from commercial and non-commercial sources would allow for reduction in borrowing cost and lengthening of tenor. The fund may provide VGF as well as provide credit guarantees to municipal bonds and term-loans in order to leverage debt resources from the financial markets.

Notably, the Government of India and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) have recently approved rules for the creation of real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure investment trusts in the country. Like mutual funds, REITs will pool in money from investors and issue units in exchange. REITs would help attract both domestic and overseas investments into real estate projects that in turn would augment the speed of Smart City Mission. According to JLL property consultant, REITs could generate $ 1 Billion in the present fiscal year.

FDI in Smart CitiesGovernment of India has approved 100 Foreign Direct Investment in housing

and construction sector. In October 2014, PM Narendra Modi chaired cabinet eased the norms by reducing the minimum built-up area, required to attract FDI, from 50,000 sq m to 20,000 sq m. The capital requirement for the same has been decreased from $10 million to $5 million.

Given the shortage of land and its high cost, the relaxation in norms is expected to help attract investment in new areas and encourage the development of plots for serviced housing. It would also help create affordable housing in the country and develop smart cities, the official statement said.

“The easing of foreign direct investment rules in the construction sector will surely provide a boost to the real estate sector and go a long way in fulfilling the dream of creating smart cities across the country. The permission to sell completed projects to foreign investors will help Indian real estate developers get much-needed liquidity into the system,” said Sanjay Chandra, Managing Director of Unitech.

However, the government need to attract investment in other sectors too for successfully implementing the Smart City Mission. As the Mission targets to improve water supply, waste management, power supply, and other civic amenities in those cities.

“For a mid-sized city these aspects can be comfortably worked upon and developments can be noticed within the average budgetary allocation of 500 crore per city. So cities like Varanasi, Vizag, Ajmer etc. can stand to draw huge benefits out of this mission,” said Gulam Zia, Executive Director, Knight Frank India.

He added that however, for a city like Mumbai wherein transportation projects like the Trans Harbour Link or the Metro Phaze-3 can itself cost upwards of 10,000 crore each, the proposed amount may not even suffice for a fraction of the interest cost of these projects. In such cases a balanced allocation of resources will be the biggest challenge. Moreover, the fear that real estate may take precedence over the broader economic growth agenda looms large in such situations, as observed in the case of SEZs earlier, wherein the carriage was seen pulling the horse.

Foreign engagementsThe Smart City Mission of the Government has caught the attention of many countries such as USA, France, Japan, Australia, Russia, New Zealand and other countries. Recently, France announced a $1 billion investment towards the development of three smart cities, including Pondicherry

“Right now we are very much in the nascent stage of finding ways forward with India on smart cities issues. We do not have clarity on financing for the many projects that need to be done

Richard Verma, US Ambassador

“The first phase of Dholera smart city in Gujarat is expected to be completed by 2023. Financial and IT services are the focus areas of development in the first phase of Dholera smart city. Overall cost involved in building infrastructure in the first phase is expected to be around USD 2.73 billion

Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research


“For a mid-sized city, developments can be noticed within the budgetary allocation of 500 crore. So cities like Varanasi, Vizag, Ajmer etc. can stand to draw huge benefits out of this mission

Gulam Zia, Executive Director, Knight Frank India

and Nagpur. In January, United States of America (USA) signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) for developing three smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer, and Visakhapatnam. Similarly, Russia said that it would participate in developing smart cities in India. In November 2014, India and Russia have agreed to proposals for establishing a smart city by Russian company AFK Sistema, manufacturing lighting equipment for general and special purposes in Karnataka. Japan

is interested in developing Varanasi into a smart city. Likewise, Singapore is studying the model for the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh-Vijayawada-Guntur. Existing cities like Dholera and Surat in Gujarat, and Visakhapatnam in the east, have already begun work to transform into smart cities with help from companies such as Microsoft Corp, IBM Corp and Cisco Systems. However, the government has not devised a proper financial strategy through which these companies could

incentivize their engagement in smart city development. Urban planners and experts are the view that for the success of the mission, it is required to have a model through which foreign companies find the opportunity lucrative enough to invest.

Recently Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought the deeper engagement from Asian Development Bank for the development of Smart Cities, Industrial Corridors, Rail transport and manufacturing and job creation.

US, Japan, Australia, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Russia are among other countries that are joining hands with Indian government in the Smart City Mission.

The Union Government has allocated only INR 130.6 billion ( $ 2055 million) for developing

100 smart cities; INR 70.6 billion in 2014-15 fiscal budget and INR 60 billion in the fiscal year

started on April 1.

A total of Rs 98,000 crore was approved by the Cabinet for 100 smart cities and rejuvenation of

500 others. Every selected city to get Rs 100 Crore per year for the next five years.

France announced a $1 billion investment towards the development of three smart cities,

including Pondicherry and Nagpur.

$ 2055 Million

` 98000Crore

$ 1 Billion

$ 1 - $ 2 Trillion It is estimated that creation of 100 smart cities would require investment between $ 1 trillion and $ 2tril-

lion as each Smart City is estimated to need investment in excess of $10 billion.


Column | Municipal Merger

Municipal mergerfact or fancy?The state government of West Bengal is considering merger of few small and medium ULBs as an option to manage their urban areas efficiently. Is the municipal merger really a boon or simply another bane resulting out of certain political compulsions?

Arpan De SarkarEconomist and Public Policy Analyst [email protected]


C alcutta High Court has termed the deferment of municipal elections in few selected civic bodies in West Bengal

as ‘illegal’. On a petition challenging the legality of putting off elections in few urban local bodies (ULBs) because of envisaged merger, the division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed its judgement on April 16, 2015 in this regard. Whether merger should take place before the pending civic body elections or after the same that is a matter of different debate of political scientists. Policy practitioners ought to first consider whether municipal merger is really the precise antidote to multi-faceted intricacy.

The state government of West Bengal is considering merger of few small and medium ULBs as an option to manage their urban areas efficiently. Several popular notions are being aired by the ruling policymakers behind such a decisive strategic move in municipal administration. It is being argued that it would be easier for the administration to bring the new municipal corporations under assorted ‘mega city’ projects because of anticipated million plus population size of those corporations. Consequently, it is being opined that urban residents of West Bengal would be facilitated to avail the benefits of ‘mega cities’. Is the municipal merger really the order of the day? Is it a boon or simply another bane resulting out of certain political compulsions? Are we actually planning for vibrant future cities?

Efficient urban management is a function of optimum city size alongside other determinants affecting urban agglomeration economies. Policymaker sought to prudently consider whether there exists an optimal city size to pull off the superlative welfare of a city as a whole. The boon of scale economies in respect to city sizes must


Column | Municipal Merger

be assessed against the additional costs of maintaining basic urban services. In an ideal world, the optimality of a city size is reached when the falling marginal benefit (due to increase in city size) equates the rising marginal cost of sustaining the new larger city. In reality, the optimum sizes are rather defined in terms of political, social, economic or other objectives ruling the society at large. Have the authorities concerned considered the basic reality checks? Has any connecting thread been drawn between the policies, their execution and the citizens that such policies suppose to serve? Hardly any participatory/consultative processes have been adopted at a considerable scale before arriving at the policy stance to merge those ULBs.

The actual situations of ULBs are needed to be assessed in proportion to economic efficiency. In spite of the huge gesticulation of municipal mergers in Europe during 1950s and 1980s and its latest resurgence, only modest substantiation exists about its effects on local government expenditure and debt. Furthermore, the disposition of the inconveniences faced by ULB governments in Europe is not really the same as in Indian ULBs. Declassification of cost of municipal service provision shows that most of the municipal services/functions here in India are cheapest delivered in rather smaller municipalities. Hence, the question of attaining economies of scale because of municipal merger may not be the right argument in favour of amalgamation of civic bodies in the sub-urban areas of a metro city. Again, some researchers, in the recent past, has concluded that economies of scale in case of certain municipal services could be attained as a result of municipal merger if the annexation used to leads to significantly higher population density. Thus, it is not the question of population size but that of significantly higher population density what might guide the outcomes.

Theoretically, the optimum city size is the extent where the net advantages from agglomeration are at maximum. Although the concept of optimal city size is an old and unsolved problem, the specific cases in West Bengal are a bit

different. This is not a question of optimal city size; rather it is of efficient size of a municipality, which largely depends on efficiency of city management subject to public finance constraints. The proposed municipal mergers there in that state involve some adjoining civic bodies which have already been part of a same urban agglomeration. So, the unification has hardly anything extra to offer in terms of agglomeration economies if those ULBs are only administratively merged keeping rest of the parameters untouched. Rather diseconomies are expected to consistently increase because of higher rate of migration to the areas under the administration of larger civic bodies. On the other hand, if these proposed mergers aim only to exploit the benefits of so called assorted ‘mega city’ projects, urban management in the state may have to face the risk of short-sightedness in near future.

It is interesting to mention here that in terms of distribution of the Census Towns across states as per Census 2011, West Bengal (780) tops the list with maximum number of Census Towns followed by Kerala (461). Any policy stance is yet to be taken to bring them under the administration of statutory towns or part of ULBs. Percentage of statutory towns among total towns in West Bengal has sharply declined from 32.8 percent in 2001 to 14.2 percent in 2011 because of stern increase in Census Towns against more or less constant number of statutory towns in the state. Thus, increasing number of urban population there in West Bengal is being administered by rural set up which needs to be attended carefully with a long term vision.

The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) 1992, offered us an opportunity to strengthen the democratic structure in India, whereby the ULBs would have been regarded as the third tier of government in the federal framework. The amendment, in that sense, was also a landmark in underpinning decentralized governance. That envisaged people’s participation in the process of planning alongside implementation. Furthermore the 74th CAA envisaged provisions for the devolution of powers and

The proposed municipal mergers

in West Bengal involve some

adjoining civic bodies which have already been part

of a same urban agglomeration.

So, the unification has hardly

anything extra to offer in terms of

agglomeration of economies if those

ULBs are only administratively

merged keeping rest of the parameters

untouched

AgglomerAtion


responsibilities upon ULBs. As per the essence of the constitutional stipulations, the State Governments were believed to bestow essential governmental authority to ULBs besides devolving financial wherewithal to assist them to discharge their tasks capably. It is also implicit that non-accessibility of equitable share as per the transference of funds often confines civic bodies for counterpart funding in different national and state programmes. West Bengal is not an exception. Can the envisaged municipal mergers guarantee devolution of appropriate funds to the new corporations?

All through the last couple of decades, since the aforementioned constitutional amendment, the course of empowering municipal bodies has taken place in a mixed way across different States. The 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) noted down that even though the 74th CAA had foreseen passing on many of the eighteen functions to the civic bodies, there was ample inconsistency in delegation of “functions, functionaries and funds” across the country. Grossly, the central sector/centrally sponsored schemes are carried out through bypassing the municipalities, excepting a few States. Sometimes, Departments/Ministries issue inconsistent general directives for involvement of municipalities in some programmes without proper institutional whereabouts and clear-cut roles compatible to jurisdictional importance of the third tyre of governance. Financial positions of municipalities in West Bengal vis-à-vis their mandates, subject to efficiency constraint, are not at all better than national average. Has it ever been tried to empower the ULBs in true sense before terming them as failure individually? Aren’t we heading backwards from the concept of decentralised governance? Thus, the spirit of 74th CAA and that of West Bengal Municipal Act 1994 are being violated.

The functions enlisted in the 12th Schedule of 74th CAA relate to performances and services that impact daily life of city inhabitants directly. These functions were foreseen to be delegated to civic bodies as they have the straight interaction with the public.

A broad review of all the functions listed in the 12th schedule of 74th CAA further highlights the inefficacy of the ULBs in West Bengal like most other states in India. Land use planning has not been entrusted to ULBs in West Bengal in true sense. The state has also lagged behind in planning for economic and social development at ULB level. Most of the civic bodies in the state have not been endowed with any know-how to deal with the intricacies of social and economic development. Over and above, most of the municipalities in West Bengal are able to cover only a little part of the cost of supplied water, leading to under-recovery of even operations and maintenance cost and thereby made themselves vulnerable. Is there any plan that water supply and sanitation costs will be recovered fully from the citizens after the proposed municipal mergers? If not, how will the larger civic bodies be viable? Thus, simple municipal merger can never result into solution of the actual problems.

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a mandatory function of the municipal bodies. ULBs in West Bengaluru inhibited in discharging this role effectively because of various issues including fiscal limitations, efficient staff constraints and dearth of technological acquaintance. In most of the cases, a large share of the municipal resources is spent on MSWM but most of it is headed for salaries and establishment expenses. Amalgamation of smaller ULBs to form larger corporations is not the answer here. Capacity building in a consistent and planned manner alongside financial independence of civic bodies is the order of the day. Nonetheless, ULBs, being the elected bodies, should have a superior onus and command to govern, plan and regulate the performances and delivery of services besides allocation of funds, as compared to state departments and/or parastatals.

There is a large untapped scope of debate and learning before we take a strategic policy stance. Where then do we stand about the municipal merger? Do we have decided upon amalgamation of urban civic bodies? Do we know the path further on future cities?

In spite of the huge gesticulation of municipal mergers in Europe during 1950s and 1980s and its latest resurgence, only modest substantiation exists about its effects on local government expenditure and debt

experience


Column | Citizen Participation

D

There has to be a turning point when the decision makers and the governed have to come together to make a beginning for ensuring a better governance ethos

Raj LiberhanFormer Director, India Habitat [email protected]

ealing with human beings is the hardest proposition. Each one has a mind of complex and often tangled thoughts,

and almost universally the self comes before any one else. Witness the chaos and disorder in the middle of our public spaces. The early morning depicts relative calm and quiet while there is a frenetic pace once the work time begins and this goes well into the night. Yes, a part of being a city dweller is to be able to cope with the pace of urban living but with safety, security and dignity intact.

Children, adolescents and the old, all have a right to a dignified and safe city life. But it is the ones with might or weight on their side that overreach for the available civic amenities and the providers of these amenities do not have the will to enforce the laws and if they do at all, they do so as per their discretion. This kind of urban ethos affects the aspirations of the citizens, their leisure and their pursuit of excellence.

What has happened in the 60 plus years of growth after Independence? Too many people, too much materialization, too little infrastructure, no water, no power, no this, no that…..a litany of endless woes that is a common refrain in all our cities. How do we redeem the quality of life that is rightfully our due or is it already too late? In the history of our future, there has to be a turning point when the decision makers and the governed have to come together to make a beginning for ensuring a better governance ethos. For this to happen, the state has to make simpler laws which are enforceable and compliable. Both, without any exceptions.

The beginning has been made. The call is for a Clean India and it has come from no less than the Prime Minister of the country. This is not a call directed at the officialdom to do their jobs, but it is a call to the citizenship to develop a culture and environment that will not accept unclean public spaces. The hardest part is to overcome the customary cynicism of the countrymen, who have become a part of the general inertia so visible as a dominant public

Energizing our citizEnship


one policeman for one citizen, to be supervised by a senior policeman and so on. Law enforcement will have to go in for large scale scanning by electronic devices and these will have to be screened 24x7 for effective policing.

Unless we invest in technology with a smart back up with ability to nab violators, we can have laws but no adherence. The soft skills will need to be ingrained in the users of public spaces through messaging and connecting through the radio. Culturally, the pace of urbanization is affecting attitudes and characters, but there is a great deal of hope and aspiration among the young who want to do good and partake of the city’s spaces. The local authorities will need to lead the energies of the young and the old by inviting them to participate in city initiatives and give credence to their voices. The ‘rahagiri’ experiments in some cities are citizen led and have brought a great deal of joy to many. The local authorities are far too conservative and outdated in their thinking of being able to harness the enthusiasm of the youth. This needs to change dramatically and we will see the results sooner than later.

The best part of the story is that creative platforms exist in all our cities. It is up to the imagination and the leadership of the civil society and the positivity of the local city managers that can really weave a vibrant and lively city life which will renew the identity of the city itself and give its history and heritage a reckonable personality.

sentiment. The initiative has to be led by the local self government. They need to show that they are willing to anchor the city dream which begins with ensuring that public spaces will be clean and kept that way. It does not require a cabinet approval to place garbage bins at every one hundred yards. Even the most concerned citizen will not be able to carry a waste paper for miles to deposit in a waste bin. He will litter the public space. Let us start with waste bins everywhere as there has to be a facility before there is usage.

We have all seen that aesthetics has been a big casualty in city developments. Yes, the architecture has been woefully unimaginative. Our traditions of joint living have to manifest in the styles of urban settlements and this should be the pattern of our city skyline. The cultural spaces in the city should be sacrosanct and not be invaded by any realty development for any price. Also for the children, the open spaces need to be created because access to these places is a significant part of youth development. We are all aware, yet our city planners appear to have missed

the legacy of immaculate planning from Indus valley onwards. A great environment is always inspirational for the citizenship and creates a culture of respect for public spaces.

Infusing energy into the citizenship is a combination of many factors. It has to be induced into the consciousness so that the DNA of cleanliness gets embedded. The best place to start this implant is from the schools and from here it will get into the homes and elders. The state schools are the ideal grounds from where the ideology of cleanliness should be launched and a prize cum incentive rewards architecture can be created and sustained. It is a cost effective initiative and needs to be introduced without any delay. The energy and enthusiasm of the children to be distinctive has to be harnessed for success of the culture altering process.

The adults are always harder to change. The problem gets compounded by the fact that there are differential levels of education and understanding among the users of public spaces. To cap it all, it is not possible to have

Our traditions of joint living have to manifest in the styles of urban

settlements and this should be the pattern of our city skyline. The

cultural spaces in the city should be sacrosanct and not be invaded by

any realty development for any price

Breathing Space


Column | Urban Transport

TSustainable urban transportation system should allow all the users to meet their basic mobility needs in a way that preserves human and ecosystem health and lead to promotion of equity within and between successive generations

he two key elements missing in our city governance system in the area of urban mobility are those of the cities and towns not being

directly responsible for managing transport issues and focus required on promoting public transport. As a result, urban roads are choking, vehicles on the roads are constantly on the increase, pollution has become a major hazard and there is no strategisation seen as far as introducing affordable and sustainable public transport systems are concerned. The enormity and intensity of the problem can be understood better when we look at some critical figures relating to some big cities. Delhi adds over 1400 vehicles every day to its roads, Mumbai 700, Bengaluru 1000 and Kolkata 350. Delhi’s total vehicle strength goes above 81 lakh. As economic activity increases, as requirements of city residents go up and since the required integration of land use and urban transport has not been at the core of our city planning process, trips are increasing, pressure on the road system is high and complexities of last mile connectivity issues necessitate use of personalised vehicles to a very high extent.

It is a known fact that road length in our cities cannot go on expanding except for some minimum possible additions. Delhi has something like 21 per cent of its area under roads, for Bangalore metropolitan area it is 12 per cent, for Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune it is 11 per cent, for Chennai it is 10 per cent and for Greater Mumbai it is 7 per cent. For steadily moving in the direction of a healthy and sustainable urban mobility system, it is important to have an appropriate modal mix among various modes of transport and in that scenario, public transport has to have a dominant role. We have varying extremes.

Dr M RamachandranFormer Secretary - UD, Govt of [email protected]

Sustainable urban mobility

If in Greater Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad the share of buses is around 42 per cent, the same share in Pune and Ahmedabad is much less.

Another critical issue is that of the role played by the transport sector in energy use and emission of Green House Gases (GHGs). As per figures compiled some years back, transport energy use amounted to 26 per cent of world energy use and the transport sector was responsible for about 23 per cent of the GHG emissions. There is a strong correlation between modal split in cities and emissions. Cities with a high share


of public and non motorised transport need up to ten times less energy per person for passenger transport than cities where urban transport is based mainly on individual motorisation. A car is reported to use six times more energy than a bus.

Considering the huge complexity of transport related issues of our cities and towns, the agenda is huge. The National Urban Transport Policy of 2006 covered many of the areas to be addressed. Though some work has happened in some cities in the light of the agenda given by this Policy, there are large number of fundamental issues still dominant in most of our cities and towns. There are many cities where even organised city bus transport systems do not exist. Though essentially transport is a state subject, it is essentially the key central initiatives which have prompted the states and cities to make some good beginnings. Mention must be made of the JnNURM funding, the 15,000 plus 10,000 buses supply program, the

National Sustainable Habitat Mission, support for Metro projects presently extending to as many as 13 cities have all made a substantial difference in changing the scenario for the better.

A sustainable urban transportation system should allow all the users to meet their basic mobility needs in a way that preserves human and ecosystem health and lead to promotion of equity within and between successive generations. It should be affordable, efficient choice of transport mode. It should succeed in limiting emissions and waste within the planet’s ability to absorb them. The question is how do we ensure all this especially given the position that our cities lack the capacity required to handle complex issues like this. So what could be a broad agenda for all the 4000 plus urban bodies to address the mobility issues in a consistent and sustainable manner?

The spirit of the 74th Constitution Amendment needs to be taken up seriously by all the states to strengthen

the role of the urban local bodies in areas like city transport as well in addition to taking action in the basic areas of city governance. Properly entrusting the urban transport role to the city bodies so that they can take the required initiatives is key to bringing about changes.

State municipal legislations have to clearly state the role expected of the local bodies in addressing the transport issues. There has to be a coordinated way of working of the state’s Transport and Urban development departments with the city systems.

Also there has to be transport specialists at the city level in the revised municipal cadres so that the governance system gets proper specialist advice and guidance on city transport matters.

Capacity creation and capacity strengthening at the city level have to be assigned the required priority and importance. Pending this, the local bodies should have access to resources and to specialised institutions to take up the transport planning works.

A system of generating and regularly updating mobility related comprehensive data at the city/town level has to come into existence and constantly supported.

Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities have to be constituted for all million plus population cities and they should be sufficiently supported with specialist staff and resources.

The innovative financing mechanisms as recommended by the National Transport Development Policy Committee have to be taken up seriously so that availability of funds is better and adequate to meet the various requirements.

We have to keep in mind the fact that the complexities of urban transport have not received the priority deserved and we cannot afford to go on delaying the key policy decisions urgently required to strengthen the urban transport system at the city levels s it is at that level that people continue to put up with the adverse effects of poorly organised public transport and inadequate attention to overall, integrated transport planning.


Column | Industrial Corridor

TThe Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) provide an economic focus to the vision of making the cities smart. The DMIC has envisioned that it would, within five years, double the employment potential, triple the industrial output and quadruple the exports potential within its influence region

Sudhir KrishnaFormer UD Secretary Chairman of the Committee on defining standards for Smart CitiesBureau of Indian Standards (BIS)[email protected]

Learning from DMIC for SMart CItIeS

he Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) was conceived in 2007 and launched shortly thereafter, as a project

to bring about long-term economic development in the influence zone of the 1483 km long Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) being developed by the Indian railways between Delhi and Mumbai. The project envisaged creating“strong economic base with globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance foreign investments and attain sustainable development.”Inevitably, the DMIC project converged on the need to develop sustainable habitats, to give realistic shape to the overall project goals. The framework of new cities in the DMIC Project zones was in the nature of smart cities, but without getting specifically called as such. The influence zone of DMIC was defined as area so 150 to 250 kms on either side of the DFC, covering an extent of as much as 436,486 square kilometres, which translates into about 13.8% of the geographical area of the country.

The project covers the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. State-wise Consultants have been appointed to prepare Master Plans for the Project investment regions in the respective States identified for the first phase as well as for the overall DMIC region. The special investment regions are Dholera in Gujarat, Pithampur-Dhar- Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, Manesar-Bawal in Haryana, Shendra – Bidkinand Dighi Port Industrial Area in Maharashtra, Khuskhera- Bhiwadi

Economic sustainability

would require the city to pay back

in rupee terms all the investments

incurred in making it smart, besides

generating enough surplus at least to maintain the

infrastructure that is developed to

make the city smart

Paying back

Neemrana in Rajasthan and Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Environmental Impact Assessments have been launched and activity specific special purpose vehicles constituted for many of the activities. Thus, a large-scale effort for economic development of the project area has been launched and the required land acquisition measures have also been initiated.

Smart CitiesThe Manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for the 2014 General Elections to the Lok Sabha, promised to develop 100 Smart Cities, should that Party succeed at the hustings. As things turned out, the BJP got a thumping majority and dutifully notified its intent of proceeding with its commitment of development of Smart cities. The amount of enthusiastic attention


that this announcement generated, nationally and even internationally, was so much that it even surpassed the response received by earlier policy announcements like Garibi Hatao. Over the last one year, Smart cities have become one of the most talked about themes in the country. And now, with the final decision of the Union Cabinet on 29th April 2015 to launch the Mission on 100 Smart Cities, the Smart Cities are going to become a reality very soon.

Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), which has spearheaded this endeavour, is in the process of finalising the details of the Mission after concluding its numerous rounds of consultation with various stakeholders. Now is the most opportune time to take note of the concept and practices adopted by the DMIC for its smart habitat development and factor in the experiences, both positive and otherwise, into the final guidelines for smart cities.

Fundamentally, a smart city should be sustainable, while we define sustainability in all its forms such as economic, social, technological and managerial sustainability. Economic sustainability would require the city

to pay back in rupee terms all the investments incurred in making it smart, besides generating enough surplus at least to maintain the infrastructure that is developed to make the city smart. It would also mean environmental sustainability, that is, the quality of the air, soil and water should be significantly better with the city becoming smart. Social sustainability should require city to bring in greater inclusiveness and harmony in the society.

Technological sustainability would expect the city infrastructure not only to become technologically efficient through the smart hardware and software including the information and communication technologies (ICT), but also adopt such technological options that remain valid and useful for the future as well. Managerial sustainability would require the city to have efficient, capable and responsive governance systems.

Learning from DMIC for the Mission on Smart CitiesA critical learning from the DMIC thus far would be to provide an economic focus to the vision of making the cities smart. The DMIC has envisioned that it would, within five years, double the employment potential, triple the industrial output and quadruple the exports potential from its influence region. Such economic goals need to be included in the Project reports for each of the 100 Smart Cities too. For, smartness should also translate into enhanced productive utilisation of all the resources, including the human resources, of the city.

The DMIC has also taken up preparation of Development and Land

Use Plans for hundreds of square kilometres of areas in the various investment regions in its influence zone.

The Smart Cities project could set its won benchmarks in certain respects, without copying DMIC. For instance, DMIC was designed to be driven by the industries departments of the State Governments and special purpose companies to be set up for project implementation. The driving spirit for DMIC project was economic growth, primarily through industrial development. DMIC did not envisage active engagement of people at large with the smart habitat development mooted by the project. In other words, democratic governance has not been a major driving force for the DMIC. Perhaps it was designed like that. However, while such an approach may be useful for setting up industrial areas such as the Export Promotion Zones or Special Economic Zones, it may be very inadequate to develop or redevelop sustainable and equitable human settlements.

Any project to develop and sustain smart cities would be more realistic if it were to be based on citizens’ active participation through democratic institutions such as the municipalities, panchayats and gram/ward sabhas. However, a smart city need not ignore economic growth and if does so, it could bring in serious jeopardy for sustainability of the city.

Thus, the concepts of development of smart cities and of the DMIC can be harmonised to bring in sustainable, inclusive and accelerated growth and development of the cities.

Any project to develop and sustain smart cities would be more realistic if it were to be based on citizens’ active participation through democratic institutions such as the municipalities, panchayats and gram/ward sabhas

engagement


Article | Low Carbon Cities

The world is urbanizing at an unprecedented pace. By the year 2050, it is estimated that 70 per cent of the world’s population would be living in cities,

giving city managers hard time to meet challenges in housing, poverty, pollution, water supplies, sewage, waste disposal, and transportation systems and many others. Cities having high population density, stressed ecological systems, and substantial dependence on natural resources would become vulnerable to climate change.

Urban areas are responsible for a significant portion of CO2 emissions; cities consume over 75 percent of the world’s energy and are responsible for 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy is widely viewed as the lifeblood of cities, powering public services, hospitals, and schools while moving people within the city and beyond.

Urban structures around the world are tied to a finite fossil fuel supply. Cities rely heavily on fossil fuels for the maintenance of essential services and for powering homes, transport systems, industry, infrastructure and commerce. The drawbacks of heavy reliance on fossil fuels become increasingly apparent, in terms of physical, financial and social well being. There are growing concerns about the environmental and social impacts of the consumption of fossil fuels which include air pollution, global warming, waste disposal problems, land degradation and the depletion of natural resources. Furthermore, cheap supplies of oil appear to be running out.

Cities need to invest in the planning, construction and improvement of low carbon infrastructure systems not only to reduce their high carbon footprints but also to meet the demands of growing populations and the need to remain competitive.

Critical transport, power, water, and waste systems must be upgraded and redesigned to achieve optimal functioning of services and efficient use of resources at minimal costs and with the least impact on the environment.

Identifying and calculating the carbon emissions inherent in city infrastructure systems and then redesigning less carbon-intensive infrastructure networks is arguably the most important way to reduce cities’ carbon emissions and thus their

Cities are responsible for a significant portion of CO2 emissions. They need to invest in the planning, construction and improvement of low carbon infrastructure systems

Ravi Ranjan GuruConsultant-Advisor, AIILSG

[email protected]

impact on the environment.Planning for Low Carbon cities

is crucial as city governments are

becoming increasingly keen to explore and adopt innovative low carbon solutions for their energy

De

carbonising cities


for the initiative, engage their citizens in awareness activities, establish resource centers and involve stakeholders groups.

Cities around the country are discovering that investing in innovative renewable energy sources reduces global warming pollution and creates a reliable source of clean, homegrown electricity.

Due to the instability of energy supply and increasing prices, local governments in India are finding increasingly difficult to provide services and maintain growth. As a consequence of these concerns, attention has been focused on ways of saving energy in both supply and use and finding alternative sources. Low carbon technologies, renewable energy, and energy management offer opportunities to make substantial savings in energy across all sectors - domestic, commercial, industrial and government.

For decentralised applications, local governments can play a crucial role. Local action complementary to national action: national governments should set proper frameworks, while local governments and communities should facilitate concrete investments in renewable energy technologies, thereby promoting and supporting policies aimed at an increased share of renewables.

Given the decentralised nature of a sustainable renewable energy system, national targets and policies will only be successful in the long run if they are joined by local level commitment and action, and vice versa. Technologies around renewable energy are available, the demand for energy is growing while policy goals are clear and targets exist at National/State level but its effective implementation at local level is limited. The success of the Low Carbon City depends mainly on efficient Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and inclusive development with appropriate funding mechanism in place. A joint effort by the governments, civil society and the private sector with a national vision only can save the cities of India from the challenges associated with climate change and population impact. Local governments can comprehensively address climate change challenges by facilitating conciliation of public & private interests and integrating sustainable energy use into local development goals and by implementing low carbon actions.

Cities are responsible for a significant portion of CO2 emissions. They need to invest in the planning, construction and improvement of low carbon infrastructure systems

Ravi Ranjan GuruConsultant-Advisor, AIILSG

[email protected]

needs. They have already committed for the promotion and generation of renewable energy and energy

efficiency through other initiatives. To achieve this goal, the cities concurrently seek political support

De

carbonising cities


URBAN AGENDA | Health in slums

Healthy Cities

early one-third of India’s urban population live in slums, informal settings or sidewalk tents, which are

characterised by overcrowding, poor hygiene, sanitation, absence of proper civic services and fuelled by basic health infrastructure and healthcare service delivery.

Main issues that require attention if health services for the urban poor are to be improved and made more accessible are while inadequate health facilities maybe partly responsible for the poor health status of slum dwellers the answer does not lie in simply providing more services.

Although it is extremely important to invest in more services like reorienting and sensitising doctors, additional beds in government hospitals, well equipped dispensaries and maternity clinics near slums and settlements inhabited by the poorer sections; focus needs to be on accepting and understanding that although medical facilities for the urban poor are both inadequate and the poor have limited access, the poor can avail of the same in cities that are not available to them in the villages; and a demand for such services must be identified and this demand must be fulfilled keeping in mind the felt needs of the poor.

Optimal urban governance helps the health sector, in promoting and

planning for hygienic living conditions; building inclusive cities that are accessible and making cities resilient to emergencies like epidemics. A synergy between the urban local bodies, state and central government is needed to engage on quality research to generate and systematise knowledge to address many existing information gaps.

The inequities of health disaggregated by intra-urban area; the effectiveness of proactive approaches to deal with health inequity in cities; and the importance of involving all citizens in the decisions that affect their habitat and their health is crucial. Also, it is imperative to maintain this momentum of creating clean, green and healthy cities to live in.

Urban health advocates should identify successful models to be shared as menus of policy options and models of good practice.

Improvement in public health infrastructure, schemes for reaching out to the urban poor, facilitation of development of community’s negotiation capacity for increasing demand for maternal and child health services and improved access to health care are necessary.

It is therefore imperative that urban health receives due attention and is accompanied by coordinated actions from all stakeholders and more importantly, a strong political commitment for addressing the growing problems of the urban poor.

N

Apresh Chandra MishraManaging Editor

[email protected]

5

For speakers and sponsorship opportunities, please contactAnuradha Das + 91 98185 72546, [email protected]

Ravi Guru + 91 98180 98411, [email protected]

* Hon’ble Ministers from India, Sri Lanka * Hon’ble Mayors across South Asia * Delegates and participants from across the world * Participants from International and National Organisations * Estimated number of participants - 300 * Technology companies/ businesses

All India Institute of Local Self GovernmentSardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area, D Block, Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058, Ph No. 011-2852 1783 / 5465, Email. [email protected]

M RamachandranFormer Secretary-UD

GoI

Raj Liberhan Former Director

IHC

Dr Sudhir KrishnaFormer Secretary-UD

GoI

2nd South ASiAn CitieS Summit 2015May 22-23, 2015, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi

Ranjit S ChavanPresident

AIILSG

Ramanath JhaDirector General

AIILSG

Documents

Urban Update May 2015