Smart City Institutional & Physical Infrastructure

1.1  Institutional Infrastructure (including Governance)

Institutional Infrastructure (including Governance). The current governance structures do not focus on citizen participation. People do not get the feel of ownership of city. Therefore, there is a need for involving citizens in decision-making processes. Procedures are cumbersome and citizens often find it difficult to secure public services they seek. Further, responsibilities for different services are fragmented across multiple institutions, making the situation even more complex for any citizen. Besides, many of these institutions report to different departments of the State government and local bodies have little influence on them. For example, even within the transport system, different institutions / departments deal with metro rail, buses, roads, parking, traffic lights, streetlights, etc.

Reforms in how our cities are governed are necessary, as high quality governance, with a strong citizen say in decision-making, is critical for Smart Cities. Typically, the principle to be followed is “Governance by Incentives rather than Governance by Enforcement”. This would imply that people do the right things because they are good for society or there are incentives to do so and not due to the fear of penal action. However, a greater sense of respect for civic discipline needs to be brought in through deterrents to civic indiscipline. In addition, decisions will need to be taken at the local level and with well-established processes through which citizens can actively participate in such decision-making. However, it is to be ensured that all such decisions are taken without any arbitrariness, discrimination and subjectivity. This can be brought in by ensuring that all information is imparted on real time basis through infusion of technology and very strong Service Level Agreements (SLAs) so that human intervention is bare minimum.

In this context, it also needs to be recognized that management of cities comprise of multiple systems, all of which are closely connected in meeting human needs. A Smart City is one where each of these systems works in harmony and reinforces the usefulness of the other. Therefore, a comprehensive approach to the development of a city is essential. This requires that the current practice of working in silos needs to be broken down with greater institutional integration, at least in planning and oversight. People are attracted to cities that provide all services well. Thus, while developing smart cities, it is important to adopt a holistic approach rather than a sectorial approach.

More specifically, Smart Cities would have municipal offices fully automated so that citizens have the ability to seek and the municipal offices the ability to deliver services in real time, through IT based facilities. Public participation in governance should be made possible through the social media and by making all information available in the public domain. Physical Infrastructure Urban Mobility

1.2  Physical Infrastructure

1. Urban Mobility

Our cities are faced with rapid motorization. This has led to severe congestion, deteriorating air quality, increasing incidence of road accidents and a rapidly increasing energy bill. Walking and cycling have been rendered unsafe due to poor infrastructure and public transport has been inadequate. So far, urban transport planning has emphasized providing for the personal motor vehicle. Public transport systems have been planned in isolation with the result that a well-integrated multi-modal system has not come up. This has resulted in high cost facilities not giving the outcomes that were sought.

Ease of being able to move from one place to another is at the core of a “Smart City”. Seoul, Singapore, Yokohama and Barcelona (all considered Smart Cities) have a sound transport system as the core of their “Smartness”. The smart transport system emphasizes walking, cycling and public transport as the primary means for mobility with personal motor vehicles being actively discouraged. In fact, smart cities lay considerable emphasis on the walkability and cycling in the city. The pedestrian is given a place of prominence as every trip has a leg that involves walking. However, smart city need to look into the bottlenecks of road/rail networks also and wherever required underpasses, elevated roads, additional rail networks need to be put in place urgently.

Cycling is one of the, most cost efficient and environmentally sustainable mode for commuting in cities. Many cities across the world have given emphasis to it and developed the required infrastructure for promoting cycling. In addition, programs like bicycle sharing such as Velib in Paris can be promoted to decongest the CBDs.

If cities are to be efficient engines of economic growth, it is important that goods are able to move from production Centre’s to consumption Centre’s at low cost and high speed. Therefore, a good freight movement system acquires importance. Hence, improved mobility will involve a three pronged approach whereby there are: 1. Improvements in public transport – Metro Rail, BRT, LRT, Monorail, Trams etc. 2. Improvements in infrastructure of other motor vehicles – ring roads, bypasses, underpasses, elevated roads, improvements in the existing roadways 3. Improvements in infrastructure for walking, cycling and waterways

1. Reliable Utility Services

Reliable, adequate and high quality Utility services are critical in a Smart City. Whether it is electricity or telephony or ICT services, they need to be very reliable and adequate. 24x7 services are necessary. For example, a minimum of 100 Mbps of internet bandwidth and wide availability of Wi-Fi will be very important features. It should be the right of every citizen to get these facilities on demand. Similarly, municipal services such water supply, drainage, solid waste management need to be of very high quality and available 24x7. Telephone services based on Direct-to-Home Fiber should be available for every household. A Smart City cannot have only a few hours of water supply a day or electricity that goes off for several hours or the streets littered with garbage. The general appearance of the city has to be pleasing and clean. The main utilities that need to ensure are the following:

1. Water Supply

Safe and adequate water supply is a public good as it has very large positive externalities. Access to water supply is important for all the urban residents and lack of safe water supply can keep the mortality rates high in general and among the poor in particular. It has been estimated that access to water increases the productive working hours of urban poor in general and the poor women in particular by 1.5 to 2 hours. Smart cities should therefore have adequate availability of piped water supply that also meets benchmarks of water quality, pressure, etc. across the city. Dual water supply systems that serve the needs of drinking water and other needs would help in recycling water and conserving it. Adoption of new methods especially smart metering for reducing loss and energy consumption in water networks needs to be ensured. This is possible by installing sensors in the supply system that measure water consumption, water levels, and water flow rates on a real time basis. These models will help in not only identifying and localize leaks; it would also assist to optimize energy consumption in the network. In addition, smart water meters may be installed for measuring water consumption more efficiently and providing water customers with data to help them monitor their water usage and reduce costs.

1. Sanitation

Sanitation is important for all the urban residents. Lack of sanitation causes outbreaks of epidemics, health disorders and keeps the mortality rates high in general and among the poor in particular. It is well known that higher incidences of morbidity pushes low income households below the poverty line. It is therefore essential that cities should have a City Wide Sanitation Plan for all parts of the city. The Plan is expected to be based on the concept of Decentralized Sewerage and Solid Waste Management System. In addition, each household should have a toilet so that no citizen needs to defecate in the open. Further, all commercial and other public buildings should have clean and hygienic toilets. There is a need for 100% recycling in the sanitation system. Idea is that not even a drop of wastewater should go out of the local area (one such example of New Moti Bagh Township in New Delhi). Moreover, only treated water should get into water body i.e. lake, pond, river etc.

1. Solid Waste Management

Waste management is the “generation, prevention, characterization, monitoring, treatment, handling, reuse and residual disposition of solid wastes”. Indian cities are facing many issues with regard to waste management, which include:

• Absence of segregation of waste at source

• Lack of technical expertise and appropriate institutional arrangement

• Lack of proper collection, segregation, transportation, treatment and disposal system.

Cities, which are not clean, do not exhibit a smart character. Cities, which are clean, are perceived to be smart, providing a healthier environment and a better quality of life. Therefore, they attract people – both people who want to live and work in the city and those who want to invest in the city. The following strategies therefore need to be adopted:

• Segregation of recyclable and non-recyclable waste as well as wet and dry waste at the source so that there can be 100% recycling of solid waste

• Appropriate technology should be adopted for treatment of waste at decentralized locations

• Put in place an effective collection and disposal system

• Encourage use of products based on recycling of solid waste especially – power, compost, building material (based on cycling of debris & construction materials)

1. Storm Water Drainage

Lack of storm water drainage often exacerbates the sanitation problem in many Indian cities, especially during the monsoon months. Lack of storm water drains lead to water logging every monsoon and outbreak of vector diseases such as malaria, dengue and so on. Cities, therefore, need to adopt a storm water management approach. This would include preserving and maintaining the natural hydrological cycle, groundwater recharge, natural drainage system, etc. Provisions for storm water to feed lakes and water bodies would enable recycling of the storm water. For this purpose, appropriate technological interventions should be adopted to improve the quality of water from storm water flows. It will help in conserving potable water and at the same time prevent water pollution. Many times storm water drains are connected to sewerage network, which makes sewerage system ineffective. This needs to be checked meticulously.

1. Electricity

As per the Government of India statistics, nearly 94% of the households in urban areas have access to electricity; however, the availability and quality of the supply remains a concern. Smart cities needs to have universal access to electricity 24x7. This may not be possible with the existing supply and distribution system. The cities should, therefore, shift towards smart metering at the household level and the establishment of a smart grid and its integration with the renewable sources to meet the demand such as solar and wind energy. For this purpose, the existing distribution system must be strengthened and power-banking systems need to be established. Further, the focus should be on green buildings and green transport to reduce the need for electricity. In addition, cities should strive towards achieving an integrated billing system for a variety of services such as electricity, water, gas, internet, house tax, etc. with a common customer care Centre and user-friendly payment platform for online payments. There would thus be a need to review the existing state policy and bring in the necessary changes wherever needed.

1. Internet and Telephone

A 100 Mbps internet backbone coupled with 100% coverage of the area by cell phone towers and a high level of telephone penetration will be essential in a Smart City, as most services will have to be offered online. Local service providers should also have multiple service kiosks that can be accessed by people for evaluating public services and accessing public information. Fibre Optic connectivity to each home, Wi-Fi in all public places and educational institutions would be important features of a Smart City. This would need a transparent and efficient system of providing Right of Way by Municipal Authorities.

1. Urban Development

The rapid urbanization of cities has resulted in unplanned development and urban sprawl. Most of the cities in our country are marred by congested CBDs and deteriorating city core. It is therefore essential that while planning for the smart cities, emphasis is given to planned development and decongestion of the CBDs.

Further, many policies governing urban areas are old and need to be reviewed in view of the changing needs of the city. The building bylaws are archaic and the provisions like parking space requirements and building heights etc. provided, do not meet the demand for the present day.

Land in cities is at a premium and the existing FARs does not permit development of high rises, which results in high cost of housing. To ensure availability of affordable housing for every citizen, the existing FARs and bye-laws needs immediate revision. This would also ensure that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is implemented along public transport corridors. This would have multiple benefits like financial viability of the transit system, reduction in use of personalized vehicles and cleaner environment etc. GoI would assist all identified smart cities to develop City Development Plans based on ICT, GIS and Spatial Mapping.