Urban Update June 2015

All India Institute of Local Self Government

RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Rs 100

ISSN 2349-6266

UrbanUpdate Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

Volume II - Issue II

June 2015

Financing of Smart Cities Cities will need to look for alternative funding sources

Smartened Cities ‘Liveable Cities’ has not been listed as the representative of national desires

smartening

city mobility Cities demand sustainable transport sans congestion and pollution

Community Based Interventions

Professional Empowerment Project Management

Advisory Services Customised Training

Knowledge Management Capacity Building Information, Education and Communication (IEC)

Policy Research

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Inside | Volume II, Issue II

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Inside Cover story

20

Smartening mobility Cities demand sustainable transport sans congestion and pollution

One On One

27

‘Cities must prioritise public transport’ Madhav Pai, Embarq India, talks about imperatives to shape urban mobility

Leaderspeak

30 Moving people across cities in speed, comfort

Transit system should be affordable, accessible to all, and sustainable Technology

32 Can Tech improve quality of life?

Can ICT measure and improve the quality of life in cities?

Special Feature

34

Marching together towards sustainable smartness South Asian Cities Summit stirred a dialogue on urban development

Column

38 Financing of Smart Cities

Cities will need to look for alternative funding sources 40 Smartened cities

‘Liveable Cities’ has not been listed as the representative of national desires Events

42 Smarter solutions for a better tomorrow

Smart Cities India witnessed knowledge sharing on socio-economic pillars 44 A decade of success in South Asia

ICLEI celebrates 10 years of presence in South Asian region Urban Agenda

46 24X7 water for cities

Nagpur is a success story in 24X7 water supply within the city RegularS

6 Newscan 11 City Brand 4

June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

7 Pin Point 15 City Images

EDITORIAL

Ranjit Chavan President-AIILSG Ramanath Jha Editor-In-Chief Director General-AIILSG, dgaiilsg@gmail.com Apresh C Mishra Managing Editor, apresh@urbanupdate.in Ashok Wankhade Consulting Editor, bhau@urbanupdate.in Lojy Thomas, Aiilsg Associate Editor, lojy@urbanupdate.in Abhishek Pandey Principal Correspondent, abhishek@urbanupdate.in Meenakshi Rajput Graphic Designer, meenakshi@urbanupdate.in Volume II - Issue II For Feedback & Information Write at info@urbanupdate.in Printed and published by Ranjit Chavan on behalf of All India Institute of Local Self Government. Printed at Cirrus Graphics Pvt Ltd B-61, Sector-67, Noida – 201301 Uttar Pradesh. Published at Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area, D Block Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-58 Phone No. 011-2852 1783 / 5473 Despite careful selection of sources, no responsibility can be taken for accuracy. The magazine assumes no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection with the information thereof. All right reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Integrated mobility

I

n developmental literature, during the past decade or so, the twin concepts of inclusiveness and sustainability have taken centre stage. In the process they have challenged exclusivity of attention on growth and efficiency. Such has been the strength of the words ‘inclusive growth’ and ‘sustainable development’ that little has been left untouched by their impact. Urbanization and urban mobility are no exception. In the given context, while city economy and efficiency are critical and cannot be overlooked, the rational approach would be to aim to craft cities that have efficiency, productivity, inclusiveness and sustainability going together, each complementing the other.

Looking primarily at urban transport, it is one of the most critical areas of a city’s vitality, since the bulk of city activities depend upon movement of men, women and goods. There are several methods in which citizens could go from one place to another within a city – walk, ride a bicycle, take a train, ride a bus, hire para-transit modes, or use private motorized vehicles. However, sustainable urban mobility demands that we move away from such modes of transport that depend on oil, that have heavy greenhouse gas emissions and cause large damage to the environment. This would, quite clearly, lead to a reversal of past priority in urban mobility given to personalized motorized transport and a fresh prioritization in favour of pedestrianization, cycling and public transport in that order. Personalized motorized transport would have the last precedence. The salubrious consequences that would follow are reduced oil consumption and therefore reduced fuel emissions that are one of the largest pollutants in a city, less pollution, better health for citizens and cleaner environment.

The objective of inclusive transport would demand affordable transport, shorter trips and safe and secure pedestrian paths and cycle tracks. That brings in questions of land use plan and urban street design and their integration with urban transport. Old principles of urban planning preached rigid segregation of activities and were practiced in many parts of the developed world. However, these principles led to an emphasis on motorized transport and failed on the front of sustainability. Inclusiveness, on the other hand, demands that mixed use land planning becomes the norm of urban planning. Additionally, the promotion of both sustainability and inclusion demands that cities be designed in such a manner that most activities can be transacted within close proximity and in a manageable radius, say a square kilometer. Only such activities that are incompatible with normal living need segregation. This arrangement would obviously lead to more walking and cycling. Mixed land use is the logical outcome of such planning.

In the above background, it may be worthwhile to state that not much investigation has been done on the impact of size on a city. However, empirical indications point towards cities becoming less sustainable and inclusive once they cross a particular demographic and area threshold. It appears advisable to promote one to two million cities with densities that would allow efficiency as well as sustainability and inclusion.

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Cities get help to set up UMTA Union Ministry of Urban Development will help cities of one million plus population to set up Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for more co-ordinated planning and implementation of transport projects New Delhi: Cities of one million plus population will now get support from the Union ministry of urban development to set up Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for more coordinated planning and implementation of transport projects.

The Ministry of Urban Development has asked the states seeking funds under the JNNURM to set up a dedicated urban transport fund and change bye-laws and master-plans of cities to integrate land use and transport planning.

To streamline public transport, the ministry has directed the states to nominate a single department to deal with all urban transport issues efficiently.

The states have also been asked to set up a Traffic Information Management Control Centre and to frame a parking policy.

The ministry stated that central

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June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

Cities of one million plus population will get help for setting up UMTA States have been asked to set up a Traffic Information Management Control Centre Central financial assistance under the scheme will depend on the reforms undertaken by the state governments concerned

financial assistance under the scheme will depend on the reforms undertaken by the state governments concerned.

To make public transport economically viable keeping in mind the inflationary trends, the ministry has suggested the setting up of a regulatory and institutional mechanism to periodically revise fares for all public and intermediate public transport.

The Centre has already undertaken a series of initiatives to promote public transport, including reduction of VAT and central excise on buses initially from 16 to 12 per cent and then from 12 to 8 per cent in the second stimulus package last year.

Officials said the Urban Development ministry has asked the Finance Ministry for complete exemption of central excise duty and VAT on buses meant for urban transport subject to the state governments waiving their share of taxes to reduce the cost of buses.

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PIN POINT India can benefit from Singapore`s expertise in the fields of urban management The government is in the process of finalising schemes to develop smart cities and towns by implementing comprehensive development plans

Narendra Modi Prime Minister

Venkaiah Naidu Union Minister Urban Development

Each city needs to have a vision for the next fifty years to handle the pressure of rapid urbanisation

We need enlightened minds to make smart, self-sustainable and citizen friendly cities

Babul Supriyo Minister of State, Urban Development

Prakash Javadekar Union Minister for Environment and Forest

BUZZ

Congrats to PM @NarendraModi for proposing coal emissions standards - a bold step toward Swach Bharat “Clean India�

Mike Bloomberg @MikeBloomberg mayor of New York City

Batteries in India cannot even be recycled. So make them last longer

Bharati Chaturvedi @Bharati09 Director, Chintan

Shocked by #IIT-Delhi report on #diesel vehicles not cause of #airpollution.

Govt/industry thrilled. Ask: what is cause of deadly PM 2.5?

Sunita Narain @sunitanar DG, CSE

We have to find out sustainable technology for waste management, but the ultimate solution is to change habits of people.

Devendra Fadnavis @Dev_Fadnavis CM, Maharashtra

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CM to kick off VMC projects Gujarat Chief minister Anandiben Patel will perform the ground breaking ceremony of various developmental works worth Rs 399.04 crore of the Vadodara municipal corporation

Ludhiana Municipal Corporation sends list of defacers to police The municipal corporation has sent a list of seven shopkeepers -- who had defaced public property near Chatar Singh park -- to the police. It has written to the police to act against the guilty under the Prevention of Defacement Act.

LMC acts against illegal hoardings The Lucknow Municipal Corporation is set to tackle the menace of illegal hoardings after urban development minister Azam Khan warned that they were not only spoiling the skyline of the city, but also causing deaths and accidents.

Indore municipal corp, private firm get notice for pollution The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) has sent notices to Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and A2Z Infrastructure over the alarming levels of pollution recorded in the vicinity of Devguradiya trenching site.

The pollution control board conducted air quality test in the area again, which revealed that the air quality has worsened by 250%.

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Nagpur Municipal Corporation to revive citizens’ felicitation centres Nagpur: On the lines of Citizens Facilitation Centres in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation is set to make civic administration more people-oriented, transparent and able to provide better facilities to Nagpurians.

Municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar issued directives to all zonal officers or assistant municipal commissioners to start CFCs from June 15. For the purpose, the civic administration has issued directives to prepare a list of services to be provided at these CFCs for more effective administration. More than 90 services are to be provided in the CFCs to restart in all its zones, confirmed a senior NMC officer. Besides, NMC is also planning to

open additional 50 CFCs at the individual zone level. In the past NMC had tried to start the CFCs at 600 places across the city with private public participation but these remained a non-starter due to various reasons. Presently, there are three such centres — one each at Lakadganj, Ashi Nagar zones and one at the central level at the municipal corporation.

Smart Cities Market in India A $45- $50 Billion Opportunity New Delhi: The opportunity for smart cities in India over the next 5 years pegs at $45-$50 billio as suggested by Sustainability Outlook which has developed a Smart Cities Opportunity Assessment Model (SCOAM) for smart cities.

The model focuses on four key focus areas, namely, Smart Energy, Smart Water Management, Smart Transportation and Smart Waste Management to estimate the market size for smart interventions through this model.

Smart Water management and Smart Energy interventions account for the lion’s share in terms of potential business opportunity in India which is estimated to be USD 14.4 billion and USD 23.4 billion respectively

followed by Smart Transportation at USD 6.3-11.6 billion and Smart Waste Management at USD0.9 billion.

The SCOAM analysis covers opportunities represented by smart cities by breaking it down into various components and studying the business case for the different interventions. It also examines the direct and indirect impact of various smart solutions, their ease of implementation as well as applicability according to different city types. The Smart Cities Opportunity Assessment Model (SCOAM) can also be customized to help solution providers identify the market opportunity for specific cities and assess the investability as well as impact created by their smart solutions.

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Bloomberg Philanthropies

Knowledge Partner for Smart Cities Mission Work on selection of Smart City aspirants to begin soon

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KSPCB likely to file case against Hassan City Council The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is set to file a criminal case against the Hassan City Municipal Council for flouting the guidelines pertaining to management of solid waste generated in the city limits.

Nashik’s LBT collection up by 16% The civic body’s revenue through the local body tax (LBT) has increased by 16.67% during the first two months of the 2015-16 financial year as compared to the corresponding period last year.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Urban Development has accepted the offer of Bloomberg Philanthropies (BP) for cooperation in conducting the ‘Cities Challenge’ competition for selecting the cities for financing under the Smart Cities Mission of the Government. A letter of acceptance in this regard was issued by the Ministry to BP. Bloomberg Philanthropies will act as Knowledge Partner for the Smart Cities Mission.

In the first phase of the selection of smart city aspirants, each State will nominate a set of cities based on urban population and number of statutory cities for inclusion under the Smart Cities Mission. This nomination will be based on a set of identified criteria to be suggested by the Ministry of Urban Development.

All such 100 nominated cities will be rigorously scrutinized against identified criteria for extending financial support by the centre. Cities which are found to be deficient in some aspects would be given to address the same and participate in the next round of competition.

States and Urban Local Bodies will be required to match Centre’s contribution for the development of each city and mobilize additional resources required

BP’s support for the Mission include •

•

•

Assisting the Ministry in the design and implementation of the process for selection of cities Designing and delivery of a capacity development programme for applicant ULBs Formulating and execution of effective communication and branding strategy for cities

from various sources including through PPP model. Accordingly, Centre and States/Urban Local Bodies will spend about one lakh crores on development of Smart Cities over the next five years.

Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by former Mayor of New York Mr.Michael Bloomberg has been involved in smart cities development programme in different parts of the world enabling selection of right and capable cities for their transformation as smart cities.

Nashik body to take on illegal hoardings The body has decided to remove unauthorized hoardings in private or open places through private agencies. It has invited quotations from private agencies to remove the hoardings and the drive will continue for a year.

Municipal schools in Vijayawada to offer IIT foundation course The IIT foundation course at high school level in these schools inititated by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) will also give priority to personality development of the students and English language, so they can have better employable skills. The new initiative has been taken up by the civic body on the directions of municipal administration minister P Narayana.

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Salman on Indore Municipal Corporation ‘defaulters’ list Bollywood actor Salman Khan has outstanding water dues of Rs 25,321 in his name for ancestral property address in the city 4/2 Old Palasia.

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ADB Supports Program to Improve Urban Health in India

Kolhapur Municipal Corporation moots BRTS, ring roads The civic body will prepare a comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for effective management of the city’s traffic for the next two decades. The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the city’s key roads along with transport corridors in the rapidly growing suburban areas are major components of the plan.

‘GHMC not improving hawkers’ condition’ Staging a dharna at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), members of the National Hawkers Federation (NHF) alleged that the corporation was not taking steps to improve the “pathetic” condition of city hawkers.

Pune Municipal Corporation eyes pvt firms for 24X7 water Raising concerns over the funding of the 24X7 water supply project of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), civic officials said private companies may be roped in to support the much talked-about scheme under public-private-partnership.

The scheme is being developed by the civic body.

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MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million loan to support India’s National Urban Health Mission, the government program launched in May 2013 to strengthen health service delivery in urban areas of the country.

“India has made good progress toward improving health services in rural areas, but over 77 million urban poor and vulnerable still have limited access to basic health services such as child immunization,” said Sungsup Ra, Director of the South Asia Human and Social Development Division at ADB. “The

National Urban Health Mission is meant to change that.”

Among other activities, the loan will help strengthen the networks of primary health facilities in urban areas and introduce a quality assurance mechanism for them. It will help improve planning, management, and innovation and knowledge sharing, aiming to replicate best practices in delivering urban health services.

The program will also promote better coordination between health and other urban sectors, and explore opportunities for public-private partnerships.

BIS to set up standards for smart cities New Delhi: Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) is set to come up with standards for smart city projects.

For this, a new technical committee under Civil Engineering Department (CED) of BIS has been created to take up standardization work in the area of smart cities, said B K Sinha, head, CED at BIS. The committee has been formed under the chairmanship of former secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, Dr. Sudhir Krishna In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for setting up of 100 smart cities in the country, the standards will

act as guidelines for central and state authorities in planning, design and construction of smart cities.

“A series of standards shall be formulated under this technical committee. The standards will be in form of ‘guidelines and model code of practice’ to be followed by various central/state authorities for taking up smart cities projects. However, initially the standard on ‘terminology’ and ‘components’ of smart cities shall be formulated first,” said Sinha. The first such set of standards on terminology and components are likely to come up by end of the year.

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City Brand

Embedding Character

The historic urban settlements are undergoing rapid change and decline due to pressures of urbanisation. Balancing urban growth with keeping cultural identity intact will an opportunity and as well as a challenge Team UrbanUpdate

A

s the incredibly rapid urban growth crowding population in towns and cities are changing the very physical structures of cities, the question remains to be answered- how are city identities made and re-made based on the heritage.

The cultural and natural heritages are increasingly threatened by destruction not only due to the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions.

Indian cities have seen many changes over a period of more than 5000 years.

Most Indian towns and cities with a long history, have areas of strong architectural and urban character,

which are not formed in a day or even in a decade. These are the result of thousands of years of growth in the course of which new elements are constantly juxtaposed with older ones.

Old buildings and older areas of the city represent the history of communities, embodying their tradition, heritage and culture through architecture and the urban form. Oldest cities like Varanasi symbolise temples and ghats. Medieval Indian cities are identified by the forts. And Colonial cities are identified with European architecture.

Urban heritage gives identity to a city.

A stroll within any Indian old city would show up spectacular architecture.

These buildings are constructed to

last and usually they need little more than a bit of paint and imagination along with the removal of irritating billboards. Every city must have a conservation plan as an integral part of the development plan of the city, and all built heritage assets of the city must be identified and documented through a survey, mapping, architectural plans of individual buildings, historical evidence, photography.

Indian cities have great opportunity to embed ‘character’ that will live beyond current architectural ‘fashion’.

As India’s urban economy soars, the cities will face the pressures of growth.

Balancing growth with keeping identity intact will an opportunity and as well as a challenge.

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Rajkot Municipal Corporation destroys 2,250kg stale mangoes The health department of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) cracked down on mango traders who used banned calcium carbide for ripening the fruit.

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Kolhapur Municipal Corporation surveys dilapidated buildings

HC notice to Delhi government on funding municipal bodies The Delhi High Court issued notice to the Delhi government and lieutenant governor on a plea seeking direction for financial allocation to the three municipal corporations in the national capital to allow them to function.

Pune Municipal Corporation to prepare economic master plan With a view to make Pune a world-class city, its Municipal Corporation is considering preparing an economic master plan that will lay the guidelines for carrying out development in the IT hub.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to generate power from garbage The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sought an additional 12 acre from the government near the designated solid waste dumping site at Bhuasuni, on the outskirts of the city, to set up a power plant. 4-MW power is proposed to be generated out of waste. The district administration has recommended the revenue department to hand over the patch to BMC.

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Kolhapur: The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started a wardwise survey of dilapidated buildings in the city. The civic administration will issue a notice to owners to take down their dilapidated structure before the monsoon. If they fail to comply with this, they will have to face the stringent action from officials. According to the officials, there were around 65 dilapidated structures in the city last year and few were demolished after convincing the

owners. Prasad Sankpal, head of the KMC’s disaster management cell, said, “As per rules, owners have to take down the dilapidated structure.

If this is not done, we will have to demolish them to avoid any untoward incident during heavy rains. A week’s period will be given to owners after issuance of a notice to demolish the structures themselves. The owners can request the civic body to help take down dilapidated buildings.”

Supreme Court stays municipal polls in seven Bengal towns New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed The seven civic bodies elections in seven municipal areas in West Bengal as it ordered a status quo in the matter • Asansol Municipal after the state government contended that polls Corporation could be held after these bodies are converted • Kulti Municipality into municipal corporations.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Uday U Lalit • Raniganj Municipality issued a notice to the state election commission • Jamuria Municipality on an appeal by the state government against • Bidhannagar Municipality a Calcutta High Court order. The High Court • Rajarhat-Gopalpur had asked the state election commission to hold Municipality elections to seven local bodies by June 16.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for • Bally Municipality the state government, told the bench that the process of converting these bodies into municipal corporations would be over by June 15 and the elections could be held any time thereafter. He said the state would need more time to have polls conducted in these areas. The High Court had refused to modify the election schedule for these seven municipal bodies, compelling the West Bengal government to move the apex court.

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BRIEFS

Nashik civic body plans cleaning of Godavari River Ahead of Kumbh Mela, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to clean the Godavari river by taking a cue from a similar drive to clean Sabarmarti river in Gujarat as its earlier experiments to use robots for unclogging of the water body came unstuck.

Cuttack Corporation acts against illegal recruitments The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has initiated action against 274 employees illegally recruited in the 1990s. The CMC issued show-cause notices to only 250 employees because some have died and others retired.

Panchkula Municipal Corporation to offload functions on to Huda Some important functions of the Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) will be transferred to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) soon, leaving the civic body with mainly sanitation work.

The Patna Municipal Corporation to open water kiosks The Patna Municipal Corporation has decided to open water kiosks at 25 spots in the city. The move follows reports of shortage of drinking water sources. The mayor Afzal Imam said that the corporation will ensure thavt patnaites don’t have any shortage.

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Emerging market cities getting smarter London: People in emerging market cities are increasingly embracing Smart Technology solutions according to a new report from the Future Foundation.

An overwhelming majority of consumers questioned in the report Connecting Cities: Mobility Unlocking Potential in Emerging Markets commissioned by MasterCard disclosed they were willing to share their data in exchange for better and more personalised transport networks and local services.

The report found that more than four-fifths of those questioned (81

Govt extends BSUP programme till March 2017 New Delhi: With over 1.86 lakh dwellings still to be completed under the BSUP mission, the government on Wednesday said it has extended the programme to provide basic services to the urban poor by another two years till March 2017.

Informing Lok Sabha about extension of the BSUP (Basic Services to the Urban Poor) scheme, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also said the ‘Housing for All’ scheme by 2022 would be launched soon.

“The extended period of BSUP scheme has ended on March 31, 2015. Government has recently further extended the Mission period by two years up to March 31, 2017 only to complete ongoing projects,” Naidu said during Question Hour.

percent) in Brazil, China, India and Singapore expressed support for a service that monitors their travel route and advises them suitable alternative travel operations when required. In India, the figure was as high as 90 percent.

“Efficient transport networks are crucial for inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” said Hany Fam, President, MasterCard, Enterprise Partnerships. “The findings of this report should encourage cities and transit operators across emerging markets to unlock the power of data when developing new services.”

Dubai to pilot ITU performance indicators Dubai: Dubai will be the first city to assess the efficiency and sustainability of its smart city operations using key performance indicators developed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)-T Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities.

The collaboration between Smart Dubai, an initiative to convert Dubai into a smart city, and ITU is part of the UN organisation’s efforts to encourage the adoption of master plans for sustainable urban development by city administrations.

“ICT is at the core of Dubai’s efforts to transition from an oilbased economy to a knowledge-based economy,” Bilel Jamoussi, Chief, Study Groups Department, ITU, told “The city has invested heavily in technology to enhance its infrastructure.

Dubai is ideally suited from every perspective to provide an excellent opportunity to test the viability of ITU KPIs (key performance indicators) and use it as a policy tool for the advancement of smart sustainable cities.”

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City Images

Ahmedabad

The walled city After the founding of Ahmedabad on the east bank of the Sabarmati River by Ahmed Shah in 1411 AD, the city grew steadily for the next several decades. By 1487, it had become enough of a power center that Shah’s grandson Mahmud Begda decided to fortify it against possible attacks. A wall 10 km in circumference was built to encircle the city and protect it from invasion. This wall originally had twelve gates, 189 bastions, over 6,000 battlements and these were added to over time.

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Kanpur municipality to enhance tax on commercial bldgs The civic body is going to enhance general tax of commercial buildings by five times. It has already started survey of various localities, where commercial activities are being held from residential houses without the knowledge of the Kanpur Municipal Corporation.

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NASSCOM Showcases Integrated ICT Framework for Smart Cities

Houses to the Poor in 67 Municipal Towns The State government of Telangana is planning a massive housing programme for the poor by constructing houses in 67 municipal towns. It has already announced construction of two lakh houses for the poor in Hyderabad. Likewise, houses will be constructed in each of the 67 municipalities in the state.

VMC to construct houses for slum dwellers The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will construct housing units for over 600 families under Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna in two localities of the city.

VMC Commissioner H S Patel said that 613 new housing units will be built for beneficiaries who were residents of city’s slums in Kalyannagar and Kamatipura that were demolished last year in November.

Zero-waste campaign begins in Kottayam Minister for Forests and Environment Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan launched the Zero-Waste Campaign in Kottayam.

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NEW DELHI: National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), shared its vision on the role of ICT in the 100 Smart Cities Mission.

A detailed report titled - “Integrated ICT and Geospatial Technologies Framework for 100 Smart Cities Mission” was also launched at the Smart City Expo in Delhi on 21 May 2015.

NASSCOM in partnership with several industry members and partners have built a framework to highlight the role of ICT in developing Smart Cities, and categorize ways and means to make relevant ICT interventions that will enable management of future smart cities in a sustainable and transparent

manner. This effort was mounted by NASSCOM in response to the suggestion by the Ministry of Urban Development.

The ICT Framework suggested by NASSCOM addressed the unique challenges faced by the Indian Cities and provide an integrated perspective across the key pillars of physical infrastructure, social infrastructure, environmental and institutional (governance). The framework further defines and assesses the core of each sub system of a potential smart city, identifies ICT governance interventions, organizational requirements, and capability development needs at city levels.

Cities failing poor urban kids: Save the Children LONDON: Save the Children’s new report, State of the World’s Mothers 2015: The Urban Disadvantage, reveals that national and urban health figures are not as glossy as first seem with many a child’s survival in cities dependent on family wealth.

“Our new report reveals a devastating child survival divide between the haves and have-nots, telling a tale of two cities among urban communities around the world, including the United States,” said

Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. “For babies born in the big city, it’s survival of the richest.”

The report presents global assessment of health disparities between rich and poor in cities.

It has identified that many cities are unable to keep up with the breakneck pace of urban growth, leaving one-third of all urban residents to live in slums, where a lack of clean water, basic sanitation and health services can equal death.

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IBM picks Surat, Allahabad and Vizag for smart cities project

Bengaluru: Tech giant IBM has chosen Surat, Allahabadand Vizag among 16 global locations for its smart cities programme to help them address challenges like waste management, disaster management and citizen services.

Under the programme, IBM will send a team of experts to each of the chosen cities where they will spend three weeks working closely with city staff analyzing data about critical issues faced by its local bodies.

Each consulting engagement under

the ‘Smarter Cities Challenge’ has a commercial value of $500,000.

“The initiative gives us the opportunity to work with city municipal corporations on diverse societal issues from transportation to disaster management, healthcare to waste management and share recommendations to become more effective in transforming citizen services,” IBM India Head Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Mamtha Sharma told.

Other chosen cities include Amsterdam (Netherlands), Athens (Greece), Denver, Detroit, Memphis, Rochester (New York) in the US, Melbourne (Australia), San Isidro (Peru), Santiago (Chile), Sekondi (Ghana), Taichung (Taiwan), Xuzhou and Huizhou (China).

Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Chennai have received the Smart Cities Challenge grant in India in the past.

Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore in fastest-growing global cities list NEW DELHI: Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore emerged as the top three fastest growing cities in A.T Kearney’s Global Cities Index released today.

The three cities have been improving their scores steadily in business activity, information exchange, human capital and cultural experience – key parameters used to measure a city’s global engagement. The three Indian cities have made particularly strong jumps in information exchange, in part due to gains in the number of broadband subscribers.

“The ability to attract human capital is key to the success of any city. For that it needs to be able to provide a good environment for living as well as innovation,” says Debashish Mukherjee, a Partner with A.T. Kearney.

“India has been pushing for urban redevelopment and improving the

BRIEFS

Services on Mandi House – ITO section of Delhi to begin soon Commuters of Delhi are now set to avail Metro Rail services between Mandi House and ITO Stations very soon thanks to amendment in the Metro Railway General Rules, 2013 enabling Metro Rail operations on single line and notifying the same. There was no provision in the Rules of 2013 for such operations.

Urban consumers avoid cutting lifestyle spending The share of households’ monthly spending on personal care products and household items held steady in 2014, showing that urban consumers remain in pursuit of an aspirational lifestyle, according to a study by market researcher IMRB International.

Metro proposals for 9 cities under consideration Metro proposals for nine cities, including Lucknow and Pune, costing a total of Rs 83,000 crore are under consideration of the central government, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said

infrastructure across its major cities.

That has helped its urban centres become more engaged globally.” “The Indian government’s plan to develop 100 smart cities across the country is a step in the right direction. India’s major cities should be a priority for the government’s smart city program, as that will make them grown even faster.” – Mukherjee added.

Cadre for Odisha The State Government has decided to create a new cadre for the urban local bodies (ULBs) from the current financial year.

The Finance department is reported have given its approval to the draft proposal in this regard.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

17

BRIEFS

Proposal for Yamuna Bank facelift The Delhi Urban Arts Commission has proposed major revamping of the Yamuna Bank to promote activities around the area and introduce several access points to the river.

Currently, the Yamuna bears the brunt of being severely polluted and has failed to attract tourists.

NEWSCAN

Milan adds 1,000 e-bikes to bike share system Milan: One thousand e-bikes have been unveiled across the BikeMi bike sharing system in Milan that will now complement the 3,600 existing

consolidated in recent years thanks to BikeMi which has created a real means of transport which is complementary to public transport,” said Pierfrancesco

traditional pushbikes. The city becomes the first to offer traditional and electric bikes from the same sharing station.

“Today’s wide participation in the e-bike tour and launch confirms the vocation of the Milanese for the bicycle,

Maran, City Councillor for Mobility and the Environment.

“Starting from today, the service can be used by everybody and with the opening of new stations, more areas of the city will be served.”

ZTEsoft offers to invest Rs 500 crore ZTEsoft, a subsidiary of ZTE Corp, has offered to invest Rs 500 crore in the Indian government’s smart cities project, which aims to establish 100 such cities with an outlay of Rs 48,000 crore over next five years.

Govt ropes in PSUs for air monitoring The Union Environment Ministry has roped in PSUs to fund the setting up of over 60 Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations across 12 cities by this year-end. The project, requiring an investment of between Rs 400-500 crore, will see new stations being set up which, unlike the existing air monitoring stations, would have better equipment to measure eight air quality parameters.

Chennai gets a sister city in China Chennai has established another sister city relationship, this time in Chongqing in China.

This was among the 24 agreements Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed on his three-day visit to the country.

18

June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

Report decodes city rankings Chicago: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an organisation that promotes discourse on global issues, has launched a new report which breaks down the history, differences and methodologies of the many existing city rankings into an easy-to-understand roadmap.

“We decided to produce this report as we have seen too many rankings and not enough context,” Michele Wucker, Vice President of Studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told. “Global rankings can be useful tools, but only if people know how to use them and what’s behind them. We wanted to help city leaders use these rankings to develop targeted policies based on their city’s individual strengths and weaknesses.”

COVER STORY | Urban Mobility

COVER STORY | Smart Cities

20 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

M

otorisation is growing even faster than population in Indian cities.

Rapid urbanisation and economic growth in the country resulted in speedy rise in number of vehicles in urban centres of human settlements. The growth

of population in last two decades was focused around metro cities. The percentage of urban population has risen from 25.7 percent of total population in 1991 to 31.1 percent in 2011 thereby showing a 5.4 percent increase in proportion of urban population. The share of urban population in small towns has shown a steady decline as people began moving to big cities/tier-II

Our cities have been built to be car-free. We are now desperately shoving, pushing and parking vehicles down the narrow lanes. Think smart.

Change the idea of mobility—build for walking, cycling, bus and metro Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment

smartening city m Cities not only need adequate infrastructure and alternative transit options to address mobility issues but also require an effective transport plan that provides cities sustainability sans congestion and pollution Abhishek Pandey Principal Correspondent, abhishek@urbanupdate.in

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

21

COVER STORY | Smart Cities

India’s cities are designed for community living and collective mobility.

For Sustainable Development, the nation needs to focus on mass mobility and individual accessibility. Allocating road space for collective mobility is the way forward. BRTS is a key element in smart mobility

Prof Shivanand Swamy, CEPT University

cities in search of better livelihood and economic opportunities.

SD Sharma, Manager (Business Development), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), said that economic development had historically been strongly associated with an increase in the demand for transportation and particularly in the number of road vehicles (with at least four wheelers, including cars, trucks, and buses). This relationship is also evident in the developing economies today.

The total number of registered motor vehicles in India increased from about 0.3 Million in 1951 to 159.5 Million in 2012. It is to be noted that the total registered vehicles in the country grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5 percent between 2002 and 2012.

The Road Transport Year Book illustrates that many of the big Indian cities

22 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Indore, Ludhiana and many other cities saw a steep rise in number of vehicles in last ten years between 2003 and 2012. Delhi added maximum number of registered motor vehicles (3379250) in the period while the growth rate was maximum in Pune (225 percent). Various other reports suggest that if the present scenario persists, the use of personal vehicles will double in cities in next 10 years.

Mobility labyrinth

The increased load on city roads has resulted in more road crashes, congested roads, and high level of air pollution. These problems have been exacerbated by reduced dependence on public transport, and declining use of non-motorized modes. It has also resulted in increased consumption of scarce fossil fuels, and increasing greenhouse gases emission from the transport sector.

One of the major reasons for increase in number of vehicles can be non-availability of efficient and convenient public transit options and poorly developed nonmotorised transport system in the country.

High quality footpaths and cycle track are essential for the success of mass rapid transit or any other public transport.

Prof Shivanand Swamy, CEPT University, said in a recent South Asian Cities Summit that India’s

cities are designed for community living and collective mobility. For Sustainable Development, the nation needs to focus on mass mobility and individual accessibility. Swamy added that allocating road space for collective mobility is the way forward. Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is a key element in smart mobility.

It is evident that the economic development of cities depends on the kind of transportation facilities it provides to its citizens and businesses.

Experts are of the view that expanding and constructing new roads, and building flyovers will not solve the problems cities are facing in mobility.

There is a need to look within the cities to find solutions to address the mobility issues in a particular city. Even, the National Urban Transport Policy of the Government of India, 2006 (NUTP) emphasised on building capabilities at the state and city level to address problems associated with urban transport. The policy also lays down the guidelines for developing sustainable urban transport systems.

According to the recommendations of the Working Group on Urban Transport in the 12th Five Year Plan, Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) was established in many cities for integrated transport planning because there are many agencies, at city level, involved in planning, operating, and management of transportation system. It was a step in the right direction to streamline transport system and address the issues in cities. But most of these authorities have not been empowered to take up the issues in public interest.

Economic development had historically been strongly associated with an increase in the demand for transportation and particularly in the number of road vehicles (with at least four wheelers, including cars, trucks, and buses). This relationship is also evident in the developing economies today.

SD Sharma, Manager (Business Development), DMRC

Key Facts ♦♦ India is home to 13 of the 25 world’s most polluted cities. ♦♦ According to International Energy Agency (IEA), transport energy use amounted to 26 % energy use of world and transport sector was responsible for about 23 % of the GHG emissions. ♦♦ The Government of India has approved a USD 4.13 billion plan to spur electric and hybrid vehicle production by setting an ambitious target of 6 million vehicles by 2020. ♦♦ Electric vehicle charging stations in all urban areas and along all state and national highways by 2027. ♦♦ Ministry of Urban Development plans to invest more than USD 20 billion on the metro rail projects in coming years. ♦♦ India’s first monorail project at Mumbai will cost around USD 500 million, of which USD 183 million has been spent on phase I. It is yet to see how feasible can be such projects for other cities. ♦♦ Present urban population of about 31% is contributing more than 60% of India’s GDP which is projected to rise to 75% of the national GDP by the year 2031. ♦♦ The statistics reveal that during 1981-2011 population of six major cities in India went up by 2.5 times while the number of registered motor vehicles have gone up by nearly 20 times. ♦♦ India has only 1% of world vehicles, whereas it accounts for 6% of the accidents and 10% fatalities. Total economic loss to society on account of road accidents is estimated at about 3% of GDP per annum.

Smart mobility

Smart mobility that is expected to facilitate state-of-the-art transit system will be a key feature in the upcoming 100 smart cities envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Smart urban transport system should be planned in a way that enables smooth movement of people and goods by providing efficient, convenient, and cost effective mode (financial, economic and environment).

The concept note on Smart Cities released by the Ministry of Urban Development says that after every million urban residents there should be 25-35 km of rapid transit, 200-500 city buses and about 80 km walking and cycling infrastructure. At present

scenario, none of the existing metro cities can boast of having such an infrastructure.

Intelligent transportation system that provides real time information can become the tool in implementation of smart mobility objectives in upcoming cities.

Integrated land use and transport planning is the prerequisite for smart mobility. Planning of multi-modal integration across the city transportation system is also essential. It will

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

23

COVER STORY | Smart Numerographs | Urban Cities Mobility

Co n n

ctin

e

g th e d o t s Regular Bus

Cyclists

2.000

9.000

14.000

Illustration by: Meenakshi Rajput

Modal Split--Share of different transport mode Ahmedabad Delhi Ahmedabad Delhi 1%

6%

4%

0% 6%

9%

12% 14%

27%

26%

6% 6%

3%

1

37%

34%

2

3

4

5 6 7 8 Pedestrians

1

2

24 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

19.000

9%

3 4BRT5 6 7 (Single Lane Bus)

Spatial Efficiency (People per hour on 3.5m wide lane in cities)

Mixed Traffic

With more people buying personal motorised vehicles, the need for sustainable mobility alternatives is growing worldwide. And, India is no exception. Adaption of public and non-motorised transport present the best way to clear mobility labyrinth by solving congestion, pollution, and other problems that come with using personal fossil-fuel run vehicles

20.000

8

Emission level (PM10) in major Indian cities

Buses per 1000 population in major Indian cities

Emission level in major Indian cities

Kanpur Nagpur Pune Mumbai Kolkata Jaipur Hyderabad Delhi Chennai Bhopal Bangalore Ahmedabad

Series1 Emission level (PM10) 209

198 148

80

90

112

93

132 99

87

81

98

48

0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.7 0.8 0.1 0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Bus/1000 population

Bengaluru Mumbai Mumbai 0% 2%

1

3%

3Bangalore 4 5 6

2

7

8

0% 2% 3% 1% 4% 0%

0% 0%

1%

Mumbai Chennai Chennai

12%

22%

22%

13%

3

Light 4 5 Rail

22.000

6

6 Bus/ BRT 6

56%

2%

7

8

2%

1%

43.000

6%

4%

BRT (Double Lane Bus)

4 4 Walk 5 Three Wheeler 5

14%

56%

2

26%

25%

14%

1

2 Two Wheeler 2 3 Cycle/ Cycle Rickshaw 3

27%

45%

1 1 Car

7%

1

25%

5%

2 3Heavy 4 Rail 5 6 7 8 (e.g. Hong Kong, China)

80.000

7 Rail 7 8 Others 8

Suburban Rail (e.g. Mumbai)

100.000

Source: Road Transport Year Book (2012-13, 2013-2014), India Transport Report (2014). Changing Course in Urban Transport: An Illustrated Guide Published by Asian Development Bank

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

25

COVER STORY | Smart Cities

Vehicular Growth The total number of registered motor vehicles in India increased from about 0.3 Million in 1951 to 159.5 Million in 2012. It is to be noted that the total registered vehicles in the country grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5 percent between 2002 and 2012

Growth (in %) of vehicles in cities [2003-2012] 225

157

149

135

126

ensure seamless transfer across modes.

Similarly, integration of mass transit systems with intermediate public transit modes such as auto-rickshaw and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) modes ensure optimum use of public transport.

Smart transport solutions and green initiatives shall be executed in such a way that it effectively counters the harmful effects of pollution and climate change. It should be able to lessen the dependence on private transport, decongest roads, reduce pollution level, and enable intelligent parking management systems.

Sustainable Mobility has been defined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as ‘the ability to meet the needs of society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade, and establish relationship without sacrificing other essential human or ecological values today or in the future.’ At the present scenario in Indian cities, increasing motorisation trend is not leading towards a sustainable future.

There is an ardent need to review mobility policies and plans to find out the right solution for sustainable development.

84

Ludhiana

Ahmedabad

Indore

72 Coimbatore

Mumbai/Greater Mumbai

Jaipur

Pune

Chennai

Hyderabad

Bangalore

81

Sustainable transport

26 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

140

99

85

Delhi

Registered Motorised Vehicles in Indian Cities Cities 2003 2012 Delhi 3970870 7350120 Bangalore 1770930 4156132 Hyderabad 1318538 3386575 Chennai 1894819 3767294 Pune 696993 2267123 JAIPUR 752645 871049 Mumbai /Greater Mumbai 1123562 2028500 Coimbatore 577956 1386129 Indore 592353 1337956 Ahmedabad 977734 1682111 Ludhiana 727664 1336866

Sunita Narain, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment says, “Our cities have been built to be car-free. We are now desperately shoving, pushing and parking vehicles down the narrow lanes. Think smart. Change the idea of mobility itself—build for walking, cycling, bus and metro.”

Ministry of Urban Development has launched the National Mission on Sustanable Habitat, it says, from an energy conservation perspective, public transport makes the most optimum use of the available road space and fuel by transporting the maximum number of people per unit of road space and passenger kms/litre. Public transport causes less environmental damage in terms of air and noise pollution, optimization of road space, increased per unit throughput and reduction in traffic congestion, as compared to personal vehicles. Studies show that energy consumption in motorized individual passenger traffic is up to ten times as high as consumption in a well organized and demand-oriented public transport system. The same holds for green house gas emissions.

A recent study of 52 cities, mainly in developed countries, shows a strong correlation between modal split in cities and emissions. Cities with a high share of public and non-motorized transport need up to ten times less energy per person for passenger transport than cities where urban transport is mainly based on individual motorisation.

Smart Mobility | One on one

‘Cities must prioritise public transport’ Urban population is rapidly increasing, so is the need for sustainable urban transport. Improving the efficiency of transit systems, building capacity in mobility sector, and encouraging the use of public transport are the key issues which need to be addressed immediately. In an interview with Abhishek Pandey, Madhav Pai, Director, Embarq India, talks about specific imperatives to shape urban mobility for existing and future cities. Excerpts...

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

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How will you rate the present urban transport situation in Indian cities?

What are the major problems cities are facing in mobility today?

Congestion, increasing pollution level, and safety on roads are the major challenges Indian cities are facing today.

Cities in India are still experimenting with transportation systems like metro, light and monorail rail, bus rapid transport systems (BRTS), etc.

There is a need to prioritise public transport in tier II cities which are not getting due attention. All the state governments should have a dedicated functional ministry which address the emerging mobility challenges. Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) should have an integrated planning approach through which all stakeholders can play a participatory role in building mobility plans for cities.

Unfortunately, it is not happening.

How has been your experience in working in transport sector? How cities in developing countries are different, in handling mobility issues, from ones in developed countries?

I have been designing and managing urban transport programs and projects in India, Asia and United states for last 12 years. Prior to joining Embarq India, I was Regional Director at Citilabs, a transport planning Software Company and headed operations in South and South East Asia. Embarq India has also played a crucial role in building Indore BRTS. The mobility situation in both parts of the world is slightly different for various reasons. Both are facing different kinds of issues. For example, Indian cities are making efforts to free their road space, footpaths from street vendors while the cities like New York are encouraging them. However, there is a proper regulatory mechanism through which they can operate. Similarly, in Paris, empty individual parking spaces are a big problem as people are moving towards cycle or public transport. While Indian cities do not have adequate parking spaces-public or private. Use of open data and leveraging

28 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

technology has helped in transforming urban transport management in the developed world. And, implementation of technological advanced gadgets in traffic management is yet to happen in India at large scale.

Motorization in Indian cities is growing at rapid pace. The poor benefit least from increased motorization but bear the brunt of its negative impacts. How can we correct the situation for them? Is putting a cap on private vehicles, like in Singapore, a suitable solution?

We can definitely delay people’s choice to buy vehicles by improving mass transit system. At present, app based cab services are getting popular in metro cities and I am sure they will serve the purpose up to some extent.

If we create convenient, comfortable and economical choices, people will certainly end up delaying buying their cars. If they have one then they will not buy another if public transport serves

purpose for them. We need to find a way to double public transport ridership.

The government should also focus on bus manufacturing under its flagship scheme Make in India. This is bizarre that taxes on buses are more than the cars. Such taxes on public buses should be scrapped immediately. There is also a need to create a pool of talented manpower in the sector to handle public transport system efficiently.

How can the urban local bodies play a catalytic role in improving transport in Indian cities?

Capacity building of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) should be a priority.

Parking is the major area which falls under the jurisdiction of local bodies.

They can earn money by building parking spaces. Parking spaces should be off-street, paid and public. They have a role in land use management which is very crucial for traffic management.

They can play a role in ensuring proper connectivity of roads in their cities.

Installing a GPS device in a public bus would cost around Rs. 5,000. As we collect and release more data, a number of advancements may take place. The data can be uses to provide solutions and tools for urban mobility. For example, people would be able to see when their bus will arrive, plan their trips, and more

Smart Mobility | One on one

For example, Ahmadabad is a wellconnected city while Bangalore has poor road connectivity.

What could be the best solution for ensuring sustainable urban transport in cities? How important is increasing road space, and encouraging public transport and non-motorized vehicles?

If a city has an efficient and affordable mass transit system then it can address the climate change impacts effectively.

There is also talk about electric cars, use of bio-fuels and hybrid technology.

Hybrid vehicle is a good option.

However, bio fuel does not seem a feasible solution in a country like India where food security is a major issue. We should also ensure that cities become pedestrian and cycle friendly. Raahgiri like initiatives should be encouraged and citizens should demand space for themselves on roads.

Road safety is one of the major concerns of urban transport management. What are the imperatives steps that can make cities’ roads safer?

Road design in India is an issue. We are building city roads like highways.

There is a need to change road design in our cities and provide space for cycles and pedestrians too. Almost 50 percent of road accidents victims are cyclists and pedestrians. According to a study conducted by Embarq in Pune, every motorcyclist is likely to meet a serious accident if he rides a bike for 15 years. It is also strange that most of motorcycle manufacturers talk about thrill and adventure in their ads but no one talks about safety. Awareness on using helmets while riding bikes and strict adherence to traffic rules is essential.

Why BRT is a success in Ahmadabad but not in Delhi? Is BRT is a cost-effective and suitable for Indian cities?

Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is not only successful in Ahmadabad but also in Surat, Indore and many other cities worldwide such as Bogota, and Ecuador. Around 190 cities around the

Cities should follow ‘40-40’ principal. It means that speed limit should not be more than 40km per hour in cities and roads should not be wider than 40 metres. Speed limit will address the safety concerns while road width limit will ensure walkability on city roads. One cannot cross a 100 metre wide road easily without risking one’s life

world have adopted BRTS. In India, Embarq India has closely worked with the Madhya Pradesh government for implementing Indore BRTS. Almost 40,000 people are using it daily now.

Similarly in Ahmadabad, BRTS covers around 90 kms and ferries more than 1, 30,000 passengers every day.

BRTS is a cost-effective choice for cities because it is not as expensive as metro or mono rail projects and can be completed in three to four years time.

About Delhi BRTS, it has only BRTS at a short stretch. Now it has become a bad thing to talk about BRT in Delhi but there were certain issues in its implementation.

What could be the best mobility solution for 100 smart cities envisaged by the Government of India?

Cities should follow ‘40-40’ principal.

It means that speed limit should not be more than 40km per hour in cities and the road should not be wider than 40 metres. Speed limit will address the safety concerns while road width limit will ensure walkability on city roads. One cannot cross a 100 metre wide road easily without risking one’s life. According to research reports, the chance of survivals in road crashes increases significantly if vehicles move within the speed limit. Parking of personal vehicles is also a crucial issue.

Parking facilities should be off-street, public and paid.

The new cities should also have an integrated plan for having space for bus depots and terminals to build an efficient and effective public

transport system that is affordable, fast, convenient and accessible.

How can technology impact the present mobility scenario in India?

Leveraging technology in mobility will improve operational efficiency in many ways. The city of Boston in the USA has opened up the transport data. Using the open data, many start-ups have come up with various kinds of apps, in a short while, to solve urban problems. The city collects data from public transit systems, traffic sensors embedded on the street, data about traffic speeds, and data shared by app-based cab services.

The trend is picking up in other metro cities around the world.

It is not expensive also. Installing a GPS device in a public bus would cost around Rs 5,000. As we collect and release more data, a number of advancements may take place. The data can be used to provide solutions and tools for urban mobility. For example, people would be able to see when their bus will arrive, plan their trips, and more.

There are several other technological options available in the mobility domain which can make traffic management efficient and address mobility issues. Intelligent Traffic Management and cashless travel can change the contours of urban mobility in existing cities and upcoming smart cities. Recently, Ministry of Urban Development with National Payment Corporations of India (NPCI) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is working on to make travel cashless in cities.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

29

Leaderspeak | Urban Mobility

Ranjit S Chavan President, AIILSG

Moving people across cities in speed, comfort

U

rban populations will nearly double by 2050 accounting for 70 percent of the world’s population.

Cities all over the world will see massive influx of people and it will, in turn, increase load on city roads. As cities grow and expand, urban transportation systems will witness increasing traffic congestion and more consumption of fossil fuels impacting the environment.

In most of the Indian cities, existing mobility systems are already inadequate, yet rapid urbanisation and increasing populations will further increase the demand.

The negative implications of our modern car-centric world include environmental problems and the congestion that results when large numbers of people give priority to their own comfort when getting from place to place. On the other hand, placing too much importance on the environment would impose excessive restrictions on mobility. Some may suggest ban on entry of vehicles into a city but it would restrict its growth prospects by being a hindrance to motorists and making it a less convenient and attractive place to live.

However, government can do this by making alternative convenient transit options available to commuters. But to encourage usage of public transport, it is required that the government make the

30 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

public transit system comfortable, fast and economical. Otherwise, the increasing use of personal vehicles is evident unless the government adopts a model applied in country like Singapore. If the present situation persists, air pollution along with congestion will become a major issue. Out of 25 most polluted cities in the world, 13 cities are in India.

To address these issues in new and existing cities, the government needs to make mobility smarter: more efficient, reliable and green.

Smart mobility can achieve a harmonious balance taking account of the sustainability of society while providing the means for the smooth transportation of people and goods.

Smart mobility in upcoming smart cities should also be able to provide a multifaceted, efficient, safe and comfortable transport system, which is linked to ICT infrastructure and open data.

The technologies and services that enable smarter mobility have a range of capabilities that benefit travellers, service providers and urban planners alike. Many of these products rely on real time data to offer integrated information services (such as real time journey planning or command and control facilities). However, the use of data generated by travelers and other sources is still not utilized for improving travel experience within the city.

But many cities in developing countries around the world have begun utilising the benefits of emerging technologies. For

Efficient mobility is one of the essential components for a city to function properly.

Transit system in a smart city should be affordable, accessible to all, sustainable, convenient, fast and problem-free

The smart mobility requires a variety of infrastructure types, including physical infrastructure, operational technologies, and communication and information technologies.

Without any single component, smart mobility products cannot meet their full potential to manage operational efficiency and user demand

example, Citymapper is an integrated real time journey planning application which has been successfully launched in London and New York. The online and mobile service incorporates routes across the city using all public transit modes, bike share programmes, pedestrian routes, real time service updates, together with pricing information and estimated calorie use.

The app not only enables

instantaneous evaluation of the optimal route of travel from A to B, but it improves people’s travel experiences and increases their confidence in public transport services. It makes travelling through cities easier and more efficient.

Why country like India that is software major can’t build an infrastructure and install supporting capacity to make city life convenient. The upcoming smart cities are expected to utilize the data for making services in cities better than ever before.

The whole system is underpinned by the physical infrastructure of urban mobility; that is the roads, metros, pedestrian paths, railways, bike paths, and other physical assets that enable transport to operate. The data and information that support smart mobility are generated continuously from dynamic patterns of human behaviour as people navigate the city using the available infrastructure.

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) encompass the range of operational technologies used for transport management, including the sensors, payment and ticketing infrastructure, surveillance, remote controls and display equipment that are employed along transport routes to monitor and manage travel conditions. Increasingly, ITS also utilises the mobile monitoring technologies installed in vehicles or

carried by individuals through smart phone applications.

The smart mobility requires a variety of infrastructure types, including physical infrastructure, operational technologies, and communication and information technologies. Without any single component, smart mobility products cannot meet their full potential to manage operational efficiency and user demand. Coordination and integration between different layers in the structure allow improved operational efficiency, as well as new products for demand management.

Indian cities have not been able to implement such kind of technologies so far but the country has an opportunity to build an environment in cities under various urban renovation programs of the government to improve operational efficiency of the different urban sectors.

To do this, the role of urban local bodies and other stakeholders including the public becomes significant. There is a need for a massive capacity building program for the existing municipal staff and officers for the success of new initiatives. There is also need to engage people in decision making and implementing projects. It is city residents, whose behaviour and choices will be the overall determinant of sustainable outcomes of any project or initiative.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

31

Technology | Quality of life

Can ICT improve quality of life?

Urban data and technology can contribute to improving quality of life in cities; but they don’t explain how to do so systematically across the very many aspects of quality of life and city systems Rick Robinson IT Director, Amey

T

hat seems a pretty fundamental question for the Smarter Cities movement to address.

There is little point in us expending time and money on the application of technology to city systems unless we

32 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

can answer it positively.

In principle, urban data and technology can contribute to improving quality of life in cities; but they don’t explain how to do so systematically across the very many aspects of quality of life and city systems, and between the great variety

of urban environments and cultures throughout the world. How could we begin to do that?

Deconstructing “quality of life”

We must first think more clearly about what we mean by “quality of life”. There

are many needs, values and outcomes that contribute to quality of life and its perception. We need to consider whether urban data can inform us about, and help us to change, the ability of a city to create quality of life for its inhabitants.

Recognising the challenge

It is far from straightforward to convert these basic ideas and observations into usable techniques for deriving insight and value concerning quality of life from urban data.

What about the things that are extremely hard to measure but which are often vital to quality of life – for example the cash economy?

Physical cash is notoriously hard to trace and monitor; and arguably it is particularly important to the lives of many individuals and communities who have the most significant quality of life challenges; and to those who are responsible for some of the activities that detract from quality of life – burglary, mugging and the supply of narcotics, for example.

Question is whether we can more directly measure the outcomes that people care about – happiness, prosperity, the ability to provide for our families, for example.

There is also a need to balance our efforts between creating value from the data that is available to us – which is surely a resource that we should exploit – with making sure that we focus our efforts on addressing our most important challenges, whether or not data relevant to them is easily accessible.

And in practise, a great deal of the data that describes cities is still not very accessible or useful. Most of it exists within IT systems that were designed for a specific purpose – for

example, to allow building owners to manage the maintenance of their property. Those systems may not be very good at providing data in a way that is useful for new purposes – for example, identifying whether a door is connected to a pavement by a ramp or by steps, and hence how easy it is for a wheelchair user to enter a building.

In the most polarised debates, opinion from “soft” disciplines is that “Smart cities” is a technology-driven approach that does not take human needs and nature into account, and does not recognise the variability and uncertainty inherent in city systems; and opinion from “hard” disciplines is that operational, design and policy decisions in cities are taken without due consideration of data that can be used to inform them and predict their outcomes.

There is no reason why these positions cannot be reconciled. In some domains “soft” and “hard” disciplines regularly collaborate.

But achieving reconciliation between all of the stakeholders involved in the vastly complex domain of cities – including the people who live in them, not just the academics, professionals and politicians who study, design, engineer and govern them – will not happen by default. It will only happen if we have an open and constructive debate about the capabilities and the limitations of data, information and technology; and if we are then able to communicate them in a way that expresses to everyone why Smarter City systems will improve their quality of life.

What’s next?

It’s astonishing and encouraging that we could use a model of individual consciousness to navigate the

availability and value of data in the massively collective context of an urban scenario.

To continue developing an understanding of the ability of information and technology to contribute to quality of life within cities, we need to expand that approach to explore the other dimensions we identified that affect perceptions of quality of life: culture, age and family status, for example; and within both larger and smaller scales of city context than the “district” scenario that we started with.

As a next step, it would be useful to consider how people in different circumstances in cities use data, information and technology to take decisions: for example, city leaders, businesspeople, parents, hostel residents, commuters, hospital patients and so forth across the incredible variety of roles that we play in cities. You can find out more about how the Collaborative is taking this agenda forward on their website.

Information and technology are changing the cities, society and economy that we live in and depend on. But that information results from data that in large part is created by all of our actions and activities as individuals, as we carry out our lives in cities, interacting with systems that from a technology perspective are increasingly instrumented, interconnected and intelligent. We are the ultimate stakeholders in the information economy, and we should seek to establish an equitable consensus for how our data is used; and that consensus should include an understanding and acceptance between all parties of both the capabilities and limitations of information and technology.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

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Special Feature | SAC Summit 2015

Marching together towards sustainable smartness To stir a dialogue on sustainable urban development and Smart City Mission among city leaders and urban planners, All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG) in association with Cities Network Campaign (CNC) and Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) organised the two-day South Asian Cities Summit in New Delhi recently.

City leaders and urban planners across from South Asian cities released a mutually agreed upon declaration to augment the pace of ‘smart’ urban development Abhishek Pandey Principal Correspondent, abhishek@urbanupdate.in

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ith an aim to build smart, liveable, sustainable,

34 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

and inclusive cities, city leaders across from South Asian Cities agreed upon to develop sustainability strategies for energy generation and distribution,

transportation, water management, urban planning, and eco-friendly (green) buildings. In addition, the summit addressed number of factors

Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Environment and Forest, lighting the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the SAC Summit 2015 in the presence of (L to R) Ramanath Jha, Director General (AIILSG), Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor (AIILSG), Harsh Deep Malhotra, EDMC Mayor, Jatin Modi, Emeritus President (AIILSG) and Alain Grimard, Director (UN-Habitat)

Rapid urbanisation throws up unparallel challenges both in policy and in governance, cities must meet these challenges and fashion answers in the light of their own socio-economic and cultural contexts Ramanath Jha Director General, AIILSG

hindering building smart cities in South Asian Cities—financial concerns, empowerment of local bodies, climate resilience issues, and need for building capacity across all sectors in cities.

Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar, who was the Chief Guest at the event, emphasised on significance of sustainable development for building liveable and smart cities in his inaugural speech at the Summit. Javadekar said, “Each city needs to have a vision for the next fifty years to handle the pressure of rapid urbanisation.”

Javadekar highlighted the need of capacity building of municipal staff and appointing ‘right person at right place’ for inclusive development of cities. He added that there is a need of better coordination among different civic and development agencies to ensure better urban governance.

Ramanath Jha, Director General

of the AIILSG, said that rapid urbanisation throws up unparallel challenges both in policy and in governance, cities must meet these challenges and fashion answers in the light of their own socio-economic and cultural contexts.

Jha added that hand in hand with urbanisation, there have been huge technological advances. They provide us with tools that enable greater efficiency, more economic growth, better environment, greater social wellbeing and enormous improvements in governance. Indian and South Asian Cities are at a turning point in their urbanisation. Poised to grow at swift pace along with resurgent economies, they can derive advantage from the latest technological development.

In a special address during the inaugural session, Satyendra Jain, Health Minister of Delhi, said that cities need to focus on their design.

Even the road design in many of our

Each city needs to have a vision for the next fifty years to handle the pressure of rapid urbanisation. There is also a need of capacity building of municipal staff and appointing ‘right person at right place’ for inclusive development.

Better coordination among different civic and development agencies will ensure better urban governance Prakash Javadekar Union Minister for Environment and Forest

cities is not correct. “We do not need sprawling bungalows in cities; we can have smartly designed houses that will serve the purpose. Urban planners need to focus on building big community spaces so that people can engage with each other. At present, cities are designed in a way that people need not interact with their neighbours even”, he added.

The major topics discussed during the summit included empowerment of local bodies, smart mobility, solid waste management, water and sanitation, financial viability of smart cities, smart energy solutions, safe cities, climate resilient cities, green buildings, empowerment of local bodies, etc.

The panel discussing financial viability of smart cities focused on various financial options available to augment the pace of smart city development. The panel talked about various international funding possibilities like Green Climate Fund, Climate Change Adaptation Fund, etc. It was suggested that the central government should facilitate having a common platform to which the cities have direct access so that while structuring projects these additional funding possibilities can be taken into account.

M Ramachandran, former UD Secretary, Government of India, said that the scheme details of Smart City Mission have not yet announced by the government. It will be significant to see how it empowers local bodies in development of smart cities. He

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

35

Special Feature | SAC Summit 2015

We do not need sprawling bungalows in cities; we can have smartly designed houses that will serve the purpose. Urban planners need to focus on building big community spaces so that people can engage with each other. At present, cities are designed in a way that people need not interact with their neighbours even Satyendra Jain Health Minister of Delhi

said that municipal cadre should be strengthened and state finance commissions (SFCs) should address the issues of urban local bodies for ensuring better urban governance in our cities. On the role of technology providers in Smart City Mission, he said that technology providers will be keen to partake in the process. Will do they look at business opportunities or will it possible for them to bring in some resources or finances as well because they owe something to society. They will set up technical requirements as dictated or required by the local bodies or the cities but what will be their stake in this entire process that also becomes crucial. V Suresh, Former CMD, HUDCO, said that many international consultancy agencies have estimated that the country will need around $ 2 Trillion investment but the government has budgetary provision

Many international consultancy agencies have estimated that the country will need around $ 2 Trillion investment but the government has budgetary provision of only Rs 100 crore per year for each smart city. Cities will need to generate huge amount of funds themselves for implementing the project V Suresh Former CMD, HUDCO

36 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

The government should focus on brown field projects so that we can make our existing cities smart. For that, there is a need to build physical, institutional, and social infrastructure. Small cities like Shimla may not be able to generate matching grants because the private players would not find the project lucrative enough Sanjay Chauhan Mayor, Shimla

of only Rs 100 crore per year for each smart city. Cities will need to generate huge amount of funds themselves for implementing the project. Sanjay Chauhan, Mayor of Shimla, said that the government should focus on brown field projects so that we can make our existing cities smart. For that, there is a need to build physical, institutional, and social infrastructure. Small cities like Shimla may not be able to generate matching grants because the private players would not find the project lucrative enough.

On the basis of deliberations during different sessions during two-day conference, city leaders from South Asian cities along with dignitaries from national and International development agencies, donor organisations, civil society organization, representatives of wider urban development fraternity signed a

fifteen-point declaration to make cities inclusive, better governed, smart and sustainable.

The declaration read: “…We will create policies and implement initiatives which are socially, culturally and economically inclusive by inter-alia, specifically addressing gender equality, safety, security, creating investment opportunities and conserving heritage of the built environment… We would like AIILSG to be the focal point for knowledge sharing, sharing of best practices and deliberations on various innovative

ideas to improve service delivery and enhance quality of life of city residents.”

CDKN, UN-Habitat, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), USGBC, School of Planning and Architect, New Delhi, NACO and several other institutions proactively participated and conducted different sessions intended to address relevant urban issues cities are facing today.

Over 200 mayors, commissioners, bureaucrats, and urban planners from various South Asian countries and from different parts of India were present in the two-day summit.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

37

Column | Smart Cities

Smartened

Cities ‘Smart City’ is the latest in our lexicon of what our urban spaces should represent. It is a bit hard to understand why we have never listed ‘liveable cities’ as the representative of our national desires

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Raj Liberhan Former Director, India Habitat Centre liberhan@gmail.com

38 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

ollin Rowe, the famous architectural historian said that cities are the artful juxtaposition of fragments.

Invert this perceptive observation to view the Indian cities: they look like artless juxtaposition of fragments. Among our latest ambitions is to create 100 smart cities. We have covered the whole range from ‘world class cities’ to global cities to ‘Shanghai like clone for Mumbai’.

‘Smart City’ is the latest in our lexicon of what our urban spaces should represent. It is a bit hard to understand why we have never listed ‘liveable cities’ as the representative of our national desires. Perhaps this would first of all need an acknowledgement that the present state of our urban spaces, whatever class of cities we can talk about, ‘liveability’ is not an adjective that can be willingly used without suspension of belief.

Be that as it may, the latest avatar is to be welcomed for the simple reason that any structured application of minds to our urban development is a

hopeful sign that things can only get better from hereon. There is no doubt that we need to smarten our cities and if anything, we are behind the times by many years. There is no stopping the pace of urbanization and ‘Bharat’ is increasingly going to be a part of the India landscape. For the moment, the seminar industry is agog and excited to roll the bands for the road map to the Smart cities.

The starting point of any discussion has to put a perspective on the idea of smart cities. Yes, they are needed and that too, urgently. Where? We need to define geographies because there is still a debate on for ‘greenfield’ versus ‘brownfield’ options. While, the locations for the new cities take their time to come to a conclusion, the process of smartening the existing ones has to be set into motion. Sure, the cabinet approval is in place to spend Rs 1,00,000 over five years for urban rejuvenation and urban transformation.

The real work has to start withthe states profiling their cities and putting together the hierarchy of needs in their principal cities or the ones where the

growth potential is the best.

Historically, design has never been a conscious primary consideration in the way our cities have been planned.

It was always a by product, probably landing third or fourth in the list. This disparity explains the generally chaotic and fragmented structure of our cities.

The difference between the conceived scheme and the perceived appearance of the city is, therefore, largely due to the aesthetics of planning being on the margins. Our planners have focused on the development and growth and ignored the basic needs of the citizen’s well being. So let us begin by prescribing the creation of spaces that nurture a healthy relationship between the people and the city.

For once, I would plead that we look at the ambience and the geography of the new cities. The culture and traditions of the locales will have a bearing on the prosperity of the city.

Indeed its vibrancy will always draw its inspiration from the embedded inclinations of the original settlers and be the temptation for the city seekers to find shelter here. We need twenty four by seven cities and not nine to five

Imperatives Civic infrastructure is a vital frame for a citizen’s well being. It needs continuous up-gradation. We need to scale it for fifty years and keep reassessing at five year intervals.

This is the only way to stay ahead of the increasing pressures of the pace of urbanization.

Comfortable public transport connectivity is the prime service to make the city spaces truly democratic. It gives the choice to people to look for housing within their budgets even at distances from the central business districts.

capital cities that we get easily drawn to as standing ovations to architectural creations. Cities where life pulsates deep into the night are the ones that create economic opportunities for those on the margins of the society.

The organized segment may be pleased with its nine to five routine and retreating to the television sets after a hard day’s work but we want democratic spaces for the sake of this young and aspirational population as they will be the ones who will make tomorrow’s India.

Yes, civic infrastructure is a vital frame for a citizen’s well being. It needs continuous up-gradation. We need to scale it for fifty years and keep reassessing at five year intervals.

This is the only way to stay ahead of the increasing pressures of the pace of urbanization. People manage with other deficits including shortage of housing, but civic amenities not being in abundance causes maximum unhappiness to the citizen. Indeed, housing is an important dimension of the city life. But housing for all is a meaningless slogan with little chance of it being realized in the next one hundred years. The economics of land and housing markets are designed for those who can pay outright or through installments and those who can offer a collateral. It does not welcome the poor and who has nothing to mortgage or cannot meet the EMIs. Housing problem will always need a combination of solutions.

Comfortable public transport connectivity is the prime service to make the city spaces truly democratic.

It gives the choice to people to look for housing within their budgets even at distances from the central business districts. The second dimension of the answer lies in creating rental housing.

Thanks to our misplaced socialist hearts pretending to beat for the poor, we enacted the Rent Control Act, the single most piece of legislation that destroyed the housing options for the poor. Almost fifty percent of the housing stock in the country is lying

unoccupied because of this Act. The sooner this Act goes, the better it is for the ‘housing for all’ dream to really happen.

The courts have also compounded the problem by giving extended protection to the tenancy rights in preference to the house owners need to occupy his property and enjoy its fruits at his will. It is still not enough, as the financing models need to be reworked so that the need for collaterals is diluted through insurance covers for the borrowers. Above all, we need the regulator for the real estate sector.

There is no way, housing stock can be created for the consumer, without the fair enforcement of a law which protects him from the extortionist leanings of the builder. I would go as far as to say that the seriousness of the objective of ‘housing for all’ is in doubt, unless the regulations and the regulator are put in place. To smarten the city, we need smart management adhering to smart laws begetting smart compliance. The urban local bodies need a prolonged dose of life support systems. The capacity expansion along with a matching human resource belonging to the local body, coupled with professional guidance cum handholding, is the only way to go. The glamour of the municipal service needs a shine and then we can hope to get smart service for the citizen.

A city is not about smart buildings, smart transport or even a smart municipality. It is about real people.

Let us not ever forget that. Yes, it is about colleges, schools, hospitals but also about playing fields, greens, cultural spaces. Each geography has its own psyches and the two resonate to nurture why one city attracts and another one repels.

A city is about freedoms of people and the underlying assurance of the rule of law which inspires the citizen to produce excellence for his own good and secondarily for the societal benefit.

To begin to get a smart city, let us start with getting a smart philosophy of urban governance.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

39

Column | Finance

Financing of Smart Cities

Options available Cities will need to pump in more money from alternative funding source as each smart city would get Rs 100 crore each year for five years under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) of Government of India

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Dr M Ramachandran Former Secretary - UD, Govt of India mramachandran@hotmail.com

40 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

he Smart Cities Mission (SCM) approved by the central government makes a central provision of Rs 48,000 crore for the 100 cities program over a five year period. This means each city would get Rs 100 crore each year for five years. The remaining money required is to come from the states, urban bodies and the consortium they may form with corporate entities. The project is to be implemented by a special purpose vehicle for each city. State governments are expected to ensure a steady stream of resources to these SPVs. Action has been initiated for the process of Smart cities challenge through which the smart cities are to be identified. All this means there is a spirit of competition and hopefully our cities will gear themselves up to be competing for being smart, finding the resources and providing better facilities to the city residents.

Full details of the SCM are yet to be announced. As such details of the

reform matrix with timelines is also awaited. Also the size of the program in terms of resources to be put together by all participants also is not yet known.

Once the Smart city Plans are prepared by each city, one will have an idea as to the total financial size involved.

While raising resources from outside government would depend on a series of factors, an indication and details of confidence building measures which the states and cites will offer may hopefully be seen in the Smart city Plans, the primary point to be kept in mind is the capacity of these urban bodies to be active in raising finances.

So one hopes that the SCM will clearly ask for implementation of a revised municipal cadre scheme for these 100 cities at least, to start with. This could well get linked with the 10 per cent of funds earmarked within the total resource earmarked for SCM as incentive for achievement of reforms.

Not only capacity to raise resources but capacity to implement also becomes an important consideration taking into account the fact that the earlier

JnNURM had a total central provision of Rs 66,000 crore which, with the states and local body resources was expected to reach double the level of this figure. All approved projects did not get completed. Figures given by the ministry say that against central provision approval of Rs 42,900 crore, only 36,398 crore got released over a nine year period. If this is an indication of the spending capacity of the 65 plus some 700 cities and towns where projects were approved and if this is the level of interest taken by the states, then it is anybody’s guess as to what will be the size to which the Rs 48,000 crore being provided by the centre will expand. And here is the challenge.

Funds Required

Since the smart cities are not yet identified, it is difficult to make an assessment of what is the resource requirement for these cities over a five year period. Once the cities are known, a first attempt could be to look at the city requirements and resource requirements projected in the City Development Plans prepared for these cities if they were part of the Mission cities in the earlier program.

The size of resources required would also depend on what is the smart city vision that the city has and what would it entail in terms of funds needed. Just to cite an example how cities take the lead, the London Green Fund launched in 2009 to support the city’s climate change objectives, has a budget of 100 million Pounds, of which 50 million comes from the European Regional development Fund, 32 million from the Greater London Authority and 18 million from the London Waste and Recycling Board. The Fund has the two major focus areas of energy efficiency under which decentralised energy infrastructure is encouraged and improvement of sustainability of public, private and voluntary sector buildings are encouraged and the second focus area is waste infrastructure with focus on waste to energy and recycling

facilities getting financed through equity investments.

Finding the resources

Last year’s central budget had given indications of various possibilities. It talked about modification of built up area and capital conditions for FDI. The size of the Pooled Municipal Debt Obligation Facility has been enlarged.

There is a clear commitment for urban metro projects in the PPP mode with VGF support. Incentives for REITs and a modified REITS type structure for infrastructure projects in the form of Infrastructure Investment Trusts were announced.

Further, the Ministry of Urban development has suggested options like municipal bonds, Tax increment financing and property owners and traders themselves providing public services in the form of Business Improvement districts. SEBI has taken the initiative to frame SEBI (Issue and Listing of Debt Securities

by Municipalities) Regulations, 2015.

Parastatals can borrow from the market through issue of bonds for onward lending to municipal bodies. Another method could be formation of a SPV by one or more municipal bodies by securitising receivables. In the area of Pooled Finance Development, initiatives taken by states like Tamil Nadu which has established the Municipal Development Fund, Karnataka’s Urban Infrastructure development Finance Corporation and Andhra Pradesh’s Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation are examples worth mentioning. The central message here is that for being ‘smart’, cities have to be innovative as far as finding the required level of resources is concerned.

Among global examples of ‘crowd financing’, there is the city of Chicago where the local community members played a key role in the implementation of renewable energy projects through an alternative, community based crowd financing model If we look at some of the macro

Requirement The McKinsey Study had projected an investment requirement of $ 1.2 trillion over a twenty year period in infrastructure, the High powered expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure had projected investment requirement of Rs 39.2 lakh crores over a twenty year period only for the key eight sectors for all Indian cities

estimates of investment for all Indian cities, whereas the McKinsey Study had projected an investment requirement of $ 1.2 trillion over a twenty year period in infrastructure, the High powered expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure had projected investment requirement of Rs 39.2 lakh crores over a twenty year period only for the key eight sectors for all Indian cities. The Union Urban development Minister has gone on record to say that the centre has plans to invest something like Rs three lakh crore through various urban programs like SCM, AMRUT, Toilets for All, Housing for All, HRIDAY etc. He has also referred to France considering a line of credit up to about Rs 14,000 crore for the Smart cities project.

There are other proposals also tabled by some prominent countries and institutions showing interest in the smart cities. How best these can be taken up in a transparent manner is something the city authorities will have to explore early. Globally there are a number of financing mechanisms talked about like project financing, spread shareholding, smart bonds, crowd financing, energy performance contracting for energy efficiency, attracting long term financing from specialised institutions like pension funds and so on. ‘Smart cities will be able to explore various new initiatives if they rate them early and start a serious dialogue.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

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event | 10 years of ICLEI

A decade of success in South Asia

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reated in 2005 on April 25, the South Asian branch of ICLEI, aimed at building and serving a regional network of local governments celebrated ICLEI South Asia’s 10 years of local action for sustainability.

Experiencing the need for change is the first step towards mainstreaming sustainability. We experienced it and our main vision since the last 10 years has been to share and spread this experience among all cities in the South Asian region. Our region being one of the most vulnerable regions in

the world requires extra effort, extra will and extra participation. ICLEI South Asia, through its numerous projects and programmes, capacity building workshops and myriad conferences aims at putting in that “extra”.

ICLEI South Asia’s journey towards making cities more sustainable began with just few cities. Look at us now – more than 60 local governments, around 35 staff members and working with six countries in the South Asian region.

We enable cities to contribute to the global need for climate action with a number of local solutions, ranging

from developing guidelines on low carbon growth, raising awareness about sustainable sanitation and solid waste management, supporting municipalities in implementing Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency projects, identifying and implementing sustainable and environment-friendly transportation, helping cities become resilient and assisting them to gain finances for their resilience based projects and more.

Having begun with just two projects - Local Renewables and ecoBUDGET, we had almost 15 on-going projects in 2014-15. ICLEI South Asia currently has 64 members.

Message by Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia

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he year 2005 marked the beginning of not just an organisation called ICLEI South Asia, it marked the strengthening of a region-wide initiative and a journey towards sustainability. Like all other journeys,

42 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

this particular one has not always been smooth and clear, there have been barriers and there have been cobbled paths. But thanks to the immense strength and will of all who have worked with ICLEI South Asia, we kept on learning from our experiences and kept striving to do our best.

Emani Kumar

Moving towards a sustainable tomorrow Hansa Patel Chairperson, ICLEI South Asia

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e are living in an era of rapid urbanisation.

Over the last few years, many urban areas have experienced dramatic escalation, as a result of rapid population growth and as the world’s economy has been transformed by expeditious technological change. Cities are currently home to nearly half of the world’s population and over the next 30 years most of the two-billion-plus person increase in global population is expected to occur in urban areas in the developing world. Urbanisation, despite of the many benefits it brings along to the respective city, also has its downfalls! The speed and sheer scale of the urban transformation of the developing world presents formidable challenges. Of particular concern are the risks to the immediate and surrounding environment, to natural resources, to health conditions etc.

These 10 years have been an incredible journey, full of experiences, full of ideas and initiatives and replete with the immense joy that you get after helping a city move towards a sustainable living. This is not just our “job”, this is what we love doing, helping cities realise and recognize that there are ways to fight the barriers

We need to understand that intensifying a city does not make it better. Making it sustainable does.

Wouldn’t we all benefit from living in cities that were more careful, more resourceful, more sustainable and more forward-thinking? This is where ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability steps in. ICLLEI is a powerful movement of 12 mega-cities, 100 super-cities and urban regions, 450 large cities, and 450 small and mediumsized cities and towns in 84 countries dedicated to sustainable development.

ICLEI was founded by local governments. In 1990, the organization was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future in New York. ICLEI originally stood for the “International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives,” but in 2003 the organization dropped the full phrase and became “ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability” to

towards sustainability, and guiding them towards the attainment of their sustainable, resilient, resourceefficient, low-carbon, smart urban and green goals!

We thank our project funders, supporting partners, national, provincial and city representatives, all our subscribers and last and most

reflect a broader focus on sustainability, not just environmental initiatives.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local and metropolitan governments dedicated to sustainable development.

ICLEI provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development at the local level. Our basic premise is that locally designed and driven initiatives can provide an effective and costefficient way to achieve local, national, and global sustainability objectives.

We promote local action for global sustainability and support cities to become sustainable, resilient, resource-efficient, biodiverse, lowcarbon; to build a smart infrastructure; and to develop an inclusive, green urban economy with the ultimate aim of achieving healthy and happy communities.

importantly, our staff here at the ICLEI South Asia office, at the ICLEI World Secretariat and all other ICLEI offices throughout the world for being there always and for helping whenever needed.

ICLEI South Asia will always be there to pave the path towards sustainability for cities in the region.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

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Event | Smart Cities India

Smarter Solutions for a better tomorrow Smart Cities India 2015 expo witnessed holistic knowledge sharing on social and economic pillars of smart cities Team UrbanUpdate

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upporting the Prime Minister’s vision for “Smart Cities”, the capital witnessed the opening of Smart Cities India 2015 expo

in New Delhi.

Babul Supriyo, Minister of State, Urban Development, and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, present

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on the occasion, said “Smart Cities is among the most vital initiatives of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

To fulfill this dream of building selfsustainable and citizen friendly cities, we need an enlightened mind to make it a reality. It is time we think, plan and act fast. When we know we are walking in the right direction, the only option left for us is to just walk fast.

The housing and urban development ministry is working 24X7 and is open for innovative ideas to empower the dream of smart cities.”

Guest of Honour for the event Harald Sandberg, Ambassador of Sweden, said, “It is commendable that India is committed to developing the country in smarter and a sustainable way. Publicprivate partnership is the way forward for this initiative. Sweden has gained relevant experience through overcoming water and pollution related challenges and thereby transforming Sweden to an eco-friendly country.

The ambitious smart cities project in India demands small steps to be taken by every citizen to make it a sprawling success.”

The inaugural ceremony saw key note speakers sharing their vision on Smart Cities. The welcome address included Industry leaders such as Dinesh Malkani, President, CISCO, India; BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, NASSCOM and Executive Chairman, Cyient, India; along with Rakesh Kaul, Partner-Government and Public services, PwC, India.

“Urbanisation in India is happening at an accelerating rate. By 2031, the population in the urban areas will increase to 600 million from current 377 million. This will boost the increase in the middle class section of the society that will generate larger

aspirations seeking better quality of life and sustainable eco-system. Smart cities concept would require enormous knowledge transfer to devise solutions that are suitable for the Indian scenario” shared BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, NASSCOM and Executive Chairman, Cyient, India.

Rakesh Kaul, Partner-Government and Public services, PwC, India said, “Smart Cities concept is built on 4 pillars that includes Physical (Infrastructure), Social (Health, Education, and Entertainment), Institutional (Municipalities & City Managers), Economic (Ease of doing business in India). The initiatives should be commercially viable, socially inclusive and maintain

ecological balance.”

Smart Cities India 2015 expo brought together experts and leaders from 40 countries to define the roadmap for Indian cities. The three-day expo is divided into two parts; one is the exhibition, with a large number of varied product displays and solutions by national and international companies from across the world, showcasing the latest technologies; and the second is the multi-sectoral, multiple conference sessions.

Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Pvt Ltd, elaborated, “The conference sessions could define India’s aspirational goals; the features and functions to be applied; the best practices that will help gain maximum benefits at the minimum cost; and with reduced risk.”

The conference sessions saw extensive discussion on Smart cities urban planning: session with NIUA, smart cities foundation: fabric of converged technologies - session by NASSCOM, green energy a must for smart cities: session by TERI & USGBC, management of water, solid waste and sanitation in smart cities, financing smart cities initiatives to name a few.

207 domestic and international participants showcased their products and services to buyers, industry representatives, center, state and local body officials with industry representatives, town and city planners, architects, realtors, academia, students and media, etc.

www.urbanupdate.in | June 2015

45

URBAN AGENDA | Health in slums

24X7 water supply Apresh Chandra Mishra Managing Editor apresh@urbanupdate.in

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n most cities and towns, quantity of water supplied is inadequate owing to lack of proper infrastructure, unequal distribution, poor maintenance of pipeline network and pilferage. This results not only in huge losses and deficient supply at places, but also poor quality contaminated water.

People living in cities need an average of 100-135 litre per capita per day (lpcd). Although data on water suggests that adequate water is supplied to most of the cities, yet problems persist.

While only some cities in the country have started to manage water crisis in a more comprehensive manner, rest of them are yet to follow. Many metropolis, which have greater capacity and access to funds are not able to meet even the minimum norm of providing 70 litres per person per day.

Like other cities, Nagpur was also being supplied over 600 million litres per day for a population of about 2.5 million. It was much more than the basic requirement, but the problem continued mostly due to the age-old distribution network. Besides, it is unbelievable but true that some pockets would get almost a tenth of the water supplied to the entire city, but revenue collection from those areas was zero.

That spelt twin trouble for the Nagpur

46 June 2015 | www.urbanupdate.in

Municipal Corporation (NMC) — losses due to massive leakages and nonrevenue water up amounting to over 50 percent of the total water supplied.

In order to address the problem, the NMC in 2007 took the initiative to implement central government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM)supported 24x7 water scheme.

Incidentally, Nagpur was the only city to have successfully implemented the scheme in Demozone (Dharampeth area). Riding on the success, the scheme was extended to the whole of Nagpur city later. And the scheme is paying dividends, both in terms of round-the-clock supply of water as well as up to 95 percent revenue collection from the erstwhile non-revenue areas.

Nagpur has since then shown that the 24X7 water supply is not a myth and can be achieved through political will, multi-tier financing, sophisticated infrastructure, and minimized leakage.

However, many cities have performed well in different aspects. Different cities are doing well in different aspects. These good models today might not be the same few years later.

Political consensus is also an important factor. Each, one should understand the gravity of the problem. If we don’t act today we will be in serious trouble in the next two decades.

All India Institute of Local Self Government Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area, D Block, Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058 Ph No. 011-2852 1783 / 5465, Email. delhi@aiilsg.org

Urban

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Ranjit S Chavan President AIILSG

Ramanath Jha Director General AIILSG

Raj Liberhan Former Director IHC

M Ramachandran Former Secretary-UD GoI

Dr Sudhir Krishna Former Secretary-UD GoI

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