Day by day, India is developing, not only in terms of education, roads, connectivity, job opportunities, but also in terms of the ‘urban development.’ According to the census of India, 2011, India holds 31.16% of the urban population, and as today we are in 2019, the share of the urban population surely must have increased as well.
This is precisely the reason why we need new and modern housing spaces which not only accommodates us but also satisfies our current standard of living. Urban development and smart city projects are the immediate solutions to this issue.
What is urban development?
- Urban development basically means designing infrastructure, making houses available for the growing urban population, providing better transport services, shopping centers, etc.
- The urban sprawl has led to the urban development of the cities of India. Due to a better quality of life with education and job opportunities in the urban suburbs, more and more rural population is migrating to the urban areas.
However, today, the buzzword is ‘Smart City’ and not ‘urban development.’ A smart city is instead a more significant approach than just urban development.
Almost every layman, might have sometimes questioned about the smartness of the smart city. Although nobody can define a smart city with a specific definition, a little meaning of it, however, can be derived. Let’s move forward to know all about the smart city.
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What is a smart city?
- A smart city is an innovative result of a significant advancement in technology which has led the economy to design an improved outlook of an urban area.
- A smart city uses technology and communication to provide a far better quality of life to the urban population.
- Adequate water supply, electricity, cleanliness, affordable housing, brilliant connectivity, etc. are some of the features of the Smart City Projects.
One of the causes which have led to the urge of making a smart city is congestion. As the flyovers, and the multi-storey apartments got constructed, the more the number of vehicles increased, and this is why the problem of congestion could never be solved.
With a move to the Smart City Mission by the Government of India, the problem of congestion has received several solution by the introduction of the concept of ‘Smart Parking.’
Considering investment into the smart city as a lucrative option, there are many companies planning to undertake the project of the smart city mission. A smart city aims to offer digital facilities which are friendly as well as sustainable.