Making Delhi A Smart City

Imagine driving in Delhi without getting trapped in traffic, being able to drift around freely, knowing where to park and hopping on the public transport without losing time, energy and patience.

Let us see where we are and where we have to go!!

Challenges:
Metropolitan Cities like Delhi, are the places where 50% of the world’s population live today, Responsible for 75% of its energy consumption and 80% of its carbon emissions - and cities are growing. Cities face huge challenges: congestion, pollution, blackouts, crime, debt and rising costs - while competing with each other for investment, jobs and talents.

Cities need to become smarter: more efficient, sustainable and liveable.

5 Basic steps to make a city smart:
1. Vision: setting the goal and the roadmap to get there
2. Solutions: bringing in the technology to improve the efficiency of the urban systems
3. Integration: combining information and operations for overall city efficiency
4. Innovation: building each city’s specific business model
5. Collaboration: driving collaboration between global players and local stakeholders

As cities grow and expand, so will urban transportation systems - increasing traffic congestion, threatening safety, wasting commuter time and valuable fuel, and impacting the environment. Cities are where traffic flows – cars, buses, subways and trains epitomise city life.

Cities need to make mobility smarter: more efficient, reliable and green. green. Urban populations will nearly double by 2050 accounting for 70 percent of the world’s population. Undoubtedly, transportation systems will be impacted, increasing congestion, threatening safety, delaying commuters, burning up valuable fuel, and harming the environment. To meet current and anticipated challenges, Smart Cities around the world are finding Smart Mobility solutions for integrated city management—improving mobility for citizens through operational efficiency and smart information. Reduce urban traffic congestion and improve air quality through centralized, real-time adaptive traffic management.

As things stand, the urbanization agenda is: urban renewal; rejuvenation and the implementation of smart city concept; While renewal and rejuvenation are relatively easier to grasp, there appears to be only an evocative imagination in the public mind as to what the contours of a smart city could be. So, here are few suggested attributes that may well describe, and to some extent define a smart city. 

Information, communication, and technology (ICT)-enabled governance: The international and domestic big daddies of the information technology (IT) world have, with their aggressive presentations, virtually hijacked the smart city definition to only mean IT-enabled administration and governance. Often referred to as "smart government", the use of integrated technology platforms that are easily accessible across various devices is certainly key to providing access, transparency, speed, participation and redressal in public services.

Efficient utilities - energy, water, solid waste and effluents: This area is often the most talked about after IT. Smart meters, renewable energy, energy conservation, water harvesting, effluent recycling, scientific solid waste disposal methods etc.. all clearly mark the hallmark of a smart city.

Meaningful PPPs: The creative use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) is a key attribute of the smart city concept. PPPs are to be used not only as a source of much-needed capital but also for the efficient delivery of utilities with agreed service-level standards. PPPs could range from health care to street lighting; and be used wherever there is a clear connection between the provision of a service and the ability to charge for the same - directly or even indirectly.

Safety and security: This aspect is high in public consciousness, especially with disconcerting news on the safety of women, road rage, robbery attacks on the elderly and juvenile delinquency. Clearly, networks of video cameras, brightly lit public areas, intensive patrolling and surveillance, identity-verified access, and rapid response to emergency calls are all on the expectations list.

Financial sustainability: The 74th Amendment to the Constitution (1992) enjoins towns and cities to "take charge of their own destinies". Nowhere is this more important than financial independence. This is only possible with elaborate and extensive tapping of all sources of revenue - property taxes, advertisements etc. coupled with astute collection of user-pay charges across the full range of utilities.

Citizen-participative local government: The enthusiastic participation of citizens in local issues needs careful designing of electoral and participative forums. The current apathy towards civic elections needs comprehensive reversal.

Sufficient social capital: Smart cities cannot be devoid of the appropriate levels of social infrastructure - like schools, hospitals, public spaces, sporting and recreational grounds and retail and entertainment venues. Along with a brain that works, and hands and legs that move, it must also have a heart that beats to the joys of daily living.

Transit-oriented habitats: "Walk-to-work" is the dream solution here. Nevertheless, conveniently networked public transportation with first- and last-mile connectivity’s in place, reduced motivation to use personal vehicles, use of electric cars, and bicycle paths are all in the expectation matrix. 

Green features: Minimizing the carbon footprint and eco-friendliness are important. Parks and verdant open spaces, absence of pollution, use of renewables, conservation and recycling are mandatory. It has rooftop solar energy, electric cars and electric-powered bicycles.

India has 5,545 urban agglomerations. Class 1 towns (called cities) are those with a population of 100,000 and above. This should be the minimum population cut-off for a smart city. Achieving all the above-mentioned attributes may well be Utopian. So, maybe even if seventy percent of them are achieved, we should have no hesitation in declaring an urban habitation as a smart city.

What makes a Smart City- New, New Delhi!!!

We need visionaries for our city to be transformed into a Smart City, not really putting focus on a concrete jungle, but going little steps forward and thinking about how technology can be used to transform the lives of the citizens. When I am referring to citizens, I am referring not only to those citizens like me who live in the city, but also to the companies who are part of the city. We need to have a social dream, which is to transform the city in a generation’s time through technology. Hopefully this is the only way to create a sustainable model of living.

Objective of a smart city is to Improve citizens’ quality of life and stimulate new Smart City economy including smart water, smart buildings, smart energy, smart parking, and more. Strategy is to Use new ICT (Information and communications technology) technologies cross- directionally to transform the city. It would require Citywide sensors to capture vital information for smart water, smart lighting, and smart energy management projects

Let us see what actually makes Barcelona a Smart City:

Smart City Barcelona seeks to efficiently provide city services at multiple levels to all citizens by harnessing information and communications technology (ICT) through development and implementation of the Barcelona Smart City Model. The model identifies 12 areas under which Smart City projects are initiated: environmental, ICT, mobility, water, energy, matter (waste), nature, built domain, public space, open government, information flows, and services. Currently, the city has 22 major programs and 83 separate projects that fit into one or more of these 12 areas. Some of these projects include smart lighting, smart parking, smart water management, and smart waste management.

Barcelona currently has more than 500 kilometers of fiber-optic network, development of which began more than 30 years ago when the city networked two municipal buildings with optical fiber. It was upon this initial network that current Smart City efforts were established. In 2012, the city government structured its Smart City projects under the umbrella of “Smart City Barcelona.” In addition to implementing smart technologies, the city has also utilized these connectivity projects to deliver coordinated services across departments. This has helped to eliminate departmental silos and improve the resident experience in Barcelona.

The Barcelona Municipal Institute of Information Technology, played a key role in this initial organizational formation, which emphasized involvement of the government, residents, and the business community in developing and shaping the city’s technological initiatives.

Barcelona is currently using an open tender procurement process to identify a developer to build what the city calls its City OS(operating system). This operating system will sit atop the city’s established network of sensor technology to collate and analyze data that is collected across the network. City officials envision this OS as an open platform working across the various specific smart technology projects operating in the city. The city sees this platform as the key to unlocking IoE(Internet of Everything) benefits associated with data analytics and predictive modelling.

The seed for Barcelona’s Smart City program began more than 30 years ago when the city first installed fiber-optic lines to connect two municipal buildings. Since that time, the city has continued to develop its fiber-optic network. In 2011, began a comprehensive Barcelona Smart City program. The first overarching goal was to improve efficiency of city services and to address sustainability and environmental concerns. Second was to transform the lives of the citizens and the companies who are part of the city.

The Barcelona Smart City program aims to provide city services at multiple levels to all citizens based on the use of Internet and telecommunications technology. Underlying Barcelona’s approach to its Smart City efforts is the idea that the city functions as a “network of networks.” A blueprint was established to connect the different city- affiliated “networks” — for example, transportation, energy, and technology. One key step has been the establishment of a Smart City Strategy team within the mayor’s office. This office is charged with promoting and coordinating Smart City application development throughout the city organization. This senior-level political support has been crucial to Barcelona’s ability to develop its Smart City projects. Increased government transparency has also been a critical component of the Barcelona Smart City strategy, helping city officials communicate and explain why they are developing new smart applications or publicly sensitive solutions, such as newly reconfigured bus routes. This has been helpful in gaining public support for projects, especially in a difficult fiscal environment.

For implementing Smart City project successfully for New Delhi, the political desire to examine and create a Smart City is vital. Smart city initiatives are required with leaders from around the country who clearly embrace the movement and are in positions to make positive changes. No one else but these are the people who can make it a success, others can just dream and write about it. It is only possible with top-down political vision, we can start thinking bottom-up, but the big, final push will be at the political level. If we don’t have political willingness, it is impossible. Coordinating across the various city departments shall be a great challenge.

The key to success shall of course be the top-level support from the CM, which shall help to cut through various layers of city bureaucracy and bring departments together. The city will also have to adapt to dealing with large multinational companies that may not be accustomed to working at the municipal/ local level. Partnering with key technology firms shall be a crucial part of developing New Delhi’s Smart City capabilities. All these developments cannot be done only by the city; we shall have to follow a strong and well-thought-out public/private partnership approach in which government has to encourage for both large and small private sector participants. Lot of food for thought as of now shall cover more details in next post!!

Analysis of land acquisition/development in Delhi

Let us take a look at Population growth in Delhi, Population of NCT-Delhi had been growing at rates of 50% + per decade from 1950 to 1991. It increased from 17 lakhs in 1951 to 167 lakhs in 2011. The net addition to Delhi’s population during the decade 2001-2011 has 
been more than 29 lakh persons (21%). There is a clear demand-supply gap; the population growth of Delhi implies a continuing requirement for land. Delhi has also been attracting investment, employment opportunities, small industry, wholesale and retail trade and myriad of activities. All these new activities require space and increase demand for land for industrial, institutional, commercial and residential uses.

While demand for land kept increasing since 1950s, the supply has been relatively inelastic in responding to the demand. This has resulted in a number of problems, such as spiraling real estate prices, restricted land supply, unaffordable housing, formation of slums, etc. The reasons are many: but a very major reason has been the difficulty in acquiring land for development. 

Land development and disposal in Delhi is the responsibility of the Delhi Development Authority, constituted under DDA Act 1957. The Land and Building Department of the Delhi Government acquires land for DDA. DDA then undertakes the process of development for various purposes including housing. In addition, DDA also disposes off land to private developers and cooperative group housing society for the purpose of housing. Over the years it has been observed that DDA has not been able to fulfill the demand for land of the capital, leading to formation of unauthorized colonies. Also, DDA has not been able to fulfill its housing targets.

It was therefore necessary to look at the major problems and suggest alternative solutions. Only an average of 777 hectares of land was acquired annually instead of 1372 hectares as intended to meet the targets of the development set in MPD-62. During 1981-2001, against a planned acquisition of 24,000 hectares, 9507 hectares were acquired by 2001, which was only 40% of the target. Around 14479 hectares of land was proposed to be developed in the plan period 1961-81. However, by 1984 the land actually developed for residential purpose was 7316 hectares. In the various sub cities envisaged under MPD-2001, of the total 17493.15 hectares proposed to be developed, only 8388.15 hectares (47.95) of serviced land was made available by 2001. 50 per cent growth in existing infrastructure was required whereas existing land policy was unable to meet the demand.

Existing infrastructure capacity - 1.5 crore people, 2011 population - 1.7 crore, therefore, current deficit - 20 lakh. Expected 2021 population - 2.3 crore with 60 lakh growth. At least 50,000 acres of land is to be developed to accommodate 80 lakh population in just 6 years.


The shortfall in land acquired/developed can be primarily attributed to the following reasons:

• Dissatisfaction of the landowners with the compensation package leading to disputes and litigations thus slowing down the process of land acquisition. 
• Restricted financial capacity of DDA to acquire huge land parcels
• Delays in alternate allotment leading to further increases in cost. 
• Enhancement in compensation awarded by the court implying additional 
resources and extra administrative work 
• Pockets and plots of land that remain under litigation for a long time and hence left vacant have been encroached upon by unauthorised and JJ colonies.
• All the above have resulted in public supply of land falling short of demand and physical targets not being met.
• Thus, the need of the hour is an alternate land development model that is simple to operate and attractive to the landowner and which can quicken the process of land assembly.   

The housing sector has tremendous potential, as it is a major enabler as well as contributor to the economy. It is among the largest contributor to the exchequer and second largest employer. The sector also supports 250 other ancillary industries and nurturing of the sector can help increase its share from 6 per cent in 2013 to 10 to 12 per cent by 2022.

Thus, a new participatory land policy, addressing the concerns of the authorities and landowners, and enabling infrastructure creation was required and has been created. DDA’s land pooling policy is the same document which got its approval and go ahead on July 27th, 2013 and Urban Ministry’s approval on September 6th, 2013.

The Delhi Master Plan MPD 2021 is touted to be the largest ever real estate opportunity in the country for the demographic demand, and the administrative commitment provides the triggers for growth. Delhi’s Master Plan is designed to accommodate an additional population of 10 million people, as well as facilitate the creation of almost 1.6 million dwelling units, and the land pooling policy being the first of the many innovative methods towards the vision to reality.

Smart City project- Housing for All

Housing Shortage is gigantic and quite pronounced in Delhi. There is a clear shortage of houses in our city, the Factors of Shortage are due to- Congestion, Obsolescent, Katcha Houses and Homeless Households. Housing Shortage is going up because of Increased Urbanization and Migration. By 2026, it is expected that about 40% of the Indian Population will choose to live in urban areas. Presently also one in every three persons in urban areas is a migrant. Analyzing these statistics in detail project Smart City is proposed by the current government.

'Smart City' is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious project aimed at recasting the urban landscape of the country by making cities more livable and inclusive, besides driving the economic growth. Smart City is Union Urban Development Ministry's flagship programme - Smart City project, Atal Mission for Urban Renewal and Transformation (AMRUT) and Housing For All. According to the guidelines of the scheme, the objective is to promote cities, which provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of “smart” solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model, which will act like a lighthouse to other aspiring cities. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only sought to give more powers to the States but also called for giving residents the mandate to decide how urban areas should emerge. At the launch of the Housing for All, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities schemes, he said it was the first time that residents were being challenged to formulate a development vision for their cities. The competitive mechanism would end the top-down approach and lead to people-centric urban development. Under AMRUT, 500 cities are targeted for development.

The Smart Cities scheme will target development of 100 cities over five years and Housing for All envisages construction of two crore houses in urban areas in seven years. L- zone Delhi, falls asa small plan under this bigger project.

AMRUT, which replaces the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, will give the States and the Union Territories the liberty and flexibility in formulation, approval and execution of projects. In order to provide an enabling environment facilitating construction of houses, especially affordable housing for weaker sections in the country by easing supply-side regulations and administrative constraints, government has proposed certain mandatory provisions to be followed by the state governments.

It has suggested states/UTs to do away with permissions for land use conversion if agricultural land is already included in the residential zone in Master Plans. States/UTs have been asked to prepare/amend Master Plans earmarking land for Affordable Housing using innovative methods such as land pooling.

Since the beginning of the twenty first century, a slew of regulatory reforms such as allowing foreign direct investments, improving access to credit by households, providing tax incentives on housing loans, developing special economic zones and thrust on infrastructure development, coupled with high economic growth, have propelled private sector participation in urban housing development. There should be more of such participation and other regulations to make this project Smart City, turn into a big success.

The provisions envisage adoption of the approach of deemed building permissions and layout approvals on the basis of pre-approved layouts and building plans for EWS and LIG. States/UTs are being asked to amend existing rental laws and also for putting in place a mechanism for time-bound clearances for layout approvals and building plans by the urban local bodies.

All hopes and dreams attached of the public for these concepts to turn into reality.

Call For New Urbanism

Since we are seeing a rapid growth in Delhi, there is a call for new Urbanism, lot of initiatives has been taken at the government and DDA level and we are seeing the concepts of New Urbanism and smart cities being promoted. It is an urban design movement, which promotes walk to work culture, containing a range of housing and job types.

NEW URBANISM is being promoted for Delhi as an initiative by DDA like L- Zone next to Dwarka, which promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walk to work, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional development, but assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities. These shall contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and civic facilities essential to the daily lives of the residents, all within easy walking distance of each other. New Urbanism will promote the increased use of trains and light rail, instead of more highways and roads. Urban living shall become the new hip and modern way to live for people of all ages.

NEW URBANISM is the most important planning movement of this century, and is about creating a better future for us all. It is an international movement to reform the design of the built environment, and is about raising our quality of life and standard of living by creating better places to live. New Urbanism is the revival of our lost art of place making, and is essentially a re-ordering of the built environment into the form of complete cities, towns, and neighborhoods - the way communities have been built for centuries around the world. New Urbanism involves fixing and infilling cities, as well as the creation of compact new towns and cities.

Our New Smart Cities shall have following features:

1. Walkability

- Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work. - Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; slow speed streets). - Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases.

2. Connectivity -Interconnected street grid network, which disperses traffic & eases walking -A hierarchy of streets, boulevards, and alleys. -High quality pedestrian network and public realm shall make walking pleasurable

3. Mixed-Use and Diversity -A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings. -Diversity of people - of ages, income levels, cultures, and races.

4. Mixed Housing A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity

5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourishing the human spirit

6. Increased Density

-More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live. -New Urbanism design principles to be applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities

7. Smart Transportation -A network of high-quality metro connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together -Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation

8. Sustainability -Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations -Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems -Energy efficiency -Less use of finite fuels -More local production -More walking, less driving

9. Quality of Life Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit.

10. BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS

Higher quality of life; Better places to live, work, & play; Higher, more stable property values; Less traffic congestion & less driving; Healthier lifestyle with more walking, and less stress; Close proximity to main street retail & services; Close proximity to bike trails, parks, and nature; Pedestrian friendly communities offer more opportunities to get to know others in the neighborhood and town, resulting in meaningful relationships with more people, and a friendlier town; More freedom and independence to children, elderly, and the poor in being able to get to jobs, recreation, and services without the need for a car or someone to drive them; Great savings to residents and school boards in reduced commuting costs from children being able to walk or bicycle to neighborhood schools; More diversity and smaller, unique shops and services with local owners who are involved in community; Big savings by driving less, and owning less cars; Less ugly, congested sprawl to deal with daily; Better sense of place and community identity with more unique architecture; More open space to enjoy.

11. BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES Increased sales due to more foot traffic & people spending less on cars and gas; More profits due to spending less on advertising and large signs; Better lifestyle by living above shop in live-work units - saves the stressful & costly commute; Economies of scale in marketing due to close proximity and cooperation with other local businesses; Smaller spaces promote small local business incubation; Lower rents due to smaller spaces & smaller parking lots; Healthier lifestyle due to more walking and being near healthier restaurants; More community involvement from being part of community and knowing residents.

Planning for compact growth, rather than letting it sprawl out, has the potential to greatly increase the quality of the environment. It also prevents congestion problems and the environmental degradation normally associated with growth. Looking forward for such Smart City in Delhi.

The New Town Concept

India’s economy is expanding rapidly. By 2030 it is expected to have grown by five times, buoyed largely by the country’s urban centers. During the same period, the country’s labour force is expected to grow by 270 million workers, with urban jobs accounting for 70% of that growth. Today, India is less than 30 per cent urban and the quality of life in its cities is chronically low. However, with 2/3rds of GDP already generated in India’s cities and rural to urban migration patterns accelerating, the country faces a critical challenge: managing this rapid urbanization in a way that enhances the livability of India’s urban spaces.

There is no doubt that we need to nurture, preserve and renew the urban fabric of Delhi with changing times. However, there would be limits beyond which things would become very difficult to sustain. What was once a village grows into a town, a city, a metropolis, a megapolis and then slowly begins to decay into a ‘necropolis’. This is the right time for Delhi to turn into a Smart City. Planned cities have been built in the past also; we have few examples of planned cities in India, like Chandigarh, designed by French architect Le Corbusier. But the scale of its current push is unprecedented. Among the challenges to getting new cities built or existing cities transformed is the lack of experts who can make such huge projects work and of course attracting private finance.

The ‘new town’ concept, which came up a long time ago took cognisance of the inherent nature of things and tried to overcome urban decay by creating new planned settlements far away from the big metropolitan cities so that population aggregation at one place could be arrested and a more balanced distribution could be achieved. It was believed that this would over time help in building new communities and helps the parent metropolis to remain healthy and survive longer. Regional development became a new area of interest and practice. At times, new towns have also come to be called ‘satellite towns’ as they are attached and function along with a parent metropolis. Delhi has had huge extensions, which are almost like new towns. Some examples are Rohini, Dwarka and Narela as extensions to Delhi. Noida, Greater Noida, Manesar, Bhiwadi, Riwari, Neemrana, Faridabad, etc… are other examples of such new Satellite towns.

What needs to be noted here is the active and prime moving role of the government. Unless and until the government takes a keen interest in this, the procurement of large tracts of land and the development of a town, bearing in mind all the social requirements and making it inclusive will not just happen. Most states in India today have township policies. State governments, instead of themselves developing land, have now started encouraging the private real estate sector to come in and develop towns. More often than not, areas of conflict of interest would come about. The basic motive of profit makes the realisation of the social objective secondary.Unfortunately, most of these private sector real estate initiatives have ended up in developments, which are too small, fragmented, in odd shapes and sizes and mostly catering to the very high income population and far from inclusive.

With the mess that most Indian megacities are in, it is inevitable not only to drastically take steps to rehabilitate infrastructure in existing cities but build new cities to accommodate this burst in urban population. In many cases, if not all, retrofitting old cities with improved infrastructure and playing the 'catching-up' game is a more expensive and difficult-to-implement agenda. It is logical and quicker to build entire new smart cities from scratch instead.

These new cities need to take advantage of new transport infrastructure that is being planned, such as the high-speed rail (HSR). Railway Budget 2012 announced formation of High Speed Rail Authority to run these trains, detailed surveys to be undertaken shortly. Studies have also been commissioned on six corridors after which implementation of these projects would begin. Once completed, HSR will reshape the urbanization process in the country. The urban sprawl presently limited to 30-50 km from the city centre will change into a 300-500 km long conurbations linking central business districts of multiple cities, forming urban economies of global scale and size. Once complete, Delhi will be linked right up to Amritsar via Chandigarh and Ludhiana. People will live in Chandigarh or Ludhiana and work in Delhi with HSR making this daily commute possible within cities. This presents a huge opportunity for setting up new cities along the HSR route.

These cities can be developed as smart and intelligent, focused on becoming engines for innovation and research. Linked with HSR, they will get the momentum to survive and develop independently. The new cities in India would also be frontiers of modern technology and forward looking urban planning techniques developed around HSR stations. These cities would typically house 0.5- 1.0 million residents over the next 10-15 years, spread over around 100 sq km, developed along the Delhi- Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The real estate potential of HSR would be fully exploited by developing these new cities and, instead, be used as a tool to cross-subsidize the development costs for constructing and operating the HSR lines.

India struggles with a number of significant barriers that continue to hamper the development of urban infrastructure: complex leadership structures, land valuation challenges, capability gaps, and funding shortfalls are all part of the urban challenge that is effectively holding India back from a new round of dramatic economic growth. India also needs to address the current problems of developing good infrastructure, solid waste disposal, flood management, storm water and sewerage system etc. resulting in urban decay, traffic gridlock and thereby a deteriorating quality of life for many of its citizens.

The wave of urbanization that is sweeping across India represents one of the country's greatest opportunities as well as one of its most serious challenges. According to the report on 'India's Urban Awakening' by McKinsey Global Institute, in the next 20 years, India will have 68 cities with a population over one million – up from 42 today. That is nearly twice as many cities as all of Europe. Most cities in Europe and America were established in the 19th century when there was easy availability of land, gas and water. India is a late starter and is far more crowded and complex.

Therefore India requires a far more efficient and sustainable solution for servicing urban areas and can reap the benefits by using technology to learn from practices from other parts of the world. Thus India, too, is on the road to building smart cities—world-class, self-sustainable habitats with minimal pollution levels, maximum recycling, optimized energy supplies and efficient public transportation. The cities would come very much in and surrounding Delhi. In this endeavor to transform the rapidly growing urban areas into smarter cities, a collaborative partnership between government, industry, academia, and civil society will pave way for attainment of this dream. The eco-friendly cities would provide world-class facilities with 24-hour power supply and drinking water, mass rapid urban transportation, with bicycle and walking tracks, complete waste and water recycling, systems for smart grids - digitally managed systems to control energy consumption - and smart metering. The industrial hubs and eco-friendly cities along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) are expected to double employment opportunities, triple industrial production and increase exports by four folds over the next decade.

India is going to experience rapid urbanization involving around 300 million people within the next two to three decades. This means that they will either drift to existing cities, thus congesting them further, or move into new cities. If it is new cities, then they will have to be either cities that are planned, or cities that evolve, more or less in an unplanned manner.

Their key features are compact, vertical developments, an efficient public transportation system, the use of digital technology to create smart grids for better management of civic infrastructure, recycling of sewage water for industrial use, green spaces, cycle tracks and easy accessibility to goods, services and activities designed to foster a sense of community.

The processes of acquiring land, getting government clearances and generating investment have already started. The master plans for these cities are unique in that an effort has been made to look at the future by putting in infrastructure ahead of the demand. Planned for 2040, some of the innovative ideas are - For instance, each city will have underground utility corridors for parking, sewage disposal and communication lines to give it a neat look and leave enough space for facilities that are missing in most existing cities, like pavements, parks and cycle tracks. The transportation axis is designed to discourage the use of private vehicles. The emphasis will be on dedicated bus and light rail corridors. The rule that the planners have tried to follow is that some form of public transport should be available within a 10-minute walk from home or office.

Eventually, the success of these cities will depend on the way they are managed and promoted. This will require a strong administrator who works like a city-CEO, the way most mayors are in many big and successful cities in the world. Such cities can also become benchmarks for other conventional cities to adapt, or risk losing people, as they would move away to these new smart cities.

New Delhi - Evolving Urban Form

Delhi has its own history, culture and identity. Delhi is an economy of agglomeration; it provides various advantages and opportunities for everyone. Delhi is also a symbol of ancient values, aspirations and is scheduled to take its eminent place amongst the leading cities of the world. That is why we see lot of people flocking to Delhi from other parts of the country and even the world, in search of a better future.

Delhi, the capital of the largest democracy of the world, and as the national capital region, it is the second largest metropolis of India. It has the second highest GDP in the country. Located on the banks of the Yamuna River, it is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Delhi is the proud home of many important government offices, most importantly, the Parliament of India. In the recent years, Delhi has attracted many immigrants, thus emerging as a cosmopolitan city. Today, it is a prominent political and commercial center of India. The Delhi-Agra Yamuna expressway joins Delhi to the beautiful city of Agra, which is a major tourist attraction. The key service industries of New Delhi includes Telecom, IT, Banking, Media, Hotels and Tourism.

It has been a time of ups and downs for Delhi, which has emerged as the largest urban area (area of continuous urban development) in India. Delhi has experienced some of the quickest and most substantial urban growth in the history of the world. Since the 1951 census, Delhi has grown from under 1.5 million people to a population of 22.6 million in 2011. Delhi has been one of the fastest growing urban areas in history and (along with Jakarta, Seoul and Manila) has added approximately 20 million people over the past 60 years. Only Tokyo has added more new residents than these four urban areas, (25 million population).

That is why we have seen growth and development of interstate urban area, which together includes all of the urbanization of the National Capital Territory, which includes the urban core, as well as the adjacent Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna expressway, urban areas in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the Faridabad and Gurgaon urban areas in the state of Haryana. Delhi is experiencing ever swelling urban population. Pressure on Delhi as an urban centre is already intense, gridlocked by traffic and hampered by poor infrastructure and a lack of amenities like parks and effective public transport.Between 2000 and 2011, the strongest growth was in the urbanization in Uttar Pradesh and to the southwest in Haryana.

Gurgaon, in Haryana, abuts Indira Gandhi International Airport on the south side, has emerged as an important corporate and information technology center. Gurgaon grew from 250,000 people in 2001 to 900,000 in 2011.

Ghaziabad, in Uttar Pradesh, is located adjacent to Delhi's Northeast district and is the largest of the urban expanses beyond the National Capital Territory, having grown from approximately 975,000 people 2001 to more than 2,350,000 people in 2011.

Noida, in Uttar Pradesh, is another business center, is a special economic zone and includes software technology park. Noida is located in Delhi’s East district and grew from approximately 300,000 in 2001 to nearly 650,000 in 2011.

Faridabad, in Haryana, is located directly to the south of the National Capital Territory and had the slowest percentage growth among the urban expanses beyond the National Capital Territory, growing from 1,050,000 people in 2001 two 1,400,000 people in 2011. The preponderance of growth in the suburban areas mirrors the trend in the previous census. Between 1991 and 200l, 26% of the growth was in the inner area and 74% of the growth in the outer areas of the National Capital Territory. Even with its somewhat less than expected growth over the past decade, the Delhi continues to be among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the world. Including adjacent rural areas, the Delhi metropolitan region added approximately 6.0 million people between 2001 and 2010 (growing from 20.4 million to 26.4 million). This compares to the 10-year gain of 7.4 million in Jakarta, 6.6 million in Manila and Shanghai and 6.1 million in Beijing.

The Delhi urban area illustrates the same pervasive urban growth trend evident around the world. As urban areas become larger, they tend to grow most rapidly on their periphery as opposed in the core. As a result, contrary to popular misconception, they are overall becoming become less dense. In Delhi, as well as in all of the other urban areas or metropolitan regions as seen around the world, growth is concentrated in the suburbs and further out on the periphery.

To keep pace and to sustain the tremendous growth that Delhi has achieved, the city needs to integrate its history, the great past and the modern aspirations and developments, which encompasses the political, socio-economic, the environment, the cultural and the globalizing attitude and aspirations of the people. Infrastructure, irrespective of the segment, has to be developed at an unprecedented pace, and investments targeted accordingly. Keeping this aspect of redevelopment and densification of the existing urban areas, DDA has floated its master plan 2021.

L- Zone is an alternative option for development of areas identified by DDA- master plan 2021, for urbanisation. This shall be the address of New New Delhi, in times to come it shall experience a planned smart city with all world class facilities, infrastructure and quality of life.