5 Advantages Offered by Smart Cities

The government of India announced the Smart Cities Mission on 25 June 2015. The objective of announcement of smart cities in India was to promote sustainable and inclusive cities. Smart cities provide core infrastructure and a good quality of life to its residents along with a clean and sustainable environment that provides “smart” solutions.

Although the definition of a smart city is still evolving, a number of things have become clear. Smart cities utilise information and communication technologies to better the service levels, citizen well-being and economic development.

Here are some advantages offered by smart cities: –

Effective Decision Making

Advancements in “big data” have allowed cities to gain access to information that wasn’t available before. Data analytics provides the city officials with the opportunity to access and analyse a huge amount of information and derive meaningful, actionable insights from it. With available technologies, smart cities can monitor desired metrics in real time.

Better Citizen and Government Engagement

Citizens are becoming more and more aware about their rights, and expect cities to provide robust and user-friendly services. Collaborative tools, modern and intuitive websites, self-service portals and online accounts; these are the hallmarks of smart cities. The integration of technology allows citizens to better engage with government. Further, expanding digital services for communities make smart cities a better place to live, as they promote a connected citizen experience.

Safer communities

Smart cities are known to be safer cities. The use of technology and the private/public partnerships help in the reduction of criminal activity. The use of technologies like number plate, connected crime centres and CCTV at major road intersection and areas provide law enforcement agencies an edge while fighting crime.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Indian cities are fighting pollution like rest of the world and but smart cities are better equipped to tackle pollution. With the announcement of smart cities in India, the government hopes to create cities that have energy-efficient buildings, air quality sensors and renewable energy sources that will shrink the ecological impact. For example, Smart cities like Ghaziabad are expected to install air quality sensors around city. The air quality sensors will provide data on peak times of low air quality; identify the main causes of pollution, and provide data that officials will require to develop action plans to combat pollution.

Improved transportation

Smart cities like Ghaziabad are expected to rise at a high rate in the coming years. This in turn will require a robust public transport system. The connected transportation system which one finds in smart cities has the potential to improve the public transport efficiency. From traffic management system to a rider’s ability to track bus or train locations, the use of smart technologies allow cities to better serve its residents.

The announcement of smart cities in India has been greeted with much excitement, and the road map to turn Ghaziabad and many others into smart cities is touted to be a transition towards transforming the urban way of life.