Abstract
The smart city mission of the Government of India is one of the most unique initiatives of its kind. Launched in 2015, the objective of the mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environments, and also offer a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of “smart solutions.” The idea to create smarts cities is not limited to India. There is significant discussion in the literature across disciplines related to planning and execution of smart city implementation, while some communities have been developed such as Neom in Saudi Arabia and others in China.
By definition a smart city is a technologically connected urban space that utilizes sensors, Internet, and high-power computer processors to monitor traffic, pollution, energy, water, or even the health of occupants. These sensors utilize the Internet of Things (IoT), which is a euphemism for the interconnection of tiny computers placed in everyday objects. The collected data is categorized as “big data” through which the interpretive lens of artificial intelligence is designed to make cities greener and more livable.
In theory, there is a need to reform the way we live in urban spaces where today more than half of the world resides. However, urban spaces are increasingly becoming unlivable due to pollution, environmental degradation, congestion, widening income inequalities, and inadequate living environments. In other words, conventional cities are no longer sustainable. Do smart cities present a solution? Will they make cities sustainable and livable?
The issue may require a larger debate. Several smart cities created in the past such as Masdar, UAE, and Songdo, South Korea, have faced serious financial constraints and other practical issues that have kept inhabitants disinterested in them (Poon, 2018; Yoo, 2017, p. 17). Further, critics of the smart city framework describe smart cities as cold, impersonal, monotonous, and predictable with diminished history, culture, and the spiritual aspects of life (Allam, 2018).
Smart Cities for Sustainable Development adds to the debate on the issue. Comprised of four sections and 22 chapters from researchers and practitioners from across the globe, each chapter focuses on a different aspect and may be read as a standalone article. The text is an edited volume that includes a description of innovative concepts such as digital governance, geo data repositories, geo web services, and advanced geospatial technologies. Utilizing these concepts can be instrumental in smart city planning and managing urban microclimatic parameters. The book explores how cutting-edge technologies such as digital twin, artificial intelligence, big data, and IoT can contribute to developing sustainable urban spaces in a developing country such as India, which is grappling with mass migration from rural to urban areas.
The first part of the book encompasses six chapters and provides an in-depth understanding about the conceptual background, growth, and development of smart cities. These chapters discuss the challenges in developing smart cities and emphasize that in making a smart city successful, it is critical to incorporate key features such as competition, capital, sustainability, and inclusiveness. Smart cities notedly need to focus on strong disaster-resistant infrastructure, policy, and response capacities in order to make them climate-resilient.
A special mention is made that during the post-pandemic phase further restructuring of cities will be required. They will need to be converted to mini-cites where people live closer to each other, eventually reducing travel time and congestion. This is aligned with the paradigm shift cities that need to change from technology-centric to citizen-centric.
The second part of the book (chapters 7 to 11), Smart Cities: A Dimensional Look, addresses environmental sustainability along with the emerging concern of urban-deprived communities in the existing smart cities in India. In these chapters, the authors suggest that alongside developing physical infrastructure, inclusiveness, and sustenance, the smart city mission requires an adequate emphasis on the development of social infrastructure, particularly in education and health care. This section also brings to the forefront a major issue faced in India: “public space is gendered” (p. 183). The discussion surfaces how men in India have better access to public places at all times of the day in comparison to women, and city planning and public services play a major role in the violence and intimidation faced by urban women. The chapter critically reviews this issue and suggests directions for the planning of inclusive cities respectful to the specific needs of women, which can contribute to reducing violence and enhancing safety for women.
The third part of the book, chapters 12 to 16, extensively analyzes the economic and technological issues pertaining to smart cities. It presents the significant role played by the emergence of IoT and its integration with other advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, spatial querying, visualizing geospatial, and using 3-D modeling in the development of smart cities, making them more effective, safer, inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable. This section of the book also describes how urbanization is happening at a great pace all across the world, leading to better job opportunities and a better standard of living. However, there are negative environmental impacts, for example, resource depletion, increased pollution, and at times, extreme weather conditions. In these cases, administrators and policy makers need to focus on microclimate: urban green spaces, water sources, proper planning for buildings, roads, and infrastructure, that will improve urban climate, which is crucial for sustainable development.
Chapters 17 to 22, the last section of the book, is a notable compilation of informative case studies related to the development of smart cities. The authors in this section have practical knowledge and have over the years gained enormous experience in their respective domains. Included is an assessment of the urban heat island (UHI) using satellite data in Varanasi, India; a comparative study of urban infrastructure and sustainability; an analysis of urban health issues; the impact of environmental and industrial emissions; and issues related to land use and population.
Smart Cities for Sustainable Development adds to the existing literature on smart cities and its linkages with sustainable development through the insights of experts in their fields. However, in spite of its strengths, there are limitations specifically related to the issue of climate change and the contribution of smart cities to its mitigation. Inclusion of energy consumption, transportation, and urban planning, the three pillars on which any plan for reduction in carbon emissions rests, would have been useful. Reduction in carbon emissions probably is the biggest factor for reversing climate change.
Given its content, Smart Cities for Sustainable Development serves as a practical reference for those interested in national and international-scale environmental dilemmas, including urban planners, architects, sociologists, geographers, demographers, natural scientists, and others working toward sustainable development. As an introduction to the economics of sustainable development at the national and international scale, the book could be handy for academicians and practitioners. It also is a valuable resource for researchers and professionals interested in the role of big data, artificial intelligence, and IoT in the making of smart cities. City residents as well as entrepreneurs and investors who are interested in a development-oriented approach to the real estate market may also find the book an attractive read as it provides excellent insight into how these cities will be a sustainable and viable solution for the future.