Smart city means different things to different people. The conceptualisation of Smart City, therefore, varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources and aspirations of the city residents.

The core infrastructure elements in a Smart City would include:

i. Adequate water supply,
ii. Assured electricity supply,
iii. Sanitation, including solid waste management,
iv. Efficient urban mobility and public transport,
v. Affordable housing, especially for the poor,
vi. Robust IT connectivity and digitalization,
vii. Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation,
viii. Sustainable environment,
ix. Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and
x. Health and education

Strategy

1. Retrofitting – In retrofitting, an area consisting of more than 500 acres will be identified by the city in consultation with citizens. The cities will prepare a strategy to become smart.

2. Redevelopment – Redevelopment envisages an area of more than 50 acres, identified by Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) in consultation with citizens.

3. Greenfield – Development will introduce most of the Smart Solutions in a previously vacant area (more than 250 acres) using innovative planning, plan financing and plan implementation tools.

4. Pan-city – Development envisages application of selected Smart Solutions to the existing city-wide infrastructure. Application of Smart Solutions will involve the use of technology, information and date to make infrastructure and services better.

Smart city proposal is organized as a national wide competition among 100 cities by the Government of India. In the first level, 20 cities shall be shortlisted and taken up for further development in to smart cities. Thoothukudi has been shortlisted for SMART CITY by MOUD.

Share your views on the above strategies to make your city as smart city by 25th November, 2015.