Smart City Infrastructure Planning

Thesis Title:

Smart City Infrastructure Planning

Aim

To study how the smart infrastructure can be integrated with existing infrastructure for proposed smart cities and to thereby formulate strategies for Smart City Infrastructure Planning in Nasik.

Objectives:

  1. To study smart solutions & techniques adopted for smart cities (using international case studies).
  2. To examine the existing infrastructure of Nashik with reference to JNNURM projects
  3. To explore smart solutions for overcoming the existing gap in the service delivery (to identify any JNNURM project)
  4. To recommend suitable strategies for the development of smart city with reference (to the identified infrastructure)

Scope:

  • As of now, very less research has been carried out in context of Nasik.
  • Opportunity to relate to & adopt best urban practices for smart city planning from international case studies.
  • Scope for incorporating citizen’s perception/expectation vs Govt./Expert outlook on infrastructure provision & to thereby devise solutions to bridge the gap in service provision, learning from previous projects.

Limitations:

  • Sample survey shall be limited to geographical area of Gangapur/Anandvalli ward of Nasik City within Municipal Corporation Limits considering the aspects of infrastructure planning.
  • The sample might not reflect the actual situation
  • Preferences may differ as per location & socio-economic status;  service provision may differ ward-wise.

Need for Study

Need for study

According to the report on ‘India’s Urban Awakening’ by McKinsey Global Institute, in the coming 20 years, India will have 68 cities with a population over one million up from 42 today. In India, the urban population is currently 31% of the total population and contributes over 60% of India’s GDP. It is also projected that urban India will contribute nearly 75% of the national GDP in the coming 15 years. So the cities are referred as the engines of economic growth. This urbanization will put major strain on city infrastructures. As more people migrate from rural to urban areas, the present cities would soon be experiencing crunched on resources and infrastructure. Many major cities are already facing such infrastructural problems and the quality of life of people is bound to decline due to lack of adequate planning. If these cities are not supplied sufficiently then safety and security would become the serious issue. Though government is taking required measures in this direction, the complexities of future growth and population continue to create high challenges for planned development of cities.

There is an acute need to develop a more efficient urban infrastructure network which can cope up with the current and future needs of the citizens. Further, India is on the road to building 100 smart cities. Thus India needs to find smarter ways to manage its Infrastructure complexities which can reduce expenses, increase efficiency and improves the quality of life. The main obstacle in upgrading the infrastructure of the city to smart city lies in how the city will integrate the already existing infrastructure to make it smart. It also involves continuous self-evaluation of cities by strategically carrying out infrastructural planning.

Case Study:

Nasik, Maharashtra

[i] Ward Anandvalli- Scope for infrastructural development considering connectivity to the core city, vicinity to MIDC

[ii] Ward Gangapur- Scope for greenfield development and smart land use planning, preferred destination of developers

Nasik Study Area

Location Area (ha) Population
Nashik district 5080 663979
Gangapur ward 760 33085
Anandvalli Ward 400 21369

Abstract

The topic was chosen specifically in the aim of getting acquainted with the smart city infrastructural planning. The need stems from the ‘Smart Cities Mission’ which is one of the 3 flagship schemes introduced by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015, expected to draw in 48000 crore over next 5 years. Mission statement and guidelines produced by the MoUD signify its importance in current context and how its onset is claimed to change the urban scenarios and quality of life of 100 selected Indian cities, of which 98 have been notified. The first 20 cities have now been declared & 37 consulting firms have already been finalized for preparing Smart City Plans of 88 cities as of now. Smart cities make headlines on almost every alternate day and its importance is well comprehendible by the speed with which Government is acting and making declarations in lines with its SCM.

A 2010 study conducted by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) points out that urbanization in India has been a victim of systemic inefficiencies and policy vacuum. While India’s population is no doubt increasing, quality of life of citizens in urban areas is declining. Moreover, unchecked migration from rural areas is only putting further strain on the infrastructure in cities. The result is water and power shortages, lack of proper sewage collection and treatment, overburdened transport systems and unplanned constructions.

It is imperative then to not only create new ‘smart’ cities, but also upgrade the existing ones. Developing newer cities will bridge the rural-urban divide. This will in turn reduce social inequity, one of the biggest psychological benefits of planned urbanization. The thesis research deals with study of smart city infrastructure, smart solutions and measures adopted by international cities and case studies. It thereafter focuses on assessing the existing infrastructure of Nasik city – ward level survey carried out in specific wards in zone 3. It then deals with overcoming the gaps in infrastructure between basic levels, existing as well as that required for smart cities. Benchmarking is now well recognized as an important mechanism for introducing accountability in service delivery. Sustained benchmarking can help utilities in identifying performance gaps and effecting improvements through the sharing of information and best practices, ultimately resulting in better services to people.

Infrastructure gap analysis needs to be calculated and the infrastructure then needs to be planned for with respect to water supply, sewerage and solid waste management. The thesis hereby aims to provide for strategies for a smart city infrastructure by provision of smart ward indicators and performance indicators, thus forming a solution matrix which needs to be worked upon to enable functioning of smart city of Nasik.

Analysis

Solid Waste Management parameters were rated between poor-satisfactory and hence must be considered as first priority sector wherein segregation & disposal need stress.

Sewerage parameters were rated as satisfactory implying that this sector be considered after SWM, with focus on recycling of wastewater & wastewater management.

Water supply was rated very good as both water quality & availability was appropriate in the wards.

Nashik citizen participation in Government missions was only satisfactory

Performance Indicators

Sectors

Main OutcomesSmart City Infrastructure Planning - Main Outcomes

The table below shows the focus areas in red which need to be concentrated upon for strategic smart city infrastructural planning. The developing areas need to be given thrust so as to enhance the quality of smart infrastructure being provided. The areas which exceed expectations are the one which are above par the basic service level benchmarks and almost satisfy the smart city criteria.

Areas of concern

Smart City Infrastructure Planning - Issues

3 Stage Process for Smart City Infrastructure Planning:

Three stage process

Keywords: Smart Infrastructure, water supply, sewage management, solid waste management

Author –  Sejal Mathur
Guide –  Prof. P.G. Narkhede
College – College of Engineering, Pune
Undergraduate –  B.Tech in Planning
Year of thesis completion – 2016

Kindly contact at [email protected] to request more information about author/ thesis