Application of Web 2.0 Technologies for Integration of Land-use and Transportation System

Transportation networks are the life line of any city but only when the decision of land-use system and transportation system are integrated in smart and intelligent ways. The present paper examines the complexities of development and planning decision that are embedded in the process for finding an effective solution for integration of land-use and transportation system. The present paper also answers the question that how society democratically and effectively access to Web 2.0 technologies for spatial information and translate the virtually tested, analyzed design in the real world. In overall, the paper tries to frame a concept to use Web 2.0 technologies as a tool for establishing Intelligent Transportation System within the existing land-use system. No doubt Web 2.0 technologies in the cybernetic age is the fastest way to access, collect, analyze and transfer spatial information and providing innovative, sustainable, participatory solutions for effective government and community empowerment. However, the use of Web 2.0 technologies in transportation system is not the part of smart city model in India. Hence, the paper will act as a guiding principle and methodology for Smart City Mission in India. The paper also suggests the possible ways to establish Web 2.0 technologies applications for intelligent transport system through community base local Neighbourhood Digital Technology Center (NDTC). The establishment of NDTC will give local urban community free hand to tailored or customized Web 2.0 software as per their need and requirement and generate or manipulate their own information or spatial data rather than given answer or raised query to the predefined proposed land-use map

Smart Sustainable E-Solutions for Implementation and Enforcement of Smart Cities in India

In the present knowledge and information age Indian towns and cities are expanding rapidly in spatial and demographic terms. Moreover, spatial information are not correlated with the complex urban integrated problems, as data generated at various level for urban planning and management remains uncoordinated and redundant to support decision-making and leading to poor urban governance and timely implementation of the master plan. Hence, there is an urgent need to create common platform so as to address problems and issues in the right perspective to assist cities in coping with economic realities and, thereby, produce high quality responsive environment and demonstrate successful urban solutions. Thus, in order to address these issues in a holistic manner, the Ministry of Urban Development has launched the Smart City Mission for 100 cities on 25th June, 2015. However, due to the absent of any basic “Smart E-Solutions Model” for implementation and enforcement of sustainable development plan in India, the present paper is an attempt to evolve the concept of “Smart E-Solutions Model”. At first the present paper discusses about the smart sustainable solutions at design level. Thereafter, the paper evolves a “Smart E-Solutions Model” to establish intelligent online system for implementation and enforcement of sustainable development plan design. Hence, to define the success of Smart City Scheme in India, the present paper pursing a vision of sustainable smart cities by exploring the possibilities of different innovative solutions through designing of Smart Comprehensive Development Plan (SCDP) through virtual world. GIS based SCDP will facilitate the cities to compete in the global competitive world. In India designing SCDP will act as E-solution tool to ease out new challenges and opportunities for urban planners and managers to design the various dreams, ideas and hopes of urban community and translate the same into the spatial terms. In all this paper will thread common ground to address problems and issues in the right perspective to assist urban planner, manager in coping with economic realities and, thereby, produce high quality responsive environment and demonstrate successful sustainable urban solutions for implementation of Smart Comprehensive Developemnt Plan through “Smart E-Solutions Model“

Building Inclusive Smart Sustainable Cities through Virtual Environment

During the last century Urban Population of India has increased from 27 million to 270 million (2001) and now it has reached to 410 million people. By 2050 it is estimated that 814 million person will be living in Indian cities, which will share about 50 percent of the total population of India. Moreover, the share of slum population living in cites is about 21 percent which in absolute term is 90 million persons. If urban population is compared with urban internet user’s population, it is estimated to be about 160 million in June, 2014. Thus, only 39 percent of urban population has access to internet facilities; thought the users are growing at a rate of 47 percent in urban areas and more surprisingly 58 percent in rural areas. The present paper addresses the issue of access of internet or Web 2.0 technologies by economically weaker section of urban community for effective representation of public participation in the process of plan preparation and execution. As now in India, with the taking over of BJP Government under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Shir Narendra Modi, planning for 100 smart cities by 2022 is the prime agenda for Urban Development. In this context the present paper examines the complexities of development and planning decision that are embedded in the process for establishing a smart city. No doubt Web 2.0 technologies in the cybernetic age is the fastest way to access, collect, analyze and transfer spatial information and providing innovative, sustainable, participatory solutions for effective government and community empowerment. However, due to the technological complexity, high cost, literacy levels, societal awareness and access to the technology create a social divide, more especially for low income group. Hence, the present paper answers the question that how society democratically and effectively access to Web 2.0 technologies for spatial information and translate the virtually tested, analyzed design in the real world. In overall, the paper tries to frame a concept in order to implement Web 2.0 technologies as a tool for building inclusive, smart and sustainable cites in India

Shrinking Spaces and Emerging Role of Information Technology in India

The ever expanding Indian cities and its population from 27 million from early 20th century to 377 million in early 21st century put forth a challenge for urban planners and managers to solve complex integrated problems and to design smart sustainable cities. Even in near future the scale of problem will be going to rise as it is estimated that about 50 percent of total Indian population, which is about 814 million person, will be living in Indian cities by 2050. Moreover, the fastest growing or changing Information Technologies are playing a greater role in transformation of urban spaces in Indian cities. Hence, the present paper is an attempt to analyse the impact of Information Technologies in transformation of urban planning process in India. The paper, in relation with the case study of Delhi, analyse the implication of IT on city structure and urban spaces. It is certain the all aspects of urban fabric have an Information Technological print in different magnitudes and scale. Cybernetic age has given us different life style, working pattern and mobility behaviour. Increasing speed of internet from 2G to 3G, 4G and even 5G; from participatory interactive Web 2.0 technologies to Web 3.0, 4.0 technology; shrinking physical spaces of financial banks from whole building to Sq. meter, Sq. feet (ATM), inches (laptop), cm (Mobile), even mm (intelligent banking chip). Such technological, social, physical and economical changes will raise many question in the mind of planner, like is the functional boundaries of cities will vanish? Is IT will bridge the gap or create the digital divide among urban community? Is IT shrinking the urban spaces or not? After analysing the Indian urban and IT policy and understanding the Delhi Urban structure, the present paper tries to answer these questions. By understanding the existing complex settlement interdependence the present paper also recommends the possible solutions that IT may facilitate or hasten the development and, whether it needs to be treated as process and not an end. Finally the paper proves the hypothesis that “IT will shrink the space by eliminating the factor of time and distance by creating virtual space, but in reality it will make urban functional boundaries to sprawl and thus expand the physical urban space”

Making Indian Cities Resilient during and after Covid-19 Pandemic through Flexible Planning Approach

In the advanced scientific world of information in the innovative medical knowledge age, the Covid-19 pandemic raised many questions of human existence at the dawn of the twenty first century. On top of it, countrywide lockdown to save humanity at the cost of a shrinking economy shattered the hope of survival of many. The paper is an attempt to find a flexible way forward for post Covid-19 city planning and management by analysing the impact of real time mobility data of Mumbai and Delhi. It also proposed the Integrated Spatial Hierarchical Emergency Functional System (ISHEFS) to integrate the horizontal and vertical functions of the city and various stakeholders/ government departments in a single platform for efficient and effective recovery from the future pandemic. It highlights the establishment of the ISHEF system at neighbourhood and city level and how it will provide for the collection and analysis of spatial and factual ground level information in order to establish a common ground to address the pandemic situation for effective governance and community empowerment. The ISHEF System provides the flexibility to take decisions on the ground by understanding and analysing the existing situations. Hence, the paper discusses the flexibility of the ISHEF System which enables the field team to observe and analyse the real time challenges of transforming objectives and methodology to suit to the real time field situations and to be able to act in the shorter period of time as fast as possible to provide the solutions. The present hierarchical model will demonstrate successful city solutions for building a flexible, rapid, efficient and effective resilient city