Building Inclusive Smart Sustainable Cities through Virtual Environment

Abstract

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