India Sets to develop 100 smart cities

In most cases, the cities will be a mix of greenfield development, redevelopment and retrofit projects, and are intended to help manage the complexity of large-scale urbanization by increasing efficiency, reducing expenses and improving quality of life.

The starts will be phased, with 20 this year and 40 each in the following two years.

The most recent is the city of Amravati, which, when completed, will become the capital of Andhra Pradesh on India's southeast coast.

Most of Amravati will be greenfield development, although a number of villages are included within its boundaries.

Amravati "will lead the nation in urban development," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a foundation-laying ceremony. The idea of 100 smart cities was his and he has pushed his agenda vigorously, sometimes against stiff opposition.

In the western state of Gujarat, a start was made several months ago on its third smart city. It's in the form of a 38.8-square-kilometre Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City. Within the city, about 234 hectares have been set aside for a diamond-trading hub. The Netherlands, where Amsterdam is an international centre for the diamond trade, has shown interest in the public-private partnership which is spearheading the development.

In the same state, the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) is one of Modi's dream projects. It's to be a financial services hub and is not just about technology.

"It's also about smart planning, design, execution, development, operations and management," says Ramakant Jha, CEO of GIFT.

India and the United States have signed three memoranda of understanding to collaborate in developing three smart cities. The U.S. will help in project planning, infrastructure development and feasibility studies. The state governments will provide resources such as technical information and data related to planning, staff, and logistical and travel support.

Projects like these are attracting capital — both public and private — and creating thousands of jobs. There are so many jobs to be had, in fact, that India is faced with importing specialized construction trade jobs. Some will come from Singapore and Japan, both of which, sources say, have committed to setting up manufacturing bases in the region.

The Indian ministry of urban development, which is leading the smart cities program, says that supporting such growth will require cities that are "at the intersection of competitiveness, capital and sustainability."

"Smart cities should be able to provide good infrastructure, such as water, sanitation, reliable utility services and health care, attract investments and have transparent processes that make it easy to run commercial activities."

That means that most, if not all, of the smart cities will have special economic zones and tax breaks to attract foreign investment, since the projects will be based on public-private partnerships.

In Amaravati, the central area will become home to about 300,000 people, with many more moving in as the surrounding areas are developed. By the time it's completed the central area alone will have created about 700,000 jobs in various sectors, including government.

India and Singapore have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on design of the new capital. Singapore's Surbana International Consultants and JURONG International are working as master planners for the capital and the surrounding region. The plan covers Amaravati's development in three phases through 2050.

The Capital Region Development Authority is conducting a global bidding process for procurement of consultancy services for preparation of the concept master plan and revised detailed master plan for 1,580 square kilometres.

The consultant will do detailed design and tender preparation for the first phase of the development with the first tenders to be called around July of next year.

 Source:Daily Commercial News