Sanjay Goel
The proposed hundred smart cities are an excellent initiative of the Government of India. After many decades, probably Chandigarh was the first and only live-able city created after Independence, thanks to our late PM Jawahar Lal Nehru and the great architect Le Corbusier. Chandigarh is still one of the best examples in India of what a smart city should be. The government plans to focus on connectivity (road, rail, air and communications), development of villages and towns so that migration of masses to the cities is reduced, which will, in turn, reduce the ever-increasing burden of population and vehicles and mitigate congestion, encroachments and pollution.

Healthy and developed countries need a lesser number of hospitals. In the future, in India, we must also create more percentage of educational institutions and reduce the percentage growth of hospitals.

It's always easy to create new cities or buildings than to make additions or alterations in existing cities and in the built environment. Every existing big city in India will take a minimum of one to three decades to become smart as it requires not only a lot of money but excellent coordination of all involved, especially the citizens. A committee of aware and qualified people must be the final authority to suggest priority projects for their city, as in most cases, neither consultants nor a board of directors are from the city being purviewed for development.

The role of architects and planners is most important in the development of smart cities, but unfortunately, the government has not given more than five percent weightage to local architects and town planners in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) designed specifically for every smart city being developed

The chief operating officer must be permanent, and the smart city company must supersede other existing development agencies to take decisions independently. We have to use new building materials, technologies, ensure excellent connectivity, landscaping, security and fire safety, and make buildings earthquake resistance to truly create smart buildings and cities.

It's the architects thought and creativity that have led to such a wide transformation in the construction industry in the past. With more demand for a better life and environment, innovative architecture aided with new technologies will focus on finding solutions to the current problems in the hope of constructing better built-ups, and thereby, better cities. In fact, futurists are envisioning how smart technologies and materials will transform the way we will live in the next century.

Technology combined with innovative architecture will also lead to solutions for promoting the local economy, reducing car dependency and commute by encouraging non-motorized transport systems, reduce landscape fragmentation and greenhouse emissions, provide closer public services, and support mixed communities. It is fascinating to imagine what the 22nd century must look like - much smarter to the level that we can't imagine.