Shillong: The 100th Smart City

Jul 3,2018 / By Priyanka / No Comment

Earlier in January, the Ministry had come out with a list of nine smart cities making the total number of 99 Smart Cities. And recently, The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has selected Shillong as the 100th city to receive funding under the Centre’s flagship Smart Cities Mission after evaluation of the proposal submitted by it.

Last year, June 23 Narendra Modi government had released the third list of 30 smart cities, taking the total number to 90 under the Smart City Mission. The third list was topped by Thiruvananthapuram. Other cities that featured the list included Naya Raipur, Srinagar, Jammu, Pimpri Chinchwad, Karimnagar and Dehradun to name a few.

The Smart City Mission is measured as one of the most determined projects of the Modi government. Launched in 2015, the project has entered into execution stage where 100 cities will be provided Central funds to develop infrastructure and become smart.

How smart cities work in India?
In 2015, the smart city scheme was launched by the Central government, where states have to nominate cities and compete with others to get funding. 99 cities have been selected to be upgraded as part of the Smart Cities Mission after they defeated other cities in the challenge.

1st Round winners – Selection of 20 Smart Cities
2nd Round winners – Selection of 13 Smart Cities
3rd round winners – Selection of 27 Smart Cities
4th round winners – Selection of 30 Smart Cities
5th round winners – Selection of 9 Smart Cities

A special purpose vehicle has been formed to lead the mission in the cities selected.

So, what would smart cities of future do? According to the ministry, they would:
• Provide a new identity for the city.
• Deliver equal housing opportunities for all.
• Encourage mixed land use in area-based developments.
• Preserving and developing open spaces.
• Encouraging a variety of transport options.
• Make governance citizen-friendly, cost-effective and technologically advanced.
• Create walkable localities and reduce jamming, air pollution, and resource depletion, apart from improving the local economy.
• Applying smart solutions to infrastructure and services in area-based development to improve them

Bottomline: The Smart City initiative is not about the Union government providing extra resources for urban development. The scheme is about citizens planning and understanding smartness. This is the first time, a Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) program has used a competition- based method as a means of selecting cities for funding, and used an area-based development strategy.

Buying property smart city mission

Smart City Mission will improve the Real Estate market in India

Jan 9,2018 / By Priyanka / No Comment

The Central Government has already disclosed 98 cities in India under the ‘Smart City Mission’. The definition of a smart city is nothing but a well-developed city with proper infrastructure and services such as well-organized transport system, wide roads, metro, and parks.

The requirements differ from city to city. Smart cities are long-term plans that are to be accomplished by the Central Government within a time frame of 5 years. It is definitely an economic booster for the cities. From this move, the Indian Real Estate market will be benefited the most. Let us see how “Smart Cities Mission” going to benefit the Real Estate market.

• Increase in land prices – Unproductive lands in the peripheries of the city will be effectively used for the smart cities project. The unplanned areas will be planned by increasing the land price and already existing residential projects.

• Increase in the number of housing projects – The infrastructural development will invite more business in the city and hence the total number of people will also upsurge in the city. Most of the home buyers would settle down there giving rise to housing supplies. More housing projects will be developed to provide accommodations to a large number of the city population.

• Development of Open Spaces – Smart City emphases on the development of open spaces such as parks, recreation spaces, playgrounds, etc. Home buyers may opt to live near open spaces, and indulge themselves in various sports here.

• Transport Services – Most of the smart cities have metro in their plan. Living in smart cities will make commuting easier inside the city. One can travel hassle-free. Moreover having a home near metro station can reduce our expenses on travels.

• Wider Roads and Lanes – Living in a smart city assures you wider roads and lanes for smooth movement. It reduces the number of accidents and makes our movement more comfortable. Now, Real Estate developers need not have to worry about the city’s plan anymore as Smart City is doing everything to lure the home buyers.

The Central Government is spending a huge amount on this mission. Smart City Mission promises a lot in the form of technology, engineering, transportation, sanitation etc. It is yet to see how things will turn out in future but with the development of the city, comes a need for accommodation and that is where Indian Real Estate market will play the role.

Tag Archives: smart cities

Shillong: The 100th Smart City

Smart City Mission will improve the Real Estate market in India