7th Smart Urbanation: What’s next for smart cities in India?

01 Jul 2022 Long Read

When: August 26 | Venue: Sahara Star
Presented by: Smart Cities Council India
Supported by: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, and Smart Cities Mission
The population residing in urban areas in India, according to the 1901 census, was 11.4 per cent. It rose to 28.53 per cent, as per the 2001 census, and is currently estimated to be around 34 per cent according to the World Bank. By 2030, about 40.76 per cent of the country’s population will be residing in urban areas, as per a survey carried out by the UN. This indicates that the future of the Indian population is urban. And to make them self-reliant, inclusive and sustainable for both, people and the environment; we need digital transformation – the essential and unstoppable tool to future-proof our cities.

Smart scenario

The Smart Cities Mission completed seven years on June 25, 2022. Under this initiative, the Centre committed an amount of Rs 480 billion for 100 cities, to be disbursed over the span of five years, with a matching equivalent amount to be released by the states. The centre has so far released a total of Rs 284.14 billion, of which 83 per cent has been utilised. The city development plans have been designed around the budget, however, the utilisation amount has not yet crossed the 50 per cent mark. Considering that each city had conferred with their citizens to plan interventions to improve liveability, workability and sustainability within their respective cities, with no financial constraints, given that more than 50 per cent of funds stand untapped, this seems like a missed opportunity.

7th Smart Urbanation 2022

At the connexion of cities and technology, there is an opportunity for self-reliant, inclusive, sustainable future. The 7th Smart Urbanation brings all stakeholders of the smart cities mission, vis; policy makers, municipal authorities and ULB’s, technology and service providers, academicians and strong citizen groups to spark a powerful urban tomorrow in India. Over the years, Smart Urbanation has grown into much more than just an event. By encouraging cross-sectoral conversations, fostering partnerships, catalysing relationships between public and private players, and building a platform to share knowledge, we’ve developed a ground-breaking model of advocacy for a better urban world.

Keynote Speaker Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary & Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, will be addressing the attendees on what’s coming up under the Smart Cities Mission in India. The event is set to witness high-worth networking with the presence of municipal commissioners and smart city CEO's from over 20 cities across the country.

Some of India’s experienced master planners and national builders will be sharing perspectives, market scenario, growth and real numbers. A few prominent names include:

  • Jyothi Gupta, Architect, Data Scientist, Smart cities and Urban Analytics (UCL CASA, London)
  • NSN Murthy, Partner & Leader, Government & Public Services, Deloitte Consulting
  • Vikash Chandra, Advisor, Deloitte
  • Rajendra Inani, Business Head - Smart Cities, TATA Projects
  • Charmie Parekh, CEO, Silvassa Smart City
  • Sonia Sethi, Principal Secretary, Govt of Maharashtra
  • Jagan Shah, Senior Infrastructure Advisor, Dept for International Development
  • P Rajendra Cholan IAS, CEO & MD, Bengaluru Municipal Corporation
  • Vishal Kundra, LEED AP - City Planner + Designer, Head - Design Planning + Economics - AECOM
  • Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA
  • Sonia Arora, Urban Transport Expert at Institute of Urban Transport (IUT), India
  • Suresh Kumar, Vice President – Deployment, IUDX
  • Dr Praveen P Bagewadi, KAS, Managing Director, Belgavi Smart City
  • Shalini Agarwal, Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara Municipal Corporation
  • Gunjan, Ujwal Porwal, COO, Raipur
  • Sandeep Malvi, CEO, Thane Smart City Limited
  • Rajesh Patil (IAS), CEO, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
  • Dr Sanjay Kolte, CEO, Pune Smart City Development Corporation
  • Bhudeb Chakravarti, CEO, Muzaffarpur Smart City
  • Agenda

  • 09:40 am: Opening Address: Digital Twins are One of the Building Blocks of the Metaverse
  • 10:00 am: Panel Discussion: Collaborative Technology Solutions for Urban Planning and Governance
  • 11:00 am: Panel Discussion: Smart Cities Model – Up for An Update? – A Roadmap for Urban Transformation
  • 12:20 pm: Panel Discussion: Rethinking Smart Mobility – the New Mobility Landscape
  • 02:00 pm: Decoding Data: Importance of Data Science in Planning Future Cities
  • 02:15 pm: Panel Discussion: Circular Economy – Climate Change and Key Role Played by Cities
  • 03:15 pm: Keynote Address: Building Inclusive Cities – Technology for Social Impact and Citizen Development
  • 03:45 pm: Awards Inaugural
  • Smart Project Awards

    Like every edition, Smart Urbanation will also host the Smart Project Awards that will be recognising pioneering projects, ideas and strategies, making cities in India more liveable, sustainable and economically viable.
    Winners would be featuring under the following categories:
  • Leadership Award: Most Popular “SMART & Successful SPV CEO of the Year” (Award based on Online Voting).
  • Smart City: Awarded to cities for developed global strategies combining projects, initiatives and policy implementations for their citizens.
  • Smart & Successful Inclusive Cities: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of inclusive growth.
  • Smart & Successful Tech Implementation: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the fields of data and technology.
  • Smart & Successful Urban Sustainability: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed relating to urban environments.
  • Smart & Successful Mobility Solutions: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of mobility.
  • Smart & Successful Governance Planning: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of governance.
  • Industrial Smart City: Awarded to most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of maintaining the industrial and economic zone contributing to the cities’ growth.
  • Smart & Successful Pandemic Recovery: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed to recover the economic impedance of the pandemic.
  • Smart & Successful Financial Planning: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of raising finance for city development.
  • Smart & Successful Safety & Security: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of citizen safety that in turn control crime rate.
  • Smart & Successful Citizen Engagement: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the field of citizen involvement in city’s progress.
  • Smart & Successful Waste Management: Awarded to the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in the fields of waste management. 
  • Innovation Hub

    Spotlighting innovation and entrepreneurship, Smart Cities Council India this year too continues the Start-up Innovation Hub! This platform showcases start-ups and technology leaders with their innovative technology, apps and smart solutions that could drive execution of smart cities in the coming years. The main aim of the Start-up Innovation Hub is to convert urban challenges into opportunities.

    This award is meant for those Start-ups who have created the most innovative solutions for the cities. Our eminent jury members will thoroughly vet the start-up projects to find the top three winners. Our jury will be choosing the 25 most innovative solution providers to give a 15-minute presentation at the Innovation Hub Theatre from the pool of Innovation Hub applicants, in Mumbai. If you have any innovative solution for Smart Cities, this is the platform to get noticed!.

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