Sustainable Cities: A Sustainable Future Growth?

In the present scenario the cities are growing and over-growing in terms of population which is creating a problem for its citizens to get their part of luxury, comfort and sometimes even fulfilling their basic needs. This over growing population needs to be controlled because of its over burdening of land, depletion of natural resources and misbalancing environmental harmony. This has tempted in the great need for sustainable growth of cities with the technological developments keeping in mind the needs for future generations. The Indian Government takes the initiative with the implementation of ‘Smart Cities’ concept.

However it is important to see to what extent this concept contributes to the solutions. Whether it itself is a sufficient solution or does it needs any additions? Developing areas is good but to achieve overall nationwide development is necessary. We need a development maintaining a balance between needs, advancements and environment. So we need more and more Smart Cities and probably it would be better to convert all the areas and regions to Smart Cities which could only be possible if the regions at their present location itself get developed providing job opportunities so that people need not migrate as migration is the most important factor of over-growing population.

Need For Sustainable Growth

So in today’s scenario there is an immense need for the human development while sustaining the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depends. Such a development is termed as sustainable development.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:

• The concept of ‘needs’, in particular, the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
• The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.

Architecture Solution: Smart Cities

New technologies have emerged to resolve these issues, all united under the concept of the Smart City.

The Smart City will integrate a number of innovative services adapted to the major challenges facing urban areas:

1. Transport and mobility, with new public and shared transport methods, optimized parking solutions, etc.
2. Real estate, with more energy-efficient, connected and adaptable buildings: affordable housing, especially for the poor,
3. Public services, which will become more accessible, dematerialized and mobile : adequate water supply, assured electricity supply, sanitation, including solid waste management
4.  robust IT connectivity and digitalization
5. good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation
6. Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly,
7. Health and education
8. Sustainable development, reduced energy and water use, and urban security

Is Smart City A Solution For Sustainable Growth?

A smart city is a solution for sustainable growth because it has solutions to make a city smarter and sustainable but it has no solutions to control the over growing population and if strict measures are not taken to control the population then it will completely zero down the positive aspects of sustainable growth.

According to a United Nations report, India’s population currently encompasses about 1.2 billion people and is expected to grow by another 300 million within the next couple of decades. With cities generating two-thirds of the country’s economic output, an increasing number of Indians are leaving rural areas to seek employment in cities, relying on an efficient urban infrastructure. By 2030 it is predictedthat 68 Indian cities will each have more than one million inhabitants, and six megacities, more than ten million each.

Making a city smarter will somehow fascinate people more towards smart cities. So instead of controlling the population it will keep on increasing. The only solution to control the overgrowing population is to stop migration which can only be achieved by developing all regions instead of focusing only to some cities. There is a great need of creating job opportunities in all the regions which will ultimately reduce migration and therefore help in development of all regions along with the sustainability measures.