Md. Fakrul Islam Chowdhury writes for DOT :
What is a Smart City?
A Smart City is an urban development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by incorporating information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the quality and performance of urban services such as energy, transportation and utilities in order to reduce resource consumption, wastage and overall costs. The overarching aim of a smart city is to enhance the quality of living for its citizens through smart technology.
As more cities are digitizing their operations to help municipal administrators manage their departments more efficiently, it’s about time we start to take it seriously and take initiatives to turn Dhaka in to a Smart City capable of responding to the challenges we face to raise the standard of living in this mega city in a sustainable and environment friendly way.
The smart cities in Europe and North America and even cities like Singapore and Bhubaneswar, the first smart city in India has shown how the introduction of smart devices and networks transforms operations in areas like urban transport and public safety, turning the city traffic and policing centers into a veritable connected big brain that uses the latest technologies to improve the lives of its citizens.
Singapore has introduced sensors for a city wide smoke detecting system that enables the authorities concerned to detect public smoking in areas where smoking is prohibited and take necessary actions.
A city wide surveillance system of interconnected CCTV cameras enables Singapore not only to curb down traffic violation but also reduced the crime rate significantly over last few years since 2014,
Indian government’s “Smart City Mission” has identified some key features of Smart Cities as follows:
• Promote mixed land use in area based developments to make more efficient and sustainable land use.
• Expand housing opportunities for all;
• Reduce congestion, air pollution and resource depletion,
• The road network is created or refurbished not only for vehicles and public transport, but also for pedestrians and cyclists, and necessary administrative services are offered within walking or cycling distance;
• Ensure Security
• Preserving and developing open spaces – parks, playgrounds, and recreational spaces
• Increasingly rely on online services to bring about accountability and transparency, by using mobiles/apps to reduce cost of services and providing services without having to go to municipal offices.
• Making governance citizen-friendly and cost effective.
• Forming e-groups to listen to people and obtain feedback and use online monitoring of programs and activities with the aid of cyber tour of worksites;
• Giving an identity to the city – based on its main economic activity, such as local cuisine, health, education, arts and craft, culture, sports goods, furniture, hosiery, textile, dairy, etc.
Drawing from the experiences of the initiatives of building smart cities in various parts of the world, especially from the examples of Indian cities that are trying to become “smart”, The Mayors of Dhaka should embark on their own mission in transforming our city into a smart one.
The writer is the Consulting Editor, Amader Notun Shomoy