What Will a Smart City Mean? Let's Learn from Singapore
The smart city Singapore- a young and vibrant republic is one of the most urbanised countries of Asia. Being highly advanced in the field of technology and infrastructure, Singapore is now going to help India in the development of some of its smart cities. In his meeting with Mr Narendra Modi, Singapore's foreign minister Mr. K Shanmugam expressed his interest in helping India become infrastructurally advanced.
In cooperation with the government of China, Singapore has already developed the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) which is a resource-saving and environment-friendly smart city in China. Green transportation, controlled carbon-emission and ambient air quality are some performance indicators of SSTEC. Suzhou Industrial Park and Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City are the two other unique and sustainable smart cities built in collaboration with Singapore.
Leveraging on its prolific experience and expertise, here are some of the areas in which Singapore would assist our country:
Integrated urban planning Currently the urban cities in India lack proper planning and management. Poor organization causes haphazard development and leads to other problems like weak institutional structures and unsatisfactory public services. Singapore has realized that infrastructure is something that is a vital support system as well as a competitive edge. The republic will now use its expertise in guiding India towards the development of efficiently and effectively planned urban system encompassing everything from infrastructure to safety and security and from transportation to municipal engineering.
Intelligent Transport System The existing transportation system in India is not efficient enough for the current scenario. There is no centralized system to administer the traffic which makes the situation even more chaotic. Singapore, utilizing its past experience, will aid India in developing an Intelligent Transport System that would consist of latest innovative transport management techniques. Wireless communication to administer the traffic, variable speed limits and dynamic traffic light systems at multi-road junctions are some of the plans that are to be executed in the smart cities of India.
Water conservation systems Huge amount of water goes waste in cities of India due to lack of proper conservation systems. On the other hand, Singapore smart city works on a water-efficient design wherein the landscaping is done in a way that allows minimum wastage of water. Singapore would also help India develop an integrated water management and conservation system. Water efficient appliances and fittings will be installed in the buildings and rainwater harvesting techniques will be used.
Waste Management Waste management is a serious concern in the urban areas of India. Stinking garbage dumps on the roadside, blockage in sewers and improper disposal methods have made the condition pathetic in the country. Smart cities have been envisioned to have proper waste management systems installed within the premises. Singapore would help India to build Automated Waste Collection System (AWS) allowing minimum human intervention. Pipe system will also be set up to suck solid waste from individual units and sent to the centralized waste recycling unit.
Energy-Efficient Systems Singapore would develop the energy saving aspects of the urban infrastructure of smart cities. The use of energy-efficient appliances would save up to 30 percent of energy. To maintain a proper balance between demand and supply of electricity, smart power grids will be installed in the premises. Lowering of harmful emissions will also be a major step towards a better quality of life.
Mainly focusing on the infrastructural facilities of Indian Smart Cities, Singapore would help India in building a strong base for a better future. For now, the country has promised to help in the development of one city that will be a replica of what they built in China's Tianjin Knowledge City.
Do you think smart cities of India will be better than other smart cities of the world? Write in the comment box below to share your views with us.