Why the Smart City Strategy of Bhubaneswar Is The Best

Odisha capital Bhubaneswar made news when it left behind major cities in the race to achieve the top spot in the Centre's Smart City mission list. Recently, the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) gave the city a planning excellence merit award under the international development category, appreciating Bhubaneswar's smart city strategy.

The aspect which, according to the jury, won the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) the award was the innovative strategy it used to fit to its local needs. The strategy submitted was an excellent example of sustainable urbanisation that has the potential to provide the citizens with prosperity, safety and equity.   

The innovativeness of the strategy lies in the fact that it has made extensive use of the social media to incorporate the opinions of children, women, differently-abled people, senior citizens, youths and transgender communities in the various components of the proposal.

Bhubaneswar's smart city plan redefined the existing planning processes for developing countries. It focused on the three-legged approach: the legal framework, the urban planning and the local financial system. The five pillar on which the city has based its smart city planning include responsive governance, transit-oriented development, fiscal sustainability, infrastructure and socio-economic development.

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