Every day we hear the murmurs. Cities are too crowded. We can't travel to a place like we used to. If you think cities are crowded now, what would happen by 2030? More than 5 billion people will live in urban areas. 31 per cent of India lives in cities and we expect that to reach 50 per cent by 2030. So it's only sensible to optimize our cities to accommodate this kind of population . For that smarter and better and technology can help.
The Indian government launched the Smart cities initiative in its push to accommodate the huge population density that we look forward to in the coming years and Coimbatore is one of the 100 cities coming under the Smart City Mission.
Across the globe, cities work with developers and contractors to make city living better, whether it's improving the timing of traffic lights or creating an app the citizens can use to interact with the government. This is a powerful tool as smartphone penetration continues to increase. Apps and well-implemented technology can help cash-strapped governments save money and become more efficient.
Today we look at a list of technologies and businesses that smart cities can benefit from.
• Smart Parking - Apps and services that can show drivers where the nearest available parking spot is. These will save commuters time, fuel, emissions and money, while also easing the flow of traffic. This would also mean the city has to plan for its parking with initiatives like multilevel parking etc.
• Adopt City Property: Apps that let users "adopt" city property - trash cans, call boxes, trees, fire hydrants, etc. - so the city doesn't have to spend on sending personnel to tend to them. In the US, Boston and Honolulu already have something similar in place, through Code for America. Businesses can work with the administration in building these services and overall these projects make citizens feel more invested in their neighborhood.
• High-tech waste management system. Pay As You Throw (PAYT) garbage disposal would encourage people to recycle more and waste less, while using tools like Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) could improve sorting so recyclable plastic bottles and sanitary wastes don't end up in landfills. There's huge potential in this arena in Coimbatore where waste management is still in the budding stages.
• Digital parking payment systems: This system could help better the current system of fleecing contractors and non-traceable income from such contracts. Plus receipts can go into your smartphone wallets and it's easier to check time limits and bring greater accountability. It's fine that you charge for parking, but digital payments can improve the system vastly through Public Private Partnership.
• Digital City Guides with rich information about museums, parks, landmarks, public art, restaurants and real-time traffic data. These apps, help citizens and tourists alike and improve their experience in the city.
• Internet in Public places: With the booming growth of smartphones and connected devices, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can work with city administration to provide on demand internet in public places like subways and stations.
• Dynamic kiosks that display real-time information, concerning traffic, weather and local news.
• App based emergency alert and crises' response systems - every citizen should have access to vital information. Whether it's an alert about a crime that just happened or advice for a storm approaching the city. Development of such systems should be mandatory in smart cities.
• Smart Tree & Charging stations, like the solar-powered smart Tree just setup in Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation offices. They can also be thought of at bus stops and other public gathering places.
• Solar Energy Gardens: Nearly every roof top can be fit with solar panels and gardens can farm clean energy. Bike paths can be setup which can generate solar energy like Amsterdam's SolaRoad. Even walkways can become solar pathways in a smart city!
• Bike-sharing programmes, like in Paris, Washington, D.C., and the ones coming to Los Angeles and New York. And bicycle parking would be nice, too - maybe even underground and machine-driven, like the Eco Cycle in Japan. With motor transport density reaching a pinnacle, bike transport would become essential in the coming years. Public places like malls and parking spaces will have to think about this. Thus bike-sharing businesses will have a boom in the coming years.
Other technologies and businesses like ride sharing, mobile payments and smart climate control have already reached a wide audience and will improve everyday with more users coming on board.
The above mentioned technologies and businesses have great potential in every city that envisions to become smart and has practical micro-innovation models at the heart of these suggestions. Is there something else that you think would come into smart cities in the future? Do let us know in the comments!
The Indian government launched the Smart cities initiative in its push to accommodate the huge population density that we look forward to in the coming years and Coimbatore is one of the 100 cities coming under the Smart City Mission.
Across the globe, cities work with developers and contractors to make city living better, whether it's improving the timing of traffic lights or creating an app the citizens can use to interact with the government. This is a powerful tool as smartphone penetration continues to increase. Apps and well-implemented technology can help cash-strapped governments save money and become more efficient.
Today we look at a list of technologies and businesses that smart cities can benefit from.
• Smart Parking - Apps and services that can show drivers where the nearest available parking spot is. These will save commuters time, fuel, emissions and money, while also easing the flow of traffic. This would also mean the city has to plan for its parking with initiatives like multilevel parking etc.
• Adopt City Property: Apps that let users "adopt" city property - trash cans, call boxes, trees, fire hydrants, etc. - so the city doesn't have to spend on sending personnel to tend to them. In the US, Boston and Honolulu already have something similar in place, through Code for America. Businesses can work with the administration in building these services and overall these projects make citizens feel more invested in their neighborhood.
• High-tech waste management system. Pay As You Throw (PAYT) garbage disposal would encourage people to recycle more and waste less, while using tools like Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) could improve sorting so recyclable plastic bottles and sanitary wastes don't end up in landfills. There's huge potential in this arena in Coimbatore where waste management is still in the budding stages.
• Digital parking payment systems: This system could help better the current system of fleecing contractors and non-traceable income from such contracts. Plus receipts can go into your smartphone wallets and it's easier to check time limits and bring greater accountability. It's fine that you charge for parking, but digital payments can improve the system vastly through Public Private Partnership.
• Digital City Guides with rich information about museums, parks, landmarks, public art, restaurants and real-time traffic data. These apps, help citizens and tourists alike and improve their experience in the city.
• Internet in Public places: With the booming growth of smartphones and connected devices, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can work with city administration to provide on demand internet in public places like subways and stations.
• Dynamic kiosks that display real-time information, concerning traffic, weather and local news.
• App based emergency alert and crises' response systems - every citizen should have access to vital information. Whether it's an alert about a crime that just happened or advice for a storm approaching the city. Development of such systems should be mandatory in smart cities.
• Smart Tree & Charging stations, like the solar-powered smart Tree just setup in Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation offices. They can also be thought of at bus stops and other public gathering places.
• Solar Energy Gardens: Nearly every roof top can be fit with solar panels and gardens can farm clean energy. Bike paths can be setup which can generate solar energy like Amsterdam's SolaRoad. Even walkways can become solar pathways in a smart city!
• Bike-sharing programmes, like in Paris, Washington, D.C., and the ones coming to Los Angeles and New York. And bicycle parking would be nice, too - maybe even underground and machine-driven, like the Eco Cycle in Japan. With motor transport density reaching a pinnacle, bike transport would become essential in the coming years. Public places like malls and parking spaces will have to think about this. Thus bike-sharing businesses will have a boom in the coming years.
Other technologies and businesses like ride sharing, mobile payments and smart climate control have already reached a wide audience and will improve everyday with more users coming on board.
The above mentioned technologies and businesses have great potential in every city that envisions to become smart and has practical micro-innovation models at the heart of these suggestions. Is there something else that you think would come into smart cities in the future? Do let us know in the comments!