Towards Developing Sustainable Smart Cities in India

Abstract

The present paper provides a comprehensive review of frameworks for Sustainable and Smart Cities. The key findings highlight the large gap between the concept of Smart Cities and Environmental Sustainability. We recommend to improve the sustainability quotient by incorporating the use of Information and Communication Technology, thus developing Sustainable Smart Cities. In India, the stipulated guidelines regarding Smart Cities have been proposed by Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) and 14 environmental indicators have been proposed. The extensive review of literature and the present guidelines demands an urgent need of framework for Sustainable Smart Cities in India. Moreover, the indicators selected must fulfill the criteria for smartness and sustainability. The paper concludes by suggesting a framework comprising of four steps: Indicator selection, Benchmarking, Assigning weights and development of Sustainable Smart Cities Environmental Index by the use of selected indicators. The framework developed in this order ensures the Sustainable Smart Cities appear attainable in India.