Case Study: Smart City Mission in India

In preparing the smart city proposal, the Bhubaneswar municipality has adopted a community-based approach and civic engagement following a five-pronged strategy.

Informing by providing objective information about citizens through written journalism (advertisements in newspapers and street signs), electronic means (text messages, mass mailings, radio calls, Facebook, websites) and seminars.

Consultation – stakeholder meetings, focus group discussions and meetings to get feedback and input from citizens and experts on the challenges they face and proposed solutions.

Engagement – I lead participatory planning activities to co-create competing solutions for ideas, logo design and discussion forums, community meetings and brainstorming.

Collaboration – Collaborate with individuals, formal and informal groups, educational institutions and public organizations by building executive volunteer teams and providing toolkits, forming Smart Labs.

Empowerment – Final decision agreed to by the public through vote and referendum.

People are the main players who can bring about change by understanding their duties and responsibilities and acting accordingly.

In India, the government has introduced tools to help citizens actively participate. These include street campaigns, educational programs in schools and colleges, media advertisements and presentations, official government consultation programs and online participation. MyGov is an excellent example of information and communication technology (ICT) integrating and improving the effectiveness of communication.

Private tech developers across the country are also exploring technologies from smartphones to smart furniture and home appliances, marketing them at affordable prices to reach all sections of people. This helps save costs and connect with smart technologies used around the world.