Smart and sustainable

Creating a sustainable future for its rapidly growing and urbanizing population, India has set out ambitious plans for 100 smart cities. Using innovative approaches to urban design and development, many of these plans are now starting to take shape writes Fay Sweet.

A quarter of a century ago India opened its economy to the opportunities of globalization. The move has brought some impressive results in terms of economic growth and reducing poverty. According to the International Monetary Fund, India’s strong economic growth is expected to accelerate to around 7.5 percent during 2016 and 2017. This will secure India the accolade of being the world’s fastest growing large economy.

In tandem with this significant economic change, there has also been a major shift of rural populations to towns and cities. By 2040 it is estimated that about 300 million people will migrate to urban areas. To grow the GDP on the back of manufacturing, new industrial townships are being developed along the Delhi-Mumbai corridor. In addition, addressing the needs of new metropolitan citizens is the Smart Cities Mission. Launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Nardendra Modi, this government-led urban renewal and retrofitting program is charged with developing 100 cities around the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable.

To help with this hugely ambitious program, global agencies and companies are providing support and expertise. AECOM, for example, is contributing skills to all of the country’s largest infra-structure projects, including around 5000 kilometers of highways, six metro rail transit projects, and sea ports including at Karwar which will be the country’s first green port city. In addition, the firm has designed the sewerage masterplan for Delhi 2030 and Kannur International Airport. AECOM CEO Mike Burke is also involved with the U.S.-India CEO Forum, where the company leads the Smart Cities Working Group.

Playing a significant role in shaping India’s future, AECOM’s urban work is featured here with two examples of city projects — the new metropolis of Dholera, India’s largest greenfield smart city, and the rapidly growing Vishakhapatnam, also known as Vizag.

Dholera

There is a dream called Dholera. In Gujarat, western India, Dholera, currently a small town, is due to become one of the country’s first generation of smart and sustainable cities, and infrastructure construction is already underway. The vision is of an idyllic urban existence where a smart grid, smart water systems and smart transportation connect every home to utilities and digital services. It is also where communities are linked to each other and to civic facilities, where there is clean energy and things run like clockwork.

“This will be a 4 As city — accessible, adaptable, affordable and aspirational,” says Alkesh Sharma, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation which is responsible for the new city’s development. “We want Dholera to be the role model and set new standards for sustainable city living, not just for India, but for the world. Data is crucial to the vision because we are creating intelligent infrastructure that learns and adapts to people’s needs. We are very lucky to be building this city from the ground up because it means we can embed future proofing to accommodate the exciting progress yet to come.”

BIM, GIS and SCADA

Key to making this city smart is the development of two seamlessly integrated masterplans — one for land use and the other for digital networks and services. In addition, digital technologies for collecting and using data are at the very heart of the project. “Dholera will use information and communications technology as an underlying enabler, integrating essential civic functions such as governance, healthcare, education, transportation and utilities with city dashboards that enable live city-wide monitoring,” says Sharma. In addition, building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information systems (GIS) technology were used to accelerate planning and decision making for road, water and sewer networks. Along with this, citywide sensors and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technologies will help with managing and recycling waste. For example, it is anticipated that the smart wastewater system will recycle 100 percent of domestic and industrial wastewater up to tertiary standards.

With the country’s urban population set to double to 700 million in the coming 25 years, the impetus for new and smart cities has come from India’s government and the recognition that urbanization can provide a significant uplift for the economy. Manufacturing has been in need of a boost, and the smart cities provide opportunities for new factories and production plants. Dholera for example is looking to attract industries from defense, aircraft and automotive manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and electronics. It will cover an area of almost 920 square miles — and the projected population will be two million people by 2040.

AECOM’s role in this ground-breaking initiative has been to act as program manager embracing planning, design, construction, integrating, packaging, administering and managing the implementation of its projects. This includes managing the Federated BIM models and GIS information of infrastructure; land parcels and town planning schemes; and deliverables for the road and utility services network. Drawn from seven offices in four continents, the team of more than 60 people includes urban planners and designers, civil engineers, data and network specialists and integrated delivery experts in all disciplines from building engineering and power to water and transportation.

Dholera will use information communications technology as an underlying enabler, integrating essential civic functions such as governance, healthcare, education, transportation and utilities with city dashboards that enable live city-wide monitoring,

Alkesh Sharma, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development corporation

Vizag

Called the ‘Jewel of the East Coast,’ Visakhapatnam — known as Vizag for short, is renowned for its beautiful setting, warm hospitality and thriving industry, supported by a major port. The development vision for the city is to leverage its intrinsic livability to drive economic growth and raise the quality of life for local residents. The mantra is “take what you do well and make it even better,” explains Ashley O’Connor, senior planning advisor for Vizag’s smart city masterplan.

“As a smart city, Vizag will be a highly connected place where information enables intelligent decision making,” continues O’Connor. “This approach results in infrastructure efficiency. transparent governance, environmental sustainability, and greater safety and security for residents and businesses alike.”

While Dholera is a city growing from a greenfield site, the Vizag metropolitan region is already home to more than four million inhabitants. Developed by AECOM and its partners IBM and KPMG with financing from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Vizag’s recently minted vision calls for building a 21st-century diversified economy that offers opportunities for all residents of the city and the surrounding 5,500 km2 region. Vizag aims to optimize and amplify its strengths to become a regional ‘Clean Commerce Capital’ combining green living with smart business. The vision was formulated with input from civil society, public sector and private sector stakeholders, including inputs from more than 400,000 residents of the city.

“Investing in livability is the key to Vizag’s competitiveness and community wellness,” says Vizag project manager John Bachmann. “That means safeguarding ecological assets, delivering high-quality and efficient infrastructure services that make use of the latest information technology, and creating vibrant cultural and entertainment districts that will make Vizag the destination of choice among Indian tech capitals.”

Under contract with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, AECOM is providing services in smart city planning, urban analytics and feasibility analysis of proposed smart energy, water and transportation projects. AECOM is also framing infrastructure investment opportunities for U.S. companies. Vizag’s recipe for success includes a broad interpretation of what it means to be a ‘smart city,’ going beyond data and tools to address the impact of technology on the city population through education, healthcare, governance and the economy. The smart city vision and strategy are all encompassing, linking to India’s overall socioeconomic policies and woven into the fabric of all the city’s plans.

Investing in livability is the key to vizag’s competitiveness and community wellness.

John Bachmann, project manager for Vizag’s smart city