Inclusive and Smart Cities: Development and Government Initiatives
Geography › Urbanization, Settlements and Migration · Topic 10.5
Inclusive cities provide housing, services, jobs and safety for all residents, including the poor, women, the old and the disabled. Smart cities use technology and good planning to improve services. In India, the Smart Cities Mission, launched on 25 June 2015, selected 100 cities for area-based development and pan-city smart solutions, with integrated command and control centres. Other missions are AMRUT for water and sewerage, HRIDAY for heritage cities, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for housing, and Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban for cleanliness. The Sustainable Development Goal 11 sets the aim of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Urbanization, Settlements and Migration
At a Glance
- Smart Cities Mission Launched 25 June 2015; 100 cities
- Approach Area-based development plus pan-city solutions
- Other missions AMRUT, HRIDAY, PMAY-U, SBM-U
- Global goal SDG 11
- Concern Inclusion and funds
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Urbanization, Settlements and Migration
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the topics on urban problems and describes the main response of policy in India. It then leads to the topics on migration and on settlement types, and the later topics on planning. Previous topic: Urban Poverty. Next topic: Migration and Reverse Migration: Rehabilitation Policy.
What Is the Smart Cities Mission?
- Launch: announced in 2014 and launched on 25 June 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as a Centrally sponsored scheme with a mission period that was extended to March 2025.
- Selection: 100 cities were chosen in rounds between 2016 and 2018 through a ‘City Challenge’ competition based on their plans, with each state having at least one.
- Approach: area-based development, which includes retrofitting (improving an existing area), redevelopment (rebuilding) and greenfield development (building a new area), together with pan-city projects that use information technology across the whole city.
- Features: each city set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to carry out its plan, and an Integrated Command and Control Centre to manage services such as traffic, water and safety using data.
- Core infrastructure: adequate water, assured power, sanitation and solid waste management, affordable housing, mobility, e-governance, a sustainable environment, safety and health and education.
- Funds: the Centre gave about Rs 500 crore per city over five years, matched by state and city funds, along with private and other resources.
The progress and completion of projects should be checked in the mission’s final reports, since the figures differ across assessments. Reported achievements include command centres working in all 100 cities, many projects for smart roads, water meters, solar rooftops, public bicycle sharing, smart classrooms and revived lake fronts, while the share of cost met from private and other sources stayed small.
What Other Urban Missions Exist?
| Mission | Aim |
|---|---|
| AMRUT (2015) and AMRUT 2.0 (2021) | Water supply, sewerage, drainage, green spaces and urban transport; AMRUT 2.0 for universal water coverage and reuse |
| HRIDAY (2015) | Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana; development of heritage cities such as Varanasi, Amritsar, Ajmer and Gaya |
| PMAY-Urban (2015) | Housing for all in urban areas |
| Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (2014) and 2.0 (2021) | Sanitation and solid waste; garbage-free cities |
| DAY-NULM (2013) | Livelihoods for the urban poor |
| Urban Challenge Fund (announced 2025) | Fund for city redevelopment, water and sanitation projects with private funds and market finance |
The earlier JNNURM (2005 to 2014) was the first large national urban mission. The 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1992, giving urban local bodies a constitutional status, is the base of urban governance, as in National Urbanisation Policy and Government Urban Development Policy.
What Makes a City Inclusive, and What Are the Criticisms?
- Inclusive city: one where the poor, women, children, the elderly, the disabled and migrants have access to housing, transport, public spaces, services and decision-making. It follows the New Urban Agenda adopted at the United Nations Habitat III conference in Quito in 2016, and SDG 11.
- Criticism of the smart cities approach: the area-based focus benefits small parts of cities, often with little consultation with citizens; the use of SPVs weakens elected city councils; emphasis on technology can ignore basic services and the poor; and spending was often lower than planned.
- Strengths: command centres, integrated data, smart traffic, public bike schemes and better public spaces were introduced in many cities, and a competitive approach to planning was brought in.
- The way forward: strengthen city governments and finance, link smart projects to the whole city, and make inclusion a test of success.
As an analytical point, a smart city is a means and not the goal: the goal is a city that works for all, which also needs the planning principles in Principles of Urban Planning and a response to the infrastructure and poverty gaps in Urban Infrastructure Challenges: Urban Transport, Waste Disposal, Water Supply, Drainage, Sanitation and Urban Poverty.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Missions Names, years and aims
- Debate Smart versus inclusive
- Global SDG 11
What Came Next?
The next topic covers migration and reverse migration, and the rehabilitation policy. Next topic: Migration and Reverse Migration: Rehabilitation Policy.
Key People and Terms
- SPV Special purpose vehicle
- Retrofitting Improving an existing area
- Greenfield Building a new area
- ICCC Integrated Command and Control Centre
- HRIDAY Heritage city scheme
- SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Smart Cities Mission: 25 June 2015; 100 cities.
- Three area models: retrofit, redevelop, greenfield.
- Each city has an SPV.
- AMRUT: 2015; AMRUT 2.0: 2021.
- SDG 11 is about cities.
Do Not Confuse With
- Smart Cities and AMRUT Area-based and technology approach versus basic water and sewerage
- Retrofitting and redevelopment Improving existing versus rebuilding
- Smart and inclusive city Technology-led versus access for all
Memory Hook
Hundred cities, fifteen launched; retrofit, rebuild, greenfield too; inclusion is the test to pursue.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for a critical evaluation of the Smart Cities Mission. These points add depth.
- Aims Core services and technology
- Gaps Area-based and SPV model
- Inclusion The poor and migrants
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Critically evaluate the Smart Cities Mission and discuss what is needed to make Indian cities more inclusive.”
How to Answer
- Features 100 cities, area-based plus pan-city.
- Achievements Command centres, mobility.
- Criticism SPVs, exclusion.
- Way ahead Inclusion and finance.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Smart Cities Mission?
The Smart Cities Mission, launched on 25 June 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aimed to develop 100 cities with core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment and smart solutions. It used area-based development, through retrofitting, redevelopment and greenfield projects, along with pan-city technology solutions.
What are the three models of area-based development in smart cities?
The three models are retrofitting, which improves an existing built-up area to make it more efficient; redevelopment, which replaces an existing built-up area with a new layout; and greenfield development, which builds a new area on vacant land using innovative planning. Pan-city solutions are applied across the whole city.
What is a special purpose vehicle in the Smart Cities Mission?
A special purpose vehicle is a company set up for each smart city to plan, approve, fund, manage and carry out the smart city projects. It is promoted jointly by the state government and the urban local body, and critics say it weakens the role of elected city councils.
What is the HRIDAY scheme?
The Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana, launched in 2015, aimed to preserve and revitalise the character of heritage cities such as Varanasi, Amritsar, Ajmer, Gaya, Puri, Mathura and Warangal, by improving their basic services, tourism facilities and the surroundings of heritage sites, with the involvement of local communities.
What is meant by an inclusive city?
An inclusive city is one in which all residents, including the poor, women, children, older people, disabled persons and migrants, have fair access to housing, jobs, transport, public spaces and services, and a voice in decisions. It is the objective of Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda of 2016.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015.
On 25 June 2015, for 100 cities.
2 Greenfield development means improving an existing built-up area.
That is retrofitting.
3 HRIDAY was meant for heritage cities.
Varanasi and Amritsar were among them.
4 Each smart city is run by a special purpose vehicle.
It carries out the projects.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Urbanization, Settlements and Migration. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
Related Topics
Browse the full Geography index