PLANNING FOR SMART CITY-DEHRADUN

Abstract

The rapid urbanization is a common phenomenon witness in the cities across the globe. The adverse impact of rapid urbanization can be observed on all the seven subsystems (Physical, Social, Economy, Environment, Ecology, Infrastructure, and Institution) of the urban system. The Developed countries are mostly effected by the rapid urbanization than the developing ones. One of the reason behind rapid pace of urbanization is migration (rural to urban) in search of better employment opportunities, healthcare, educational facilities as well as to improve the standard of living. The adverse effect of rapid urbanization leads to unchecked sprawl, overpopulation, decrease in public utility, slum formations, deteriorating health, traffic congestion, environmental degradation, unorganized development, and lack of basic infrastructures in the cities. The urbanization is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the growth of the city, and expanded the city limit in all aspects of development in all directions. Cities have to develop intelligent solutions to overcome the challenges caused by the massive urbanization. To manage these complex problems, reduce expenses, increase efficiency and improve the quality of life, and to accommodate rapid urbanization, cities need to adopt the effective and smart approach. Smart City can be seen as a tool to stimulate sustainable development by finding innovative solutions to urban problems. A general goal of smart cities is to improve sustainability with the help of technologies and to make cities more efficient and liveable. The available literature in this field reveals that there is no widely accepted single concept available for smart cities so far. Dehradun city has been selected as the study area. After becoming the State capital in the year 2000, this city has witnesses the era of rapid urbanization. The pace of urbanization has expand the urban growth radius of the city in all direction. The adverse effect of rapid urbanization leads to unchecked sprawl, over-population, decrease in public utility, slum formations, deteriorating health, traffic congestion, environmental degradation, unorganized development, and lack of basic infrastructures in the cities. To manage the consequences of the urbanization, and to accommodate this rapid urbanization, Dehradun city has been selected as one of the hundred cities under Smart City Mission. As Dehradun city is known as the education capital of India, education is considered as a catalyst for converting Dehradun city into a smart, liveable, and sustainable city. In this present investigation, an attempt has been made to evolve a set of plausible policy planning guidelines and recommendations to convert Dehradun city into a smart, sustainable & liveable city through education. A thorough investigation has been carried out by the Investigator by conducting a primary survey in the chosen 425 households by employing appropriate sampling techniques; and by analysing the available secondary data and by conducting primary survey at the household level to understand the important control parameters, which influence the function of the system. Further, by considering the important control parameters of social sub-system, focusing on education, a System Dynamic model has been evolved to convert system (Dehradun city) to a smart city, by using STELLA software. The evolved model result is validated by comparing it with the real system data and used for projections. Subsequently, then projected model (2031 A.D.) is used to understand the behaviour of the system. The functions of the system under various alternative conditions are closely examined by developing various scenarios and tested in the model to arrive at an alternative policy option for making plausible decisions. Finally, a set of plausible policy planning guidelines has been evolved looking forward to phase-wise requirements and achievements under various alternative conditions. The study concludes with evolving a set of policy planning guidelines, and recommendations are made to convert Dehradun city into a smart, sustainable & livable city by considering education as a catalyst for the development.