Urbanisation is a journey of excellence, says Balasubramanian
Urbanisation perhaps is that technology which enables growth because it brings people together and makes sharing, matching, and learning skills as well as expertise possible, which is called agglomeration of benefits in scientific terms, according to Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary and Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission).
The shift towards urbanisation is a relatively new phenomenon globally. Urbanisation was around 3% in the 1800s when the industrial revolution set afoot. It required denser populations for manufacturing activities, he told participants at the fifth Smart Cities Summit and the third Smart Urban Innovation Awards organised by the business chamber FICCI.
“We are about 50% urbanised now,” Kumar added.
“We may, at the moment, be standing at the cusp of another Industrial Revolution. So, we will have to be better managers of the reality that presents itself as we go forward; it could be the sustainability requirements, geopolitical situations, energy resources,” he said.
Speaking on occasion, Dr O P Agarwal, Chairman, FICCI Urban Transformation Committee and Chief Executive Officer, World Resources Institute, alluded to four critical reasons smart cities are incredibly crucial for the country.
These include the enormous demographic transition due to cities doubling their population over the next 30 years.
Two: equipping cities to accommodate and enable the growth target of a US$10 trillion economy by 2030.
Three, preparing cities to take the right actions to accomplish net-zero targets as 70% of the future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will occur in cities.
Four, avoid a situation like the COVID pandemic as cities provide fertile grounds for viruses to breed and wreak havoc.
“Cities have to be equipped to provide jobs, education, health care, recreation, shelter, and a host of other services”, said Agarwal, adding, “this is something that a developing country like India cannot ignore”.
There is a big difference between the urbanisation 50 years back to what it is today, added Balasubramanian Shanmugakumar, Head of Digital Business – Telecom, L&T Smart World & Communication.
“What urbanisation is going to mean for our children in the next 30 years will be vastly different”, he said.
“Urbanisation is a journey of excellence,” he said. fiinews.com
