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The evolution of the smart cities agenda in India

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  • Kristian Hoelscher

Abstract

With the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, urban-led economic growth in India was firmly framed around a vision of ‘smart cities’, an ambiguous concept, which promotes the integration of information and communication technologies in cities to improve economic growth, quality of life, governance, mobility and sustainability. Given its current policy importance, this article examines how the smart cities agenda in India has emerged, what it has encompassed and its potential for transformative urban development. Reviewing policy documents and statements in combination with selected key stakeholder interviews, this article traces the emergence of the smart cities discourse in India, suggesting that the vision and concept of the smart city has shifted over time and has been evoked in different ways to serve different purposes. Overall, the smart cities agenda in India appears to be characterized by a failure to conceptualize and develop an integrated set of policies, and while a clearer (yet contested) concept is emerging, the prospects for success are uncertain.

Suggested Citation

  • Kristian Hoelscher, 2016. "The evolution of the smart cities agenda in India," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 19(1), pages 28-44, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:intare:v:19:y:2016:i:1:p:28-44
    DOI: 10.1177/2233865916632089
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    Cited by:

    1. Punjabi, Bharat & Johnson, Craig A., 2019. "The politics of rural–urban water conflict in India: Untapping the power of institutional reform," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 182-192.
    2. Jalaluddin Abdul Malek & Seng Boon Lim & Tan Yigitcanlar, 2021. "Social Inclusion Indicators for Building Citizen-Centric Smart Cities: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-29, January.
    3. Deepak Kumar, 2023. "The Conception and Discourse of Smart City," Smart Cities and Regional Development (SCRD) Journal, Smart-EDU Hub, vol. 7(1), pages 71-84, March.
    4. Fromhold-Eisebith, Martina & Eisebith, Günter, 2019. "What can Smart City policies in emerging economies actually achieve? Conceptual considerations and empirical insights from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Khushboo Gupta & Wenwen Zhang & Ralph P Hall, 2021. "Risk priorities and their co-occurrences in smart city project implementation: Evidence from India’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM)," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(4), pages 880-894, May.
    6. Surajit Chakravarty & Mohammed S Bin Mansoor & Bibek Kumar & Priya Seetharaman, 2023. "Challenges of consultant-led planning in India’s smart cities mission," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(5), pages 1375-1393, June.
    7. Si Ying Tan & Araz Taeihagh, 2020. "Smart City Governance in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-29, January.
    8. Jason Miklian & Kristian Hoelscher, 2017. "Smart Cities, Mobile Technologies and Social Cohesion in India," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, April.

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