Smart cities-a step towards Sustainable urbanization

Urbanization involves major shifts in the ways people work and live, and offers unprecedented opportunities for improved standards of living, higher life expectancy and higher literacy levels, as well as better environmental sustainability and a more efficient use of increasingly scarce natural resources. Urbanization in the emerging economies like India is taking place at an accelerated rate. Cities offer the lure of better employment, education, health care, and culture. Cities accommodate nearly 31percent of India's current population. However, with 2/3rds of GDP already generated in India's cities and rural to urban migration patterns accelerating, the country faces a critical challenge: managing this rapid urbanization in a way that enhances the livability of India's urban spaces. Urban growth in cities of India is uneven where some are growing faster than others. Current restructuring of urban areas to prepare themselves for the growing global economic demands and providing better infrastructural facilities for smooth functioning of neo-liberal agenda had changed the direction and tasks of urban planning. The Smart Cities Mission is an innovative and new initiative by the Government of India to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology. Globally, the notion of smart cities is not new. There are multiple ideas, definitions and approaches to smart cities. This paper focuses on rapid and sustainable urbanization through smart cities in India.