Exploring potentials and challenges in making smart cities in India: A case study of Allahabad City, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Globally, cities are grappling with rapid urbanization and problems related to resource management, sustainable development, and climate change mitigation. To overcome these challenges, policy makers and academicians are focusing on the idea of smart city. Both developed and developing nations are cooperating and signing memorandum of understanding each other to transform their old and traditional cities into smart cities. India, as a developing country, has also taken a completely new and bold initiative to transform its existing cities structure and make it more modern and sustainable while conserving its core values. India’s smart city mission to create 100 smart cities is a step in this direction. According to Indian Ministry of Urban Development, Allahabad will be one of the future smart cities. The paper is an attempt to assess the current situation of Allahabad city by analyzing various social, economic and urban components and its readiness for smart city transformation. Qualitative and quantitative data is collected from both primary and secondary sources. Multi-criteria decision analysis is used as a method to produce consolidated score against each parameter. Consolidated score enables to understand current status of social, economic, and urban sector in Allahabad city and their contribution toward making smart city. Allahabad has a lot of potential to transform into smart city, but road ahead will not be easy. In many areas complete overhauling is required. To make smart city transformation possible, city officials, academicians, and citizens should cooperate with each other wholeheartedly.