Smart Cities for Sustainable Development: An Overview

Abstract

Globally, cities are under enormous pressure due to burgeoning population growth, stranded economic reforms, and climatic distress. Realizing the need to cope up with these challenges, strong initiatives are being taken the world over, to make cities smart and sustainable. In this chapter, the authors synthesize the conceptual framework and contents of the various chapters detailed in the book. This chapter while dovetailing the national and international status of smart cities presents in a nutshell, the works presented in various chapters ranging from innovative concepts and technologies in smart city development to presenting a way forward. Although in developed countries urban development is very strong and systematic, in developing countries including countries like India, smart city development is faced by several challenges such as deferred investments, coordination of stakeholders at local, state, and central level, timelines, and displacement of funds toward rural infrastructure instead of urban infrastructure, etc. As a way forward, undeterred attention of policymakers is suggested for the successful development of cities that are smart and sustainable.