Udaipur Smart city stakeholder consultation and their vision
Udaipur, the capital of the former princely state of Mewar is a beautiful city in Rajasthan, India. Udaipur city is also referred to as the “Venice of the East”, the “Most Romantic City of India” and the “Kashmir of Rajasthan”. Udaipur the “City of Lakes” is one among the most romantic and most beautiful cities of India. The city of Dawn, Udaipur is a lovely land around the azure water lakes, hemmed in by the lush hills of the Aravalis. A vision in white drenched in romance and beauty, Udaipur city of Rajasthan state is a fascinating blend of sights, sounds and experiences – an inspiration for the imagination of the poets, painters and writers. Udaipur’s kaleidoscope of fairy-tale palaces, lakes, temples, gardens and narrow lanes strewn with stalls, carry the flavor of heroic past, epitomizing valor and chivalry. Their reflection in the placid waters of the Lake Pichhola is an enticing sight.
The 3 key elements that are unique to Smart City mission as compared to the previous urban reform programs are:
- Challenge or competition method to select cities for funding.
- Strategy of area-based development, which can then be replicated
- Citizen’s involvement from conceptualisation stage till the end
Citizens Engagement
The strategy was focused to engage all segments i.e. men, women and children at home, public places, institutions and work places through personal, in-group’s and media contacts. All key stakeholders – residents/elected representative, civic authorities, industrial / trader organizations were mobilized and actively engaged to dialogue and describe their views on long term vision and the top of mind five priorities for improving quality of life.
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*feedback is still going on |
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Outcome of Citizens Engagement (including myGov feedbacks)
- Citizens overwhelmingly supported Tourism with 44% voting it as a top priority. Concerns within this were issues of cleanliness, lakes, walled city infrastructure, and heritage to strengthen the tourism base. Citizens are conscious that the conservation and preservation of lakes is of paramount importance as it is city’s greatest attractor.The most important priority for Udaipur is to boost tourism activities as large section of local livelihood is linked to it.
- The second priority was Water and Sewerage in the city (26% share) with 18% of the citizens voting for it as top priority. Concerns within this were issues of access, treatment and disposal and ensuring that lakes and the river are not polluted.
- Conservation of Heritage/ Lakes, Public Transport/ Walkability and Safety/ Security are important priority areas as per feedback. Concerns within this were the renewal of the walled city, restoration of heritage building/ facades, making the city walkable and safe for locals and visitors.
- Education, health, open spaces, affordable housing, ICT public service delivery, power supply and citizens role in decision making were rated after the top 5 priorities.
Proposed Vision
While attempting to define the Vision for Udaipur as a ‘Smart City’, the Consultants took cognisance of the vision articulated in the City Development Plan (CDP) of Udaipur finalised recently. It states that “A city of lakes that provides for its residents an environmentally friendly, economically vibrant ambience, providing large amounts and a variety of opportunities along with a sustainable infrastructure that takes care of all its citizens and equal importance to urban poor of city.”
The above statement captures the essential elements for any respectable city. However, to aspire to be truly smart, the city needs to incorporate use of Information Communication Technology for improving Infrastructure, Environment and Governance through Data Driven Systems and improve quality of life of all the residents by innovative planning and efficient management using Smart Technologies. Smartness on the one hand is generally characterised by the ability to do or achieve more with less (inputs), across various urban domains / elements than conventional cities. Moreover, the solutions being projected to convey smartness should also be relevant to the local setting and context of each habitat.
Vision Statement
Taking into consideration the strengths and challenges, following vision statement has been evolved for the city:
“Eternal Udaipur: Developing it into the World’s favourite Lakeside Heritage City”
Whereas Udaipur has a long and rich history, it aspires to continuously innovate and adapt to the changing global environment and remain timeless in its appeal as a city. This uniqueness needs to be conserved and made the foundation for its transformation as a Smart City and its sustenance for future generations. Those living in the historic city inhabit some of the most architecturally and culturally dynamic places in the world. These neighborhoods may also be transformed into economically vibrant places despite outmigration from the city centers and deteriorating infrastructure.
The most resilient foundations for growth for any city would be economic sustainability. Tourism would continue to remain the guiding force that would drive the economic and social transformation in the city, using technology based interventions which would make it a centre of excellence. The common man or the citizen would have to be at the centre of policy making for this evolutionary process.
The vision to become the World’s favourite Lakeside Heritage City will need to be supported by an unmatched living environment and state of the class infrastructure for both locals and visitors alike. This will necessitate smart strategies, planning interventions and connectivity / mobility within the city, smart actions and smart governance, to meet the challenge of population growth and in-migration into Udaipur, provision of adequate affordable housing, particularly for the weaker sections of the society; addressing the problems of un-organized informal sector, conservation of the environment and preservation of natural and built heritage of the city; provision of adequate infrastructure services in terms of water supply, sewerage and solid waste disposal and doing all this within a framework of smart and sustainable development through more efficient use of natural and man-made resources.
