Components for Planning Future Smart Hill Cities, Case Study Shimla (India)

Ritu S Mehrotra

Abstract: Globally the expression of smart city has been correlated to approaches such as "sustainable city", "resilient city", "liveable city", green city", "playable city", "healthy city", "eco-city" and so forth. The future sustainability of cities necessitates use of innovative technologies for building intelligent infrastructure and optimum utilisation of resources in more intricate urban systems.Hill cities are ever more complex with additional topographical conditions and climatic conditions which require a more advanced technological input and meticulous planning efforts in fragile ecosystems. Shimla, like other hill cities, began witha maximum population of 25,000-30,000, has over the time undergone continuous increase in urban population, unplanned - unregulated growthwhich has resulted in environmental degradation and pressure on existing resources and infrastructural services. The paper highlights urban development issues and present possible planning strategies to develop the Shimla city and its region, as an illustration for hill cities, towards sustainability by adoption of new technologies suitable to local conditions.

Keywords: Topography, Sustainable, hill cities, smart city, urban growth, environment, infrastructure, connectivity, region, challenges, resilient