The development of Vijayawada and Guntur into Smart Cities largely depends on creation of ‘spatial data infrastructure’ (SDI) which, according to School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) Director N. Sridharan, is crucial for shaping them into not just smart but world-class cities.
“Many cities in the world are following SDI for planning and monitoring of spatial development and achieved the desired results. Advanced technology available through satellite imageries and GIS platforms will facilitate this process easily,” he told The Hindu , hoping that the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) would put SDI in place and learn from some success stories for bringing out the best.
New Delhi is one example, where SDI has been used effectively for sustainable development and it has got a legal backing from the Delhi government in the form of SDI Act.
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The Capital plan released late last month, Mr. Sridharan said, was an overall concept plan and it was to be integrated with the zoning and building regulations to be submitted by Singapore team. The SPA is also involved in this exercise as part of its tie-up with the CRDA.
Climate was one issue that has to be dealt with carefully and the best thing to do was making proper use of the river water and retaining the greenery in the city. At least 60 per cent of the development is going to be ‘green-field’.
The relocation in terms of employment as well as housing was taken care of in the initial concept plan and the original villages were retained in the new plan as well.
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Under the land pooling scheme, those who gave the land were getting back some portion of the land for their own development and it was supposed to be in sync with the zoning plans.
This would ensure proper return on investment for individuals who gave their lands. It is mandate of the CRDA to formulate the building by-laws. However, it has to wait for detailed Master Plan.