A study on the Smart City Mission in four cities, including Bengaluru, by researchers from the University of Leeds, UK found that while the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) have been successful in ensuring that projects are on the right track, there was little by way of follow-ups to assess the impact of the initiative.
“What really came out of the Smart City project is a black hole,” said Greg Marsden, Professor of Transport Studies at University of Leeds, UK.
He was presenting the findings of a two-year research collaboration exploring the implications of the governance reforms associated with the Smart City mission on transport policy, implementation and outcomes within cities. Ashish Verma , Associate Professor, Transportation Systems Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, was also part of the collaboration.
The research process involved visiting four case study sites – Bengaluru, Jaipur, Indore and Kochi – where workshops, study visits and multiple interviews were conducted. Prof. Greg and his team placed Indore as the best performing city while Bengaluru was a poor performer.
The research paper reflected on institutional arrangements, delivery process, and the implications of the Smart City project on urban transport policies. The team also identified recommendations to improve future reform programmes.
The goals for the development of transport projects included smart parking, intelligent traffic management and integrated multi-modal transport. However, later, the projects steered their focus towards efficient urban mobility and public transport. “This was an overarching goal,” Prof. Greg added.
The team deduced that the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in all four cities have been successful in ensuring that projects are on the right track and within the budget.
SPV is a body which is responsible for streamlining the decision-making process, speeding up project delivery, and maintaining financial accountability.
Responding to the research findings, Bengaluru Smart City Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director Hephsiba Korlapati maintained that it was too early to assess outcomes, especially since many projects were still in progress.
