Smarter Cities in India

By most measures 2015 has been a great year for India. Inflation, unemployment, foreign direct investment, and growth are headed in the right direction. Prime Minister Modi’s first year has had critics yet optimism still dominates.

If you’re young (at heart!), love innovation and realise the potential of technology to add value for India, the air reverberates with excitement. While global investment flows into the country, bold and successful scientific ventures like India’s mission to Mars demonstrate that limited resources can produce superlative work.

The people and talent are here too. Sundar Pichai’s rise to become Google’s CEO is like a small,sweet cherry on the cake of evidence that India’s education system is bursting with talent just waiting (or not waiting and dropping out) to make a difference.

For creative, ambitious technologists and problem-solvers few subjects present challenges as intriguingly complex and enticingly daunting as India’s cities. Cities hold 30% of India’s population and account for 58% of its GDP. They are innovation hubs and platforms for bootstrapping your way to success.

The government of India recently launched the Smart City Mission to develop 100 “smart cities” to “act as a lighthouse to other aspiring cities.”

Yet laboratory designed Smart Cities are a different animal than natural cities that are smart.
Considerable room remains for small and ambitious efforts. Moreover we can realise these
contributions in a relatively short time-frame.

Public, online data portals present a powerful yet underrated opportunity. In the real estate sector, making key public datasets accessible online could add tremendous value in an important step towards making our cities smarter. That data is already officially ‘public’, the intention just needs to be executed through intelligent technology.

City and state governments can start by publishing the following datasets online:

‘Ready Reckoner’ or Circle Rates
Official government ‘Ready Reckoner’ rates establish minimum property values in each city locality. Updated annually, they determine the stamp and registration duties paid when a buyer registers her property and influence the disbursement of mortgages and home loans. The rates are a key input for many real estate decisions.

Most municipalities publish a Ready Reckoner book in print and available locally. Some third-party websites have attempted to digitise that information (e.g. Mumbai’s Ready Reckoner rates).

Property transaction registrations and land records
According to a 1908 law, a local registration office must register every property sale and purchase. These transaction registrations protect property rights and are officially a public record.

Floor Space Index
Cities attempt to manage their growth through the Floor Space Index, which sets maximum
building heights. These regulations restrict new construction and the supply of residential real estate and affect property values and affordable housing.

Home buyers need access to this information to verify whether builders are in compliance and to minimise the risk of their new property being demolished or brought under litigation. Limited information access promotes confusion between builders, civil servants and politicians, ultimately hurting the public and the country.

Making data transparent
Public Data Portals are a critical first step for cities that want to be smart. In Chicago, Boston, London, New York, and Singapore they have enabled and catalysed vibrant communities organised around improving their cities. The data powers valuable tools and products that help citizens make better decisions and governments respond more effectively to their populations. We can all eagerly look forward to India’s 100 Smart Cities, but in the meantime let’s build the data portals that can make our existing cities that much smarter.

(Image Credits: Indiatimes)

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(About the author: Paul Meinshausen is Vice President of Data Science, and Kshitij Batra is Senior Economist at Housing.com)