(Re)prioritising citizenship in smart cities governance

The Indian Smart Cities Mission sets out to address India’s urbanisation challenge by promoting “cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to their citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and the application of ‘smart’ solutions. However, the design and structure for implementation of smart cities projects raise concerns about urban exclusion amidst the corporate-led and technology-oriented projects. In this context, CAG is organising a workshop to initiate a discussion on the smart cities agenda, design of the scheme and the implications this has for citizenship and governance in India. We expect that the workshop will form a solid base for understanding and further researching some of the key concerns surrounding the smart cities programme in India as well as devise pathways for challenging the idea of development that it sets forward.