across India , as well as another 3mn people living rough on the streets .
“ The premise of the ‘ smart city ’ as a relevant model needs a fundamental reevaluation , given the increasing levels of exclusion , impoverishment , unemployment , homelessness , forced evictions and displacement of the urban poor in our cities ,” said Shivani Chaudhry , executive director at the HLRN in an interview with Reuters . “ Merely selecting some cities , and some areas within cities excludes rural areas , which intensifies the justification for urbanisation and worsens the rural-urban divide .”
For a smart city initiative to truly deliver on its promises , it needs to take into account society ’ s most vulnerable . According to Phil Sorsky , SVP , Service Providers for EMEA at CommScope , the act of compassionate connectivity takes a village . “ To work properly , 5G must be available everywhere a device or subscriber needs access to it ,” he told Mobile World in a recent interview . “ Connectivity is the basic requirement for smart cities , and fibre-fed 5G wireless is the infrastructure that will make it possible . We just need local authorities , city planners , governments and service providers to meet in the middle to make it a reality .” The OECD and the HLRN also recommend the use of more holistic approaches , as well as the establishment of ethical oversight committees for smart city projects , and a change in the way that smart city projects are deployed - away from digitalising already gentrified urban areas and towards areas where digital transformation can help deliver elevated versions of vital services and utilities like internet , power , water and transportation .
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