Editors’ Note The quest for resilient and equitable cities has never been more urgent than in this era marked by rapid technological advancements and increasing urbanisation. ORF’s latest volume in its Urban Frontiers series, E-Governance and Citizen Engagement: Pathways to Resilient and Equitable Cities , brings together expert insights on the transformative power of e-governance and the role of citizen engagement in shaping the cities of the future. E-governance, with its promise of efficiency, transparency, and accessibility, has emerged as a critical tool for modern urban management and services. It leverages digital technologies to streamline administrative processes, facilitating better decision-making and enhancing service delivery. However, the true potential of e-governance can only be realised when it is coupled with citizen engagement. Nurturing informed and empowered citizens who actively participate in the governance process is essential for ensuring that the digital transformation of city management reflects the diverse needs and aspirations of all urban inhabitants.
Authors
Related Organizations
- Attribution
- Dhaval Desai and Nandan Dawda, Eds., E-Governance and Citizen Engagement: Pathways to Resilient and Equitable Cities , October 2024, Observer Research Foundation.
- Pages
- 160
- Published in
- India
Table of Contents
- Editors Note 3
- 1 Harnessing Technology for Improved Urban Governance in India 3
- 2 Bus Modernisation Through an Integrated Transport Plan The Case of Chandigarh 3
- 3 Integrating Technology in the Management of Cities 3
- 4 Towards a Mobility Data-Sharing Policy for Indias Smart Cities 3
- 5 The Role of Digital Governance in Creating Smart Cities 3
- 6 Digital Governance in Indias Smart Cities Mission 3
- 7 Bridging the Gender Digital Divide for Inclusive Urban E-Governance 3
- 8 Institutional Collaboration for Sustainable Road Transport The Need for Compatible Data Formats 3
- 1 Citizen Participation in Urban Governanc 4
- 2 Pathways to Participatory Urban Governance in India 4
- 100 4
- 3 Fostering Citizen Engagement Through Online Municipal Complaint Redressal 4
- 107 4
- 4 Locality as Frontier Recognising the Potential of the Neighbourhood 4
- 116 4
- 5 Mainstreaming Urban e-Governance for Peoples Participation 4
- 123 4
- 6 Community-Led Efforts in Sustainable Mobility The Story of Bengaluru 4
- 131 4
- 7 Cities for All Participatory Insights from Indias Urban Governance 4
- 137 4
- 8 Strengthening Democracy in Municipal Governance 4
- 148 4
- Editors Note 5
- Digital Governance and Smart Cities 12
- Harnessing Technology for Improved Urban Governance in India 13
- Laying the Digital Foundation 14
- National Urban Digital Mission 14
- Fostering Good Governance on Digital Foundations 15
- Improving City Sensing and Operations 16
- An Urban Renaissance 18
- Conclusion 19
- Bus Modernisation Through an Integrated Transport Plan The Case of Chandigarh 22
- ITS Solutions for Smart Cities 23
- The Implementation of a Bus Modernisation Plan 24
- Figure 1 A Conceptual Framework of Chandigarhs Bus Modernisation Plan 25
- Intelligent Transportation Systems 25
- Table 1 Sub-Systems of ITS-Based Bus Operations 26
- Assessing the Impact Modal Shift to Buses 28
- Conclusion 28
- Integrating Technology in the Management of Cities 31
- The Evolution of ICCC under the Smart Cities Mission 32
- Conclusion 35
- Towards a Mobility Data- Sharing Policy for Indias Smart Cities 39
- Proposed Policy Objectives Framework and Measures 41
- Figure 1 Proposed Policy Framework 42
- Conclusion 45
- The Role of Digital Governance in Creating Smart Cities 48
- Figure 1 Digital Transformation of the Public Sector 49
- Where India Stands 53
- Figure 2 UN E-Government Development Index 2022 54
- From e-Governance to GovTech 55
- Figure 3 UN Local Online Service Index 2022 55
- Digital Governance in Indias Smart Cities Mission 59
- Digital Governance and Interventions in Smart Cities 61
- Digitalising Without Democratising 64
- Bridging the Gender Digital Divide for Inclusive Urban E-Governance 67
- Figure 1 Percentage of Individuals Using the Internet in Urban and Rural Areas 2023 68
- Figure 2a Individuals Who Have Ever Used the Internet by State Gender and RuralUrban 69
- Figure 2b Individuals Who Have Ever Used the Internet by State Gender and RuralUrban 70
- Identifying Barriers 71
- Building Digital Bridges 72
- Inclusive Urban E-Governance The India Opportunity 74
- Conclusion 76
- Institutional Collaboration for Sustainable Road Transport The Need for Compatible Data Formats 83
- Figure 1 Change in AQI Levels vs. Number of Cities 84
- Lack of Data Synchrony 85
- The Geodatabase Imperative 86
- Figure 2 Centralised Geo-Portal for Storing Data and Metadata from Various Stakeholders 87
- Conclusion 88
- Citizen Engagement and Participatory Governance 91
- Citizen Participation in Urban Governance 92
- Learnings from Previous Approaches 93
- The Way Forward 96
- Pathways to Participatory Urban Governance in India 100
- Unfinished Agenda 101
- Strengthening Participatory Urban Governance in India 103
- Figure 1 Channels and Purposes of ULB-Citizens Engagement 104
- Fostering Citizen Engagement Through Online Municipal Complaint Redressal 107
- Effectiveness of Apps in Complaint Redressal 108
- Table 1 Indian Municipal App Downloads 109
- Figure 1 User Satisfaction with Various Aspects of the Indore 311 App 110
- The Missing Back-End 111
- Complaint Redressal in Smaller Cities 112
- Conclusion 113
- Locality as Frontier Recognising the Potential of the Neighbourhood 116
- The Centrality of Local and Decentralisation Duplicity 117
- Learnings from Dharavi 119
- Figure 1 The Construction of the Koli Jamat Community Hall at Koliwada Dharavi 120
- Conclusion 121
- Mainstreaming Urban e-Governance for Peoples Participation 123
- Figure 1 Status of Ward Committees in Indian Cities 125
- Figure 2 Status of Areas Sabhas in Indian Cities 126
- Challenges 127
- Community- Led Efforts in Sustainable Mobility The Story of Bengaluru 131
- Mobility Challenges 132
- Citizen-Led Initiatives 132
- Enhancing Citizen Engagement 134
- Cities for All Participatory Insights from Indias Urban Governance 137
- Rethinking Urban Paradigms for Public Participation 138
- Looking Bottom-Up 139
- Learnings from India 140
- Future Cities for All 142
- Strengthening Democracy in Municipal Governance 148
- Empowering Municipal Governance in India 149
- The Curious Case of Municipal Elections 150
- Table 1 Indian Municipal App Downloads 152
- Table 2 Indian Municipal App Downloads 153
- The Sorry State of State Election Commissions 155
- Upholding Democracy at the First Mile of Governance 156
