Smart Cities

A smart city does not necessarily have to be a digital city. Instead, as a strategy,a smart city should primarily be committed to sustainable, integrated urban development for the benefit of the citizens.

Smart concepts in urban water management, however, rely on technical and digital solutions that simplify the linking of sectors. In the age of 'Internet of Things', capturing, documenting and evaluating simplifies the linking of individual sectors. This applies to the sectors within urban water management (water supply, urban drainage and wastewater treatment), but also to links with other sectors (energy, transport, etc.). 

The ideas of a smart water infrastructure in Germany and India differ fundamentally, since the focus in India is primarily on the construction, renovation and exchange of water infrastructures. Still, it is clear that in both cases smart cities require holistic planning. Planning interfaces in the areas of water supply, urban drainage and wastewater treatment and to other sectors must be taken into account in order to ensure sustainable urban water management.