Smart cities : challenges in electronic governance for better management

Managing urban regions has become one of the most important development challenges of the 21st century. The Urban population of developing countries is predicted to rise from one third in 1990 to over 50% by 2025. Today, 54 % of the world’s population lives in urban region that is expected to increase to 66 per cent by the year 2050. By 2050, India is projected to add 404 million, China 292 million and Nigeria 212 million will account for 37% of the projected growth of the world’s urban population between 2014 and 2050 The UN report notes that in 1990, there were 10 “mega‐cities” with 10 million+ inhabitants , with total 153 million people or slightly less than 7% of the global urban population at that time. Of today’s 28 mega‐cities, 16 are in Asia,4 in Latin America, 3 each in Africa and Europe, and two in Northern America. By 2030, the world is projected to have 41 mega‐cities. Much of the expected urban growth will occur in countries of the developing regions, particularly Asia and Africa. As a result, these countries will face several challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including for housing, infrastructure, transportation, sanitation, energy and employment, also for basic services such as education and health care. Therefore building sustainable cities will be a major factor in economic development. Looking at the rapid urbanization, successful urban planning agenda will require that adequate consideration be given to urban settlements of all sizes. For sustainable urban management, cities offer important opportunities for economic development and for expanding access to basic services, including transportation, electricity, sanitation, health care and education, for large numbers of people. The Digital governance for sustainable management of urban services in smart cities will be a great challenge in 21st century.