Megapolis Chennai: Smart people want smart cities

CHENNAI: From respecting the city’s evolution to ensuring global connections while retaining conservative values in institutional discipline, thought leaders have plenty to say. Rooted in culture, rising in stature I look forward with optimism to the future of Chennai as a world-class city. This will require collective and collaborative action of state government, businesses, other institutions, and citizens. Chennai is already hubs of Carnatic music, and stands tall in the sports as well. Specifically, in 2035, I would like to see a more modernised, convenient and Smart City with superior public infrastructure and green spaces with the least pollution index. It should be a more cosmopolitan city that’s a magnet for attracting top-notch talent from all parts of India and the world

- Vijay Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group

Where the world still docks Centuries before colonial ships arrived, Chennai’s shores were alive with Roman coins, Chinese silk, and Bhakti poetry that spoke the language of trade.

- V Sriram, Madras historian and writer

Moderation is not weakness Conservative is not wrong. Chennai’s start-up behaviour mirrors the city’s character. Everything from valuations to risk appetite tends to be moderate, and that’s not a weakness. This institutional presence gives Chennai a policy-anchored discipline that has only recently begun to show results. StartupTN’s creation filled a long-standing gap. Earlier, there wasn’t a dedicated mechanism to hand-hold founders. That’s changing fast

- Prof A Thillai Rajan, IIT-Madras, and one of the architects of TN’s start-up study

From social media Japanese school kids are shown live demos on how not to cross the road. These lessons leave a lasting impact on their minds for generations. If we want the next generation to behave better, we shouldn’t rely on parents alone to teach them

- @Dstock_Insights

Every public funded project should be documented with live video feeds, and it should be mandated for construction companies. Below is PTP Alliance in South Australia documenting the entire process for railway station construction

- @Dstock_Insights (a video of a $174 million infrastructure project)

Drone shots of Indian cities will show shiny glass buildings, but zoom in and it’s pathetic 9th world infra. Indian cities are doomed if they keep pandering to motorists and trample over pedestrian rights.

- @Reclaim Chennai

As the hubbub over the New York election of @ZohranKMamdani consumes urban Indians, a reminder that nine years ago I moved a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament calling for directly-elected Mayors in Indian cities, with real authority & accountability as well as control over city budgets. What a difference it could have made to urban governance in our country!

- @Shashi Tharoor

Rebuilding cities is definitely possible, Paris did it under Haussmann in the 1800s, and London reshaped itself in the Georgian era. Both required national-scale vision and policy reform. We’d need the same kind of parliamentary effort to renew Indian cities today (with big budget)

- @Bhaumik Gowande