The role of smart cities in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in India

Abstract

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has affected around 216 countries and territories worldwide and more than 2000 cities in India, alone. The smart cities mission (SCM) in India started in 2015 and 100 smart cities were selected to be initiated with a total project cost of INR 2031.72 billion. Smart city strategies play an important role in implementing the measures adopted by the government such as the issuance of social distancing regulations and other COVID-19 mitigation strategies. However, there is no research reported on the role of smart cities strategies in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to address the research gap in smart cities, technology, and healthcare management through a review of the literature and primary data collected using semistructured interviews. Findings Each city is unique and has different challenges, the study revealed six key findings on how smart cities in India managed the COVID-19 outbreak. They used: Integrated Command and Control Centres, Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Application-based Solutions, Smart Waste Management Solutions, Smart Healthcare Management, Smart Data Management, and Smart Surveillance. Originality/value This paper contributes to informing policymakers of key lessons learnt from the management of COVID-19 in developing countries like India from a smart cities’ perspective. This paper draws on the 6 Cs for the implications directed to leaders and decision-makers to rethink and act on COVID-19. The 6 Cs are: Crisis management leadership; Credible communication; Collaboration; Creative governance; Capturing knowledge; and Capacity building.