Historians believe that a fire, in 1666, which destroyed London city was a blessing in disguise. One, it killed all the plague-causing organisms and two, the burnt-down city offered a chance for a new one to be built in its place.
However, London did not forsake its past to build a new city and has been trying to preserve as much as heritage as possible. Britons feel that a modern city can be built while allowing old buildings and streets to coexist with the new.
Perhaps London is inclined in becoming part of the smart city initiative in India because it is interested, and experienced, in retaining old structures while new structures are built. While experts in London believe that Indians equate smart city to Wi-Fi cities, they insist that a city becomes smart only when its transportation services are above par and well managed.
The streets in London are narrower than the ones in Delhi. Even though flyovers are not allowed in London for the sake of keeping its character intact, the city is not as congested as Delhi. In London, city transport is managed by a single authority which takes care of metros, buses, taxis, parking, traffic lights and so on. One can use the same smartcard to travel by bus as well as taxi.
Through the development of Canary Wharf, London provides us an example on how an old city can be made 'smart.' The city was a bustling centre of activity during the glorious days of the British Empire and when the empire contracted, Canary Wharf also saw its fortunes dwindling. When shipping involved huge containers that could not enter the Thames River, traffic started dwindling and soon Canary Wharf was almost deserted by the 60s. However, when banking companies decided to settle at the place in the seventies, fortunes of the city started to improve. Skyscrapers were built in 97 acres and most of the big names in banking and finance were resettled there.
Today about 1,50,000 people work here, but they have been provided space to park only 5000 cars. According to city authorities, two metro lines are enough to bring the remaining work force to the city. Even top officials who earn a lot from one of the biggest financial centres in the world, come to work using public transport.
City planners believe that they can recreate the same magic in India when smart cities are built, by retaining the heritage of each city that is made smart.