Israel's "start-up city" to help with urban transformation in the Indian cities of Pune, Nagpur and Nashik.
By JULIE STEIGERWALDUpdated: NOVEMBER 25, 2015 15:10Azrieli Center(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Tel Aviv announced on Monday an agreement to assist in creating “smart cities” around India, in partnership with the Mumbai-based NGO Delivering Change Foundation.The innovative digital technologies implemented by Israel’s high-tech capital are set to traverse the city and go international, as Israeli representatives are slated to mentor, train, consult and escort Indian city officials in technological urban transformation.The initiative is set to incorporate the Indian cities of Pune, Nagpur and Nashik in the northwestern state of Maharashtra, a municipal spokeswoman told The Jerusalem Post.The municipality has partnered with the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Jaffa to relay information on the smart systems utilized in Israel’s “start-up city.”"We are committed to working closely with the top executives as well as entrepreneurs in fostering innovation and distributing the knowledge generated in Tel Aviv – the 'start-up city' world wide," stated Prof. Israel (Izzy) Borovich, the college's dean of the School of Economics and Management.In efforts to become a sustainable smart city and to enhance the lives of residents, Tel Aviv has incorporated various digital resources into its urban ecosystem, including the city’s interest and location-based DigiTel pass, city-wide WiFi, digital city services and GPS-based smartphone applications.
“In recent years Tel Aviv has managed to become one of the world’s leading smart cities, thanks to innovation, resident engagement and out of the box thinking,” said Hila Oren, CEO and founder of Tel Aviv Global. “As a city maker, I am delighted that we are now opening our smart city to the world – assisting other cities and mentoring them in the field of smart cities.”Thanks to Tel Aviv’s civic and technological initiatives, Israel’s second-largest city won the World Smart Cities Award at the 2014 Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
