IndexAbstractIntroductionChallenges in Smart City UrbanizationEnvironmental IssuesDigitalization RiskForced Land Acquisition and EvictionAbsence of Human Rights-Based Standards and Monitoring IndicatorsNeed to Adopt Sustainable Smart CitiesConclusionReferencesAbstractOur Planet it is inhabited by our 7 billion people and is in the midst of a massive transition due to climate change and biological evolution. Climate change brings with it negative consequences such as the threat to biodiversity and the risk to human health, rising sea levels, increased water stress and a decline in agricultural productivity. The Indian government has taken concrete steps to make smart cities a reality with the recent announcement of converting 100 cities into smart cities. The government has initiated sustainability as a key component of smart cities. Due to abnormal weather conditions and natural disasters, the concept of smart cities needs to be integrated with sustainability for the well-being of people and the planet as the whole sustainable smart city would be the smartest path for future urbanization. Therefore this essay attempts to understand the mission of smart cities and the need for sustainable development for the future of India. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Introduction India is on its development path towards urbanization. According to the 2011 census, about 32% of the country's population lives in urban areas, up from 28% in 2001. By 2039, most estimates believe India will be 50% urbanised. To keep up, India needs to spend 1.2 trillion in its urban areas. While there is a worldwide call to combat global challenges such as climate change, poverty, inequality and the rapid development of developing societies through transformative sustainability, there is burning pressure from cities India for greater economic growth, job creation, urban renewal and international living standards. To overcome this problem, the Indian government recently announced the development of 100 new smart cities. The union budget has allocated 7070 million during the financial year 2013-14 for the development of smart cities in the country. Meanwhile, the overall allocation has been increased to 17,628 million in the 2014-2015 budget. These new cities should be developed to accommodate the growing number of people. A leading national daily reported that seven of the 25 smart cities have been planned in the first phase of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. There would be one each in UP, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and two in Gujarat. (Indian Express 2014). But there are some unresolved questions and challenges in this next endeavor that require a sustainable model of urbanization. Sustainable smart cities would be the smartest path for future urbanization. Therefore this research paper attempts to understand the mission of smart cities and the need for sustainable development for the future of India. Challenges in Smart Cities Urbanization India ranks 131st (out of 188 countries) in the Human Development Index and has the largest number of people in the world, 642 million, living in multidimensional poverty (UNDP 2016). Although the rate of urbanization is increasing, the country still has around 69% of its population, or over 800 million people, whothey live in rural areas. Urbanization Processes: There is no internationally accepted definition nor does India have any policy on urbanization, but there is no consensus on what inputs and strategies are to be achieved. It has also been studied that smart cities would bring multiple challenges for India. At the end of the three years of the Mission, on 25 June 2018, Housing and Land Rights Network, India (HLRN) published this report to evaluate its progress and contributions to urban development in India, as well as its impact on the most marginalized areas among the population urban. The study undertaken by HLRN consists of an analysis of all 99 selected Smart City proposals, as well as an extensive review of media, government and other reporting on the Mission. Only about 8% of India's total population or 22% of its urban population will benefit from the Smart Cities Mission. The logic of selecting only 100 of India's over 4,000 cities and towns and focusing only on selected areas within each city misses the opportunity to develop an inclusive approach to development. It may also tend to perpetuate bias and discrimination in national planning processes. Of the total proposed investment of Rs 2.04 lakh crore (2,039 billion) in 'smart cities', 80% will be spent on 'Area Based Development (ABD)' i.e. only on specific areas in each city, with only 20 percent. percent of the funds allocated to pan-urban development. Some of the challenges observed are environmental issues. While there is a stated focus on environmental sustainability within the smart city proposal, this mission would result in a growing ecological footprint of smart cities. It could also pose the threat of increased e-waste and loss of forest cover in the pursuit of greenfield development. Digitalization Risk The tendency of new and emerging technologies to capture personally identifiable information and household-level data about citizens raises serious concerns about the propensity of the smart city to violate people's privacy through the misuse of big data. Numerous other rights, including the right to access information and the right to security, are threatened by increased surveillance and control of personal data. Forced Land Acquisition and Eviction In 2017, the Real Estate and Land Law Network (HLRN) documented forced eviction and demolition of homes in 32 countries and 99 smart cities. The goal of freeing many cities from slums could promote the clearance and destruction of low-income settlements under the guise of creating slum-free cities. This is raising fears of increased land acquisition, particularly along economic and industrial corridors. Lack of human rights-based standards and monitoring indicators. The lack of an urban development model and adequate standards to guide project implementation, including housing, water, sanitation, health and environmental sustainability, raise questions about the mission's ability to realize and ensure respect for rights and of the prerogatives of all residents of the city. The Smart Mission guidelines do not include any rights-based indicators to monitor and ensure that the project also benefits disadvantaged groups. Need to adopt sustainable smart cities Currently, urban infrastructure is mostly developed without giving much consideration to sustainability. According to the World Bank's Sustainable Cities Framework, sustainable cities can be understood as resilient cities that can adapt more easily to mitigate and promote changes,.