Bangalore's Royal Garden City

In past posts we have discussed smart buildings and the systems required to create a fully functional smart work environment.  The underlying tone has consistently been one suggesting how nice it might be to have a fully integrated smart city.  Well, this morning I received an interesting email from a friend who is aware of the India story we have been telling on this platform, and said I had to put everything aside to open this link.

Royal Indian Raj International Corporation, a Nevada-based development corporation recently unveiled its plans for Royal Garden City, an absolutely mamouth project that will be constructed just outside Bangalore India.  From the sounds of things, this isn't just some large complex, it's an entire city, and a smart one at that:

With a total built up space of 11.4 million sqm, the project is Asia's largest single new city development to date. The completely web-enabled City is the first modern Smart City in India and is touted as the new model for city developments in the country.

Upon completion of the project, the developers will have little time to rest, as more plans are on the backburner:

It is also the first of four major city developments undertaken by RIRIC. The other three Royal Garden City projects in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are expected to commence in 2006/2007.

Projects like this can only move forward if those who do the financing are thoroughly convinced that risks are mitigated and the business case that underlies the project is sound.  In this case, it seems everything is moving ahead nicely.  In the process, this endorsement makes a major statement on the future business viability of India.