Social sustainability, smart cities and the Global South: Learning from the Indian experience

Smart cities are predominantly framed through a technological lens, with limited attention given to their place-based social dimensions. The latter are especially significant in the Global South where social polarization, unequal access to basic community facilities, and poor infrastructure are everyday realities. Examining the vision and execution of a smart city initiative through the critical framework of social sustainability highlights these problems. Social sustainability goals have been taken up unevenly within India's Smart Cities Mission. This paper provides an on-the-ground perspective of progress and challenges for area-based development under the Mission. The findings reveal significant gaps between policy vision and practical implementation, emphasizing the need for enhanced collaborative planning, meaningful community engagement, and more inclusive governance mechanisms. As an original grounded investigation into the gap between policy and implementation in a Global South setting, this paper calls for a deeper practical commitment to social sustainability to ensure that smart city initiatives more effectively address urban needs. • A critical practice review of the nexus between social sustainability and smart cities • Sets smart cities progress in a Global South context with reference to the Indian Smart Cities Mission • Examination of the gap between policy ambition and implementation • Detailed on-the-ground findings of the experience with area-based development in the Faridabad Smart City project • Identification of key policy and local factors impeding full implementation • Implications for more successful integration of social sustainability in smart cities